Rent a 4×4 Car in Eastern Uganda, whether it’s self-drive or Chauffeur driven. Eastern Uganda has the adrenaline adventures. Several car rental agencies offer Uganda car hire services that covers Eastern Uganda, with transfers to and from your hotel, meetings, or home. We offer self-drive and chauffeured car rental services with a huge variety of cars to select from in Eastern Uganda.
Below are the most popular attractions in Eastern Uganda;
Jinja, Start of the Nile River
While you are touring Lake Victoria, you may want to check out Jinja, the colonial town that is positioned at the start of the Nile River.
The town is regarded as East Africa’s adrenaline capital, so not only can you view where the world’s longest and most historic river begins, but you can also get your blood pumping with activities like whitewater rafting, mountain-biking, quad-biking, and kayaking.
River Nile is well known to be the longest river in the world. Its source starts right from Jinja Uganda, some people may be wondering how the name Nile come about. It’s a famous Greek word simply meaning valley. The river starts from the Northeastern part of Africa. It flows from the surrounding areas close to the equator to the outrageous Safari desert and up to the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The river is bout 6696km long and pours its water to over nine countries although it’s more centered to Uganda as well as Egypt. Countries include Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zaire and Ethiopia.
Sipi Falls
Named after the wild banana plant that grows nearby, Sipi Falls is a popular site located in eastern Uganda on the border of Mount Elgon National Park.
This series of three waterfalls offers spectacular views no matter how you look at them, whether you hike to the top or the bottom. Nearby, you can also check out the coffee farms, explore caves or enjoy a nature walk.
Mount Elgon National Park
Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano that first erupted about 20 million years ago. It has the largest intact Caldera in the world measuring 40km2. It was once Africa’s highest mountain but with erosion it was reduced to its height of 4321m making it 4th highest in East Africa. Mt Elgon has the largest base in the world at 3840km2. It is also the largest solitary volcanic mountain in East Africa located in Eastern Uganda on the border with Kenya. Mt Elgon national park covers an area of 1145km2.
The national park was declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve. The main tourist attraction is mountain hiking to the caldera with the highest peak Wagagai at 4321m, Sudek at 4303m, Koitobos at 4222m and Mubiyi at 4210m.
Animals of Mount Elgon National Park
The wildlife is mainly found in the lower slopes but rarely seen in the forest setting; Defassa waterbuck, Elephants, Oribi, Bushbucks, Buffaloes and Spotted Hyena, also black-and-white monkeys, Colobus monkeys.
Birds of Mount Elgon National Park
Mt Elgon national park is home to 296 bird species and 40 Ugandan species whose range is limited to Mount Elgon and these include black collared Apalis, Jacksons Francolin, Lammergeyer, Black-shouldered Kite, and Tacazze sunbird. If you are looking for unique birds and beautiful scenery then Mt Elgon is should be on your bucket list.
Nyero Rock Painting
Nyero Rock Paintings, the oldest rock art in Uganda, consists of six panels of prehistoric art, including many geometric and abstract patterns. Painted in red and black pigment on six granite rock shelters, estimates put the rock art anywhere between 3,000 and 12,000 years old. Researchers believe they may have been created by the Karamojong tribe, semi-nomadic animal herders native to this region of Uganda. Visitors will have to hike to see most of the paintings, exploring some wonderful landscapes and weird rock formations along the way, as well as people living the local way of life.
Ssezibwa Falls
Located 35km east of Kampala, Ssezibwa Falls are found in district of Mukono on the way to Jinja home to the source of the river Nile. This is a perfect break on your Jinja and eastern Uganda destination tour. What welcomes you is the presence of birds singing, sometimes by primates and the calmness of the waterfall but with an authentic sound only fulfilling cool weather even on a hot day surrounded by a patch of forest.
It is a Buganda cultural heritage site. Believed by the natives that the river is actually a twin baby born together with Bwanda as she was on her way to Kavuma. Because of this belief, the falls are one of the most spiritual and cultural centers where many natives flock for blessings, wealth, and fortunes. A Care taker (traditional healer) performs ceremonies for those seeking love, children, a successful business deal or a good harvest.
The Falls are on the Ssezibwa River which flows from the wetlands between L. Victoria and L. Kyoga. Ssezibwa Falls are about seven meters high and with the sweet hissing sound created by the falling water forms beautiful scenery.
This is complemented by the natural vegetation cover and the undulating and steep rocks over which the waters fall. The site has several bird species which present a wonderful opportunity for bird watching. A hike around the waterfalls takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour good enough to stretch your legs from a car so ideal and rewarding with the history and help of a site guide.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is one of Uganda’s most spectacular and remote parks tucked in the northeastern corner bordering Kenya and South Sudan. The park covers an area of 1,442 square kilometers and has an altitude ranging between 914m and 2750m. Kidepo Valley harbors scenery that is not in any other parks in East Africa. The park has a semi-arid climate with one rainy season year in the months of April – September.
The park has two rivers i.e. Narus River and Kidepo River and the two rivers are seasonal. This means that in the dry season they dry out, as such the only water in Kidepo National Park is in the wetlands and remnant pools along the Narus valley. Stroll along the Kidepo River in the dry season and enjoy its 50m bed of white sand between banks covered by Borassus palm trees. You will be surprised to find heavily flowing rivers during the rainy season, such a unique setting, and a ‘beach’ during the dry season.
Wildlife in Kidepo National Park
Animals in Kidepo national park: Kidepo Valley national Park is one of Africa’s most magnificent wildernesses. The park boasts of 77 species of mammals including; Elephants, Rothschild’s giraffe, Burshell’s Zebra, Oribi, Klipspringer, Bohor Reedbuck, Eland, Hartebeest, Lion, Hyena and Cheetah, Leopard, striped jackals and perhaps Africa’s largest single herd of Cape buffalo roaming grasslands that extend in all directions towards distant ranges. Some of species in this park are not found in other parks except some game reserves like Cheetahs, Eland and Kudu. On occasions, you will sight a white-eared Kob from the neighboring South Sudan.
Birds in Kidepo Valley national park
The park is rich in birdlife with 465 bird species some of which are only in Kidepo valley national park and the Karamoja region in Uganda. The birds to look out for include; Ostrich, Secretary bird, little green bee-eater, Kori bustard, Pygmy falcon and Karamoja Apalis. Kidepo is notable for its 58 species of prey including the Verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian vulture, and pygmy falcon and 14 of these are believed to be endemic to Kidepo and Karamoja region.
Pian Upe Game Reserve
Pian Upe game reserve in eastern Uganda. It is one of the best places to see Cheetahs in Uganda. The main activity is having a game drive in the untouched reserve with some areas safe for a walking safari. For those interested in mountaineering they would plan to hike Mt Kadam but would need to be booked prior to the time. It is located in the Karamoja area so you have opportunities of visiting one of the Karamajong homesteads for an experience with them.
Conclusion
Choose to go for a short self-drive trip to Eastern Uganda from Kampala. Gone are the days, when you had to drive through the rough road to the Eastern part of the country. Truth to be told, the improvement of the Kampala to Jinja, Mbale among others has reduced on the time of driving.