Uganda is a classic adventure tourism destination. Indeed, Bujagali Falls, which lies downstream of the Source of the Nile an hour’s drive east of Kampala, is the East African counterpart to more southerly ‘adrenaline capitals’ such as Victoria Falls and Cape Town. Bujagali is the launching point for a commercial white-water rafting route that ranks as one of most thrilling but also one of the safest in the world, passing through three heart-stopping Grade Five rapids in one day. Other activities at Bujagali include kayaking, mountain biking, quad-biking and a new 44 metre-high bungee jump from a cliff above the Nile.
Boasting three separate montane destinations topping the 4,000 metre mark, all protected within national parks, Uganda offers some of Africa’s top hiking and climbing possibilities. Serious mountaineers need look no further than the majestic Rwenzori, whose trio of craggy 5,000-plus metre glacial peaks offers a genuine challenge to experienced alpine climbers, while fit hikers will find the six-day loop trail through the Rwenzori’s forest and moorland zones to be as rewarding as it is demanding.
Further east, Mount Elgon, Africa’s eighth-highest mountain, offers an excellent and relatively undemanding introduction to Afro-montane climates and vegetation, culminating in the ascent of a 6km wide volcanic caldera studded with small waterfalls, caves and hot springs. Another estimable hiking destination is the Virunga Mountains, where mountain gorilla tracking can be supplemented by a tough day ascent to one of the three extinct volcanoes protected within Mgahinga National Park, the tallest of which is the 4,127-metre Muhabura.