Whenever I have mentioned to people that I am going to Uganda, almost invariably someone will look at me in horror and ask if it is safe there. My response is that Idi was a long time ago and the Lords Resistance Army were driven out of the north over 6 years ago.
The people have put the "bad years" behind them and are working hard to give their children a future. They are friendly and welcoming. Unlike some of it's near neighbours, Uganda is currently one of the safer places in Africa to visit.
A landlocked country on the Equator, Uganda is largely situated on a plateau, with volcanic mountains edging its eastern and western borders
The Victoria Nile River runs through Uganda and follows part of the Rift Valley to Lake Albert where it then flows north to become the White Nile River. The economy of Uganda, which was devastated during the Idi Amin regime of the 1970s and the subsequent civil war, made a significant comeback beginning in the mid-1980s, when economic reforms aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings were undertaken.
The majority of the population are mostly rural based and while agriculture and fishing have been the main sources of income, Oil companies are now drilling in the Rift Valley and Tourism has returned as an important industry.
The country has stunning landscapes, rare and threatened species, elephants, big cats, primates and yes, Mountain Gorillas too. It's not as expensive as it's near neighbours, Kenya and Tanzania, and provides just about everything a visitor to Africa would want to see and do.
