Western Uganda

Western Uganda is a region of Uganda.

Cities

• 1 Butogota
• 2 Fort Portal — generally considered Uganda's most attractive settlement with extensive tea plantations, some fine old buildings and a superb Rwenzori backdrop.
• 3 Hoima
• 4 Kabale — is a small city in the far south of the country and the stopover to go to Lake Bunyonyi and the southeastern National Parks.
• 5 Kasese
• 6 Kisoro — a stopover to visit the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
• 7 Masindi
• 8 Mbarara
• Rwaihamba — biggest village in the Crater Lakes area

Other destinations

• 1 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the primary gorilla tracking location. There are troupes reached from Buhoma (north) and a new troupe reached from the south at Nkuringo.
• 2 Lake Bunyonyi - pretty lake with several tiny islands
• 3 Lake Mburo National Park
• 4 Kibale Forest National Park near the town of Fort Portal is famed for chimpanzee tracking and is highly recommended. Twitchers will know that some of the best birding in central Africa is here too. The Kasese Crater Lakes are in the area.
• 5 Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is at the confluence of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. One gorilla troop can be tracked from here, but its range sometimes takes it into one of the other two countries, so may not be accessible. The Virunga Mountains are the dramatic spine of the park, recently active volcanic peaks. Much other remarkable wildlife is in this often overlooked park.
• 6 Queen Elizabeth National Park has several parts to it, but the main section between Lake Edward and Lake George is a more concentrated version of East African parks as far as animals are concerned, although with less splendid vistas unless the mist-shrouded Ruwenzori Mountains are visible. The Ugandan Kob is an endemic antelope (and is on the coat of arms along with the crested crane, including on currency). Worth considering is a drive among volcanic crater lakes on the south edge of the Ruwenzoris. Kazinga channel has the greatest concentration of Hippos in Africa in this park and the park is home to the famous tree climbing lions.
• 7 Rwenzori National Park is a mountain range in south-west Uganda bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is 120 km (75 mi) long and 48 km (30 mi) wide with its highest peak at Mt. Stanley (5109 m/16,761 ft). The range was first described in the 2nd century by ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy as the "Mountains of the moon", and first ascended in 1896 by Italian explorers. By the end of 2006, its ice cap has retreated from 6.4 km² (2.5 sq mi) a century ago, to less than a 1.28 km² (0.5 sq mi). In the Rwenzori Mountains near Fort Portal you find Mitandi. The place represents a unique opportunity to explore the mountains and get to know the culture of the local Bakonzo mountain people.