18-Nights East Africa Overland: Serengeti & Safari Drives - 18-to-Thirtysomethings

Lake Bunyonyi

Situated alongside the road between Kabale town and Bwindi National Park, this pretty lake—whose name translates aptly as "Place of Little Birds"—is essentially a submerged valley dammed by a lava flow from one of the region's many volcanoes. With a shore and islands dotted with low-key camps and lodges, it has become one of the most popular venues in Uganda to relax and is a popular base for day hikes and visits to Batwa pygmy communities. A bird-watcher's paradise, it is also a reliable location for sightings of otherwise-elusive otters.

Reaching Lake Bunyonyi can be tricky and time-consuming via public transportation. Private taxis are available, but can be prohibitive in cost. This area is a dramatically different landscape from the rest of Uganda in its cultivation and pastoral practices.

Kalinzu Forest Reserve

Lake Mburo National Park

Jinja

Uganda's second-largest city, Jinja is situated where the White Nile leaves Lake Victoria on its 3,470-mi/5,590-km journey to the Mediterranean. There is a small plaque that commemorates the spot where the explorer John Speke claimed he had found the source of the Nile in 1862.

Although the river can be interesting, don't expect much: It's now the site of Owen Falls Dam and is no longer in its natural state. Sunset cruises to the Source are popular.

On the riverbanks, there are some lively campsites and bars, and it is the center for Uganda's burgeoning white-water rafting industry and various other adrenaline-inducing activities. We don't expect Idi Amin would have ever imagined that you could bungee jump over the Nile in Uganda—but you can today. Kayaking is also offered, as is quad biking, horseback riding and ziplining in the villages along the banks of the Nile.

The city, 50 mi/80 km east of Kampala, is an expat haven, and visitors will find juice bars, coffee shops, yacht clubs and community events.

Serengeti

Zanzibar

Dar es Salaam

Ngorongoro

Arusha

Nairobi

Eldoret

Kampala

Set just a few miles/kilometers north of Lake Victoria in the heart of Buganda, Kampala is the capital of Uganda and the country's largest city.

It's a hilly, congested town, and the scars of war that dominated in the early 1990s have long since been repaired or replaced by bright malls and high-rises. Traffic can come to a honking standstill in the city center with bikes balancing bunk beds, boda bodas loaded with 400-lb Nile perch and pedestrians all jockeying for position.

Also, take an excursion to Lake Victoria and visit Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine and the massive, thatch-domed Kasubi Tombs, burial place of several kabakas of Buganda. Although their works are not intended for tourists (and may not be for sale), students at the Makerere University's School of Industrial and Fine Arts create fascinating pieces of art, many of which reflect the challenging conditions of Ugandan life.

In the middle of city at the bottom of Nakasero Hill, look for the market with its colorful display of fresh produce and the matatu (minibus) park stuffed to the gills with vehicles.