everything from deep forests of towering trees and tangled vines, to lush green hillsides of terraced steps – the country’s background hardly hints at the political turmoil Uganda has seen as a result of ruthless rulers like Idi Amin and his successors. With the South of the country finally at peace and the North moving toward restoration, Uganda is recovering to its former prosperity. The signs of renewal are evident everywhere from the country’s people, who are marked by characteristics of joy and resilience, to the growth of Kampala - Uganda’s bustling capital.

Despite its wealth of natural attractions, crowds of tourists have yet to filter into Uganda’s borders, leaving some of the world’s most unique and breathtaking sights to be experienced as they were originally intended. Included in the resume of you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it places, Uganda boasts the highest mountain range in Africa – the Rwenzori Mountains, the source of the Nile River, half the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population, and the continent’s largest lake – Lake Victoria. And that’s just a handful of the spectacular.

We dove headfirst into the culture of Uganda and took boats to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Found in the middle of Lake Victoria, the sanctuary has over 100 acres of safe refuge where we watched the chimpanzees up close as though they were merely in our backyard.

After Entebbe, we headed to western Uganda and the town of Kabale, a small city that rests in a region often referred to as Little Switzerland due to its rolling mountain scenery. We stayed at the picturesque Lake Bunyoni and camped overnight by the calm water and terraced hillsides. From there, we prepared for our gorilla trek and headed to Bwindi Impenatrable Forest, one of the last remaining refuges for the endangered mountain gorillas. This was undoubtedly one of the most unique experiences of our trip. Gorillas live to be about 45 years old and can weigh up to 250 kilos. The closest relative to man, they are often just as curious and enjoy looking at you as much as you do at them.

To follow up our gorilla trek, we headed to a place you can find nowhere else in the world: the source of the Nile. Crossing the Owen Falls Dam at Jinja, we camped in full view of the impressive Bugagali Falls. The next day, to end our time in Uganda on high note, we tackled white water rafting down the Nile River.  We were only willing to leave the Pearl of Africa for one place: our next stop – Kenya.

and beaches to mountain ranges and wildlife parks. Mt. Kenya can be seen rising in the distance while the Indian Ocean skirts the eastern border.

The tourist industry – one of the most successful in all of Africa – tends to swell or wane depending on the current political climate. Save for the uproar of the presidential election controversy in 2008, Kenya has remained largely stable in recent years and has welcomed a melting pot of international adventure-seekers into its big borders.

Our time in Kenya was a mirrored reflection of the country’s diversity as we witnessed everything from its heavy concentration of wildlife to the people’s unique cultural traditions. The first stop during our seven days in the region was Eldoret in the western highlands, a small town which receives one of the highest rainfalls in Kenya and has some of the richest farmland in Africa. After camping there overnight, we headed for Nakuru where we visited the traditional souvenir markets and sampled the dark, full coffee grown in the region.

Heading into Kenya’s natural wonders, we spent a day on a game drive at Lake Nakuru National Park, which is famous for its rhinos, lions, leopards and giraffes. We followed it up with a trip to the picturesque shores of Lake Naivasha, which are home to prolific bird life and an army of hippos. Our interaction with Kenya’s amazing wildlife continued at Crescent Island’s private game reserve where we got up close and personal with nature’s most extraordinary creatures.

Not far from the reserve we found Elsamere – former home of Joy Adamson who raised and released Elsa the lioness, probably one of the most famous animal stories ever told and which was later immortalized in the book and film, Born Fre

After days in the thick of nature, we headed to the capital city Nairobi and visited the Daphne Sheldrick Animal Orphanage and Giraffe Centre where injured and orphaned animals are nursed back to health before being released back into the wild.

Our time in Kenya was capped off with our trip to Masai Paul’s Krall – a Masai village where we experienced the traditional life and culture of the tribe, including a weapon’s demonstration and Masai dancing. With one last taste of Kenya, we packed our bags and headed south to Tanzania.

which stretches form the northwest corner of Tanzania to the southwest corner of Kenya, Tanzania hosts the largest overland migration in existence – a migration so remarkable it’s included in the ten natural wonders of the world.

With the country’s occupants being everything from wildebeest to crocodiles and flamingos to cheetahs, it’s no wonder that the main attraction for outsiders is all things that walk, fly, hunt and swim.

Our five days in Tanzania – which swept by all too quickly – started with the breathtaking view of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and then dove quickly into the expanse of wilderness.
 
The bulk of our time in the country was spent on a three-day game-watching safari using land rovers and studied guides to navigate the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. The crater, which is an extinct volcano over two-and-a-half million years old, serves as home to thousands of flamingos and other wildlife. Known as Africa’s “garden of Eden,” the region is known for its tall, colorful Masai tribesmen who live a fiercely independent pastoral existence and are a common sight carrying long spears and decorated gourds.

Departing the crater, the remainder of our time was spent in the Serengeti where we saw the “Big Five” – elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard. While the views during daylight were stunning, it was at night that we had our most intimate experiences with wildlife. In the hours of darkness, the game is at its most active and the sounds of the surrounding wildlife can be heard through the night.

The Serengeti was our final stop in Tanaznia. Our 21 days in the East African wilderness was up, but in three weeks we’d been up close and personal with animals and cultures we’d only seen the likes of in National Geographic. We packed our bags and headed home, our minds full of where we’d been and where we’d go next.