Geography of Uganda
Uganda is a landlocked country that is mainly made up of plateaus with a rim of mountains. Located in Equatorial Africa, it borders Kenya to the east, Tanzania and Rwanda to the south, Democratic Republic of Congo to the west and Sudan to the north. Since Uganda is found in the Great African Plateau, much of the country is well-watered. Nearly one-fifth of Uganda is open water or swamp land. Four of East Africa’s Great Lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert and Lake Edward lie within Uganda or around its borders. Lake Victoria is the second largest inland freshwater lake in the world and feeds the upper waters of the Nile. Almost half of Lake Victoria is found in Uganda and the Ssese Islands and other smaller islands are part of Uganda.
Uganda is surrounded by mountains. The Ruwenzori Mountains, also known as the Mountains of the Moon make up about 80 km (49.7 mi) of the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The two major peaks found in this range are Margherita at 5,113 m (16,774.9 ft) and Alexandra at 5,094 m (16,712.59 ft). The Mufumbiro volcanoes are found further south, with the three main peaks being Mount Mahavura at 4,132 m (13,556 ft), Mount Mgahinga at 3,648 m (11,968 ft), and Mount Sabinio at 3,477 m (11,407 ft). Mount Elgon at 4,324 m (14,186 ft) is Uganda’s highest peak and is found on the border with Kenya. North of Mount Elgon are Kadam Peak at 3,054 m (10,019 ft) and Mount Moroto at 3,085 m (10,121 ft). There are also mountains to the far northeast as well as the Imatong Mountains that border Sudan.
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Highly recommended! Joseph created a fantastic, customized tour for my family. He listened to our many criteria and put together a wonderful package. He was always available and very responsive. Since we were on a safari that utilized flights within Kenya, there was no opportunity to enjoy Joseph's company (as others have commented). However, he made it a point to come to the airport at the start of our adventure and make sure we were all set. This was a small gesture that epitomized his character (I don't think this would have happened with a large tour provider). March 2023
This was our first safari and such an unforgettable experience. Communication with Joseph, the tour operator, was quick and easy. The proposed itinerary he provided was informative and we were able to easily modify it before finalizing everything. We enjoyed all the places we stayed at and there was something unique about each one. The game drives were just wow (super sawa sawa!). The tour guides/drivers (John in Kenya and Rajam in Tanzania) put in a lot of effort in finding the animals at the top of our list (leopard, rhino, calves, as well as a cheetah hunt and the most awesome selfie with an elephant). Each game drive was unique. There were so many encounters that left us awestruck—we’re still ooh ahhh-ing over our pictures and processing everything we experienced. Joseph was with us for the whole trip; he was quite knowledgeable about birds, which was a bonus. He also assisted with logistics (providing documents quickly for visas needed prior to arrival, getting us through border crossings, and arranging dinner reservations at a restaurant we wanted to go to prior to taking us to the airport). This was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had and we have White Plains Safaris to thank for that. They are reliable, prompt, friendly, and well worth the money. February 2023
Our experience with White Plains Safaris and Joseph was amazing! The service was impeccable since the very beginning: during the reservation process, Joseph was extremely helpful, flexible and very honest. After booking, he supported us in any way he could, including paying for our Visas as we had some issues doing that online by ourselves! He was also very helpful in creating the itinerary, which proved to be amazing as it offered great game drives and diversity of landscape. Things kept being perfect throughout our trip; the accommodations he had reserved were very nice and always positioned perfectly, to avoid extra driving. During the game drives he was very accommodating and always asking for our feedback to make sure we had the best time. He brought us in amazing spots thanks to his unstoppable Land Cruiser and we got to see many animals including 3 leopards from very close! We also enjoyed his company very much and he was always able to answer our questions and providing interesting insights on the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. We always felt safe and well taken care of, so I would (and will) strongly recommend Joseph and White Plains to anyone looking for a good time in Kenya and Tanzania. January 2023
White Plains Safari provided me with an incredible experience, they were really easy people to get to know and it felt like I had made another friend at the end of my trip. Their service was excellent, they were really outgoing and did their ultimate best to show us everything they could, even if it meant going out of their way in order to do so, they were very reliable and I personally had no concerns regarding their reliability. In terms of the tour itself, I would one hundred percent recommend my trip to Kenya to anyone, especially with White Plains Safaris. White Plains Safaris helped make my trip an experience I will never forget. May 2022
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Milan Nanavati, USA
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Esperanza Florendo, USA
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Matteo Fogli, Germany
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Shaun, Great Britain