A 7-day famil through Uganda’s national parks – from mountain gorillas to on-foot rhino tracking – has primed a group of Australian and UK travel agents to sell the Pearl of Africa going into POATE 2026.
“All African countries have the big five, but in Uganda we have the big eight,” said Counsellor of Tourism & Culture, Tisa Susan Mugwanya.
The traditional big five that visitors to Africa want to tick off includes lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. Uganda’s unique additions are mountain gorilla, chimpanzee and the Ugandan people, whose smiles are as wide as the Rift Valley which lines the country’s western border. The travel agents witnessed seven of the eight, with leopards remaining the only species not to make an appearance as they explored regional Uganda.
Ms Mugwanya spoke to Africa Beat 24 hours after the agents had witnessed an extraordinary mountain gorilla interaction in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and moments after they trekked through Kibale National Park where chimpanzees crashed through the canopy overhead.
The agent famil was organised by the Uganda High Commission in Canberra in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), with Nkuringo Safaris as ground operator. The landmark famil was designed to position Uganda as a premium, emotionally immersive destination within the Australian outbound travel market. The agents explored Uganda’s southern and western regions ahead of the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE) 2026, which opens in Kampala on 21 May.
“In the olden days, people only knew about Uganda for its political issues of Idi Amin,” Mugwanya told Africa Beat. “But today we have opened up tourism and visitors are seeing the beauty of Uganda. They are witnessing why it is referred to as the Pearl of Africa.”
Extraordinary wildlife encounters were a famil highlight
For most of the group, the gorilla trek into the Nkuringo section of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park was the highlight of their Ugandan experience. They viewed an extraordinary encounter with two mountain gorilla groups with competing silverbacks going chest to chest in a show of force rarely witnessed by visitors – a full report on Uganda gorilla trekking is coming soon.
From Bwindi, the group flew Aerolink’s domestic service from Kisoro to Kasese and transferred to Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking to tick off another of Uganda’s big eight. Groups are allocated one hour once chimpanzees are encountered, with Rangers guiding visitors to the best viewpoints.
At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only location in Uganda where white rhinos can be tracked on foot, the group were safely guided through the park to view rhinos up close. The sanctuary was established in 2005 with six animals relocated from Kenya and the United States, and is now home to more than 50 rhinos. The sanctuary made worldwide headlines recently with the first reintroduction of rhinos to Uganda’s national parks after they were previously hunted to extinction.
Murchison Falls National Park and the source of the River Nile
At Murchison Falls National Park, which is Uganda’s largest, the group participated in multiple game drives, viewing lions, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, buffalos, warthogs, monkeys, baboons and a number of antelope species. They also walked to the top of Murchison Falls – the world’s most powerful waterfall – and took a boat cruise on the Nile to view the base of the tumultuous falls, where hippos, elephants and abundant birdlife are part of the attraction.
Uganda’s people factor sets it apart from other destinations
Mugwanya was emphatic on the appeal of Ugandan hospitality for visitors.
“If I’m to describe the Ugandan people, we are just as graceful as our national bird, the Crested Crane. They are very peaceful, graceful, loving, and very welcoming,” she said. “A smile is part of us. Without a smile, then you are not a complete Ugandan.”
The agents witnessed this first hand, experiencing the warmth of Ugandan hospitality at Nkuringo Gorilla Lodge and Turaco Treetops, along with Pakuba Safari Lodge and Paraa Safari Lodge inside Murchison Falls National Park. In Kampala they stayed at five-star Kampala Serene Hotel where an 18-hole golf course lures golfing fanatics.
POATE 2026 is Uganda’s premier tourism trade expo
The agents returned to Kampala to attend POATE 2026 with first-hand knowledge of a destination many travellers are uncertain about visiting. POATE 2026 is Uganda Tourism Board’s opportunity to further cement that knowledge. An estimated 3,000 buyers, sellers, media and other travel professionals will attend three days of meetings and networking events at Speke Resort Munyonyo.
Uganda is accessible from Australia via connections through Johannesburg (Qantas), Dubai (Emirates) and Doha (Qatar) to Entebbe International Airport.
Tourist visas are USD50 and can be arranged online
Gorilla trekking permits cost USD800
Chimpanzee trekking permits cost USD250
For more information visit Uganda Tourism Board.
Fiona Harper was a guest of Uganda High Commission, Canberra. All images are credited to Fiona Harper.
