Uganda with kids

Itinerary & practical tips for a trip to the pearl of Africa

In this blog, I want to tell you more about Uganda with children, rightly called the Pearl of Africa! Due to our involvement with two charities, CCA and Bring Light, we decided to stay here longer. Most of the time, we stay in a comfortable place in Jinja, close to friends. From this location, we make various trips. In this blog, we will share more about our itinerary in Uganda and provide our best tips for an unforgettable journey. This blog is written by Corine.

Uganda with kids - itinerary & tips

Entebbe
Fort Murchison
Kidepo & Karamodja
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Kapchorwa
Practical tips

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Uganda with kids - Entebbe

Our landing in Uganda is great! We are staying at ViaVia Guesthouse in Entebbe, a lovely place where we acclimatize and enjoy all the delicious smoothies and breakfasts on the menu. Of course, we also continue with our travel education, but we do it outdoors! (Want to read more about traveling with school-age children? Click here.)

In Entebbe, we explore the Botanical Gardens and do some shopping at a large supermarket. Tomorrow, we will travel further to Jinja, where our friends live.

Uganda with kids - Fort Murchison

After a week, the time has come for our big joint trip to northern Uganda. For this journey, we arrange a reliable driver. We don’t have much experience driving in Uganda yet. Our guide is also well aware of the potential safety risks associated with the areas we are heading to. The total trip is about 750 kilometers. Google Maps predicts that it will take 14 hours, but we know better! In practice, we will need two long travel days of at least 12 hours each.

Our first safari

Halfway through, we make our first stop and visit Murchison Falls National Park. Uganda is, of course, the place to go on safari. We explore the park in our own car and soon spot our first giraffes, elephants, zebras, buffalo, crocodiles, and even a leopard! We have comfortable rooms at Nature Lodges, Fort Murchison. After a warm safari trip, we cool off in the pool with a view!

Read all about a journey through the other pearl of Africa: Namibia.

Uganda with kids - Kidepo – Karamoja

The northern part of Uganda is not a tourist region, and the journey there is long. To see the work of CCA, we travel to Kaabong. Here, we, along with our children, get to know a very different side of this beautiful country. We witness child labor in mines, poverty, and a lack of medical care. Fortunately, we also see hope: children who can go to school, the provision of healthcare, and an amazing bakery project.

Unique encounters

Together we visit a school, what an experience! Many of the people we meet here have never seen a white child before. Often we hear them call out, “Mzungu baby!” (white baby). The hospitality is immense, and fortunately, we don’t feel unsafe. Currently, safety is deteriorating in this region, and we probably wouldn’t be able to make this trip again. We’re extra glad we went!

More safari

Near Kaabong, you’ll find Kidepo National Park, a beautiful and diverse park to visit. Here, too, we stay at Nature Lodges. On one of our safaris with the guide, we even see a lion! Water is extremely scarce in this region, as are vegetables and fruits. The drought is one of the reasons why this part of Uganda lags behind in development. Our lodge doesn’t have a pool, so due to the heat, we inquire at another park if we could use their pool. They would charge us $25 or even $50 per person! We decide to skip that swim session…

Uganda with kids - Ziwa Rhino sanctuary

On the way back, we visit the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a park where rhinos are cared for and protected from poaching. Here, you can take guided walks among the rhinos! And just like that, our Big Five is complete. Uganda, the pearl of Africa, has given us the full Big Five in just two weeks, along with all the other beautiful animals—what a gift!

Uganda with kids - Kapchorwa

A new week, a new trip! Starting today, we have our own rental car! In eastern Uganda, you’ll find the Kapchorwa region. Together with our fantastic guide Juma Chebet (you can find him on Instagram!), we hike to the Sipi Falls. It’s quite a challenge, especially with high temperatures and small children.

Coffee plantations

After that, we meet coffee farmers in the region. It’s not mass production, but a warm welcome in the farmer’s home. He shows us the process, from planting to roasting and brewing coffee.

Running clinic

We stay overnight at Home of Friends guesthouse, owned by Daan Oxener. Kapchorwa is a popular spot for (professional) runners. Robert gets a running clinic from local top athletes—an experience he’ll never forget!

Visit to the Equator

Our time in Uganda is almost over. During the last few days, we visit the Equator, located about 75 km south of Kampala. It’s a tourist spot where you can take a fun photo. For Teun, we prepared a lesson about it, as we discussed how the Northern and Southern Hemispheres work. Another learning experience!

Uganda with kids - Practical tips

– When staying in Entebbe, you can choose ViaVia guesthouse. It’s a guesthouse with a Flemish owner and a wonderful menu!

– Nature Lodges has various locations in Uganda, offering different options depending on your budget. You can choose to camp or book a luxury hotel room! Fun fact: Nature Lodges also has a Dutch owner.

– We rented a car from Roadtrip Uganda, which is also a company with Dutch roots!

– Are you in Jinja? Visit The Hangout. A nice place to eat and play.

– Familiarize yourself with the country beforehand. Carefully consider any health and safety risks you may encounter. If you’re well-prepared, Uganda is a wonderful destination for families with children!

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I hope that through my story, I’ve been able to show you a bit of Uganda. The Pearl of Africa is definitely worth a visit! I’m sure you’ll, like us, fall in love with the people and the nature! If you have any questions about Uganda with children, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @corine_thuis_en_op_reis!

Also nice to read: Emigrating to Africa with children.

About Corine

Hi! It’s great that you’re reading my blog. I’m Corine (34), and I’m married to Robert. Together, we have two sons: Teun (9) and Pijke (5).

After years of dreaming about a long journey, we made the decision in 2021. We sold our house and left for our first destination, Zanzibar, in early January 2022! On this beautiful island, we took the time to acclimatize and recover from the intense period that lay behind us. After three weeks, we headed to Uganda. After Uganda, we traveled to South Africa for four weeks. Following that, we spent three months traveling through Australia. In the summer of 2022, we decided to return to the Netherlands.

We now look back on a wonderful, intense journey that we, along with our boys, thoroughly enjoyed. For Teun, this period of “home schooling” (or should I say travel schooling?) has been very valuable. To avoid any issues with compulsory education, we decided to deregister him. The elementary school was willing to provide him with his curriculum, and when your mom is a teacher, everything will definitely be alright!

Follow Corine on Instagram: @corine_thuis_en_op_reis