Uganda

Landlocked Uganda, the 'Pearl of Africa' sits astride the Equator and is a country of astonishing contrasts. From the source of the White Nile on Lake Victoria to the snowcapped Ruwenzori range, the mountain rainforests of the still active Virunga volcanoes to the desert plains of Karamoja, Uganda is home to a splendid array of wildlife, birdlife and flora which after many hard years of mismanagement is finally making a recovery. It is also probably best known as one of the last refuges of the rare mountain Gorilla where treks can be organized to see some of the habituated groups. Lakes, rivers and streams, including lake Victoria, the worlds second largest lake and the Nile River, covers 25 percent of its surface, and boasts the marvel of Murchison Falls and the splendor of lakes Victoria, Albert, and Edward. Uganda is populated and blessed with friendly folk who have somehow withstood a brutal, humiliating and devastating civil war for almost two decades and have come out on top.