Uganda

Uganda earned Winston Churchill's famous description "the Pearl of Africa" for its extraordinary natural beauty, and the country more than lives up to the billing. From the misty mountain forests where half the world's mountain gorillas dwell to the thundering cascade of Murchison Falls on the Nile, Uganda packs an incredible diversity of experiences into a relatively compact area.

The primary draw is mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where 12 habituated gorilla families can be visited by small groups of eight trekkers each. The experience of sitting within metres of a silverback gorilla in his forest domain — watching the family groom, play, and feed in complete ease — is regularly cited as the most profound wildlife encounter on Earth.

Beyond gorillas, Uganda is Africa's premier primate destination. Kibale Forest hosts 13 primate species including habituated chimpanzees, while Queen Elizabeth National Park's Ishasha sector is famous for its tree-climbing lions — one of only two populations in Africa that regularly ascend fig trees. Murchison Falls National Park offers classic big game safari along the Nile, with the falls themselves — where the entire river is forced through a 7-metre gap — ranking among Africa's most dramatic natural spectacles.

With over 1,000 confirmed bird species in a country smaller than the UK, Uganda is also Africa's top birding destination, attracting ornithologists from around the world seeking rare Albertine Rift endemics and the prehistoric-looking shoebill stork.