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Exploring Uganda on Budget

Being the pearl of Africa, Uganda has the best weather year round conducive for travel from one place to another. Tourist attractions in a few kilometer road distance from the international airport at Entebbe. Beaches, gardens, Lakes, and natural forest reserves are the first spotted even to visitors driving on the highway. Other attractions include the national parks, cultural sites, rain forests, waterfalls, Islands etc.

While in Uganda moving from one place to another is mostly by road using public or private means of transport, water by ferry or boat and Air using chatter plains. All transport means are privatized and mostly owned by private individuals. Connections can be made any time of day depending on where you heading. However the cheapest way of travelling around Uganda is by bus and Tax though water crossing journeys can be involved at some point and crossing is by boat or ferry especially if you want to visit a stunning island on Lake Victoria. Only five US dollars can move you from Kampala to Jinja using public taxes which are boarded from Kampala Old Park and still drop you to Jinja town.

As you know Jinja is one of the most visited towns in Uganda with many things to do and experience, white water Rafting, Bungee jumping, source of the Nile visit, birding, community walks and cycling, Quad biking etc. Sometimes you get surprised finding that even the night accommodation goes for only $5-15 dollars in tents and dorms at different campsites around the lake. The town is calm with less traffic and worthy resting when it comes to spending some days out of the city. Despite the new changes of former Bujagali falls, the city still attracts many tourists from all over the globe to engage in different adventures including chilling at the Nile watching local cultural dancers.

Different buses offer the same service at the same fee leaving Kampala all day from morning to evening. You can get on and off whenever you want along one of their set routes and you can buy ticket as you get into the bus .However buses to western Districts of Kabale, Kisoro, Kasese, masindi are quite more expensive since they drive for longer hours from Kampala. Many travelers use these buses to connect to Uganda national park especially Bwindi Impenetrable forest and Queen Elizabeth National Park for Gorillas and wildlife safaris tours.

If you heading to Bwindi forest, it’s advisable to wake up quite early and leave Kampala with the first bus which leaves the terminal at 5.00am arriving in Kabale town late in the afternoon a convenient time for you to get other public means of transport to your lodge of residence. The cost is around normally 15-17 dollars one way. Prior bookings for a Uganda safari are recommended in order not to miss out so booking your bus ticket a day before travel makes sense. Backpackers usually travel light and find this transport option the best and convenient for Uganda cheap holidays. Even for practical travel reasons it’s indeed the best since you get a chance to even visit the local groceries, markets, taste the local meals like a local hence experiencing Africa as locals do.

The best way to travel for cheap is to not pay for it but sometimes it’s risky for foreigners to mix up with people they do not know especially in a public transport mean because some locals have funny characters of taking what isn’t there so a foreigner may lose luggage if he or she travelled with a lot of staff.Still Uganda being a land of lakes and rivers, some National parks and cool Islands can only be accessed by boat and ferry means of transport and the advantage with the ferry travel in Uganda, you move along with your vehicle as well unlike in a bus. Murchison falls National Park and Ssese are the main tourism spots accessed by a ferry. Move and discover most of Uganda main attractions by road and ferry.

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