Uganda North East

The least travelled but impressive area of the country

Introduction

The far east of Uganda is an area not often visited by travelers.
About a decade ago the area was still insecure because of tribal tension. Now the area is safe enough to travel to. After visiting the Sipi waterfall, we cross the beautiful lands near the Kenya border and ride all the way up to the amazing Kidepo National park. We return south using Gulu and Soroti as stops, using most of the time gravel roads. We cross the big lake by small boat before we return to Entebbe.

Tourdetails

Tourcode:

Days:

Group size:

Price from:

Countries:

UNE

4-12

€2.075

Uganda

departures

Status

Map

DAY

FROM

Arrival

Kampala

Sipi

263

Sipi

Moroto

169

Moroto

Kidepo

220

Kidepo

safari Kidepo NP

Kidepo

Gulu

227

Gulu

Soroti

210

Soroti

Kampala

270

Kampala

Departure

Total

1359

Tourdetails

Tourcode:

Days:

Group size:

Price from:

Countries:

UNE

4-12

€2.075

Uganda

departures

Status

Map

Day 1 - Arrival – Kampala

We will pick you up from the Airport if you are not already in the country.

Day 2 - Kampala – Sipi

Riding out of town will be the first challenge of the tour. The busy Kampala roads, especially in the morning rush hour are to be taken slowly and carefully. Once out of town it will still be busy on the way to Jinja. This is the town we will enjoy the first break. It is also the source of the great Nile river. We follow the main road for a bit more before we branch off to gravel roads, which are clearly less busy. We will have lunch in a small town, in a very local restaurant. After our short break in Mbale we enter the mountain area, and ride to our hotel close to the famous waterfall.

Day 3 - Sipi – Moroto

After a short visit to the waterfall we head to the gravel roads going north. We come close to the border with Kenya. This is a deserted area where not many foreigners find their way. Apart from many tribal village we will also encounter lots of wildlife. Moroto is a Kara Tunga tribal town. We will sleep in a traditional guesthouse.

Day 4 - Moroto – Kidepo

We further north we ride the less village we come across and the more wildlife we encounter. There are no tarmac roads in the area, most are good gravel. The Kidepo National park lays in the corner between Kenya and South Sudan. On the South Sudan side it continues to be Kidepo, and most of the total park is on the South Sudan side. We will stay in a lodge close to the gate into the National park.

Day 5 - Kidepo – safari Kidepo NP

Today can be used for a safari in the Kidepo National Park. The park is well known for the high number of lions. We cannot enter the park by bike, so we need to take a local safari car with driver. If you are not interested in the safari, you can relax at the lodge or have a short ride around the area.

Day 6 - Kidepo – Gulu

We leave the park and the wildlife behind, using gravel roads most of the way. Coming closer to Kigum we come closer to the populated area. In Kitgum we will have lunch. For the afternoon we plan to take the main tarmac road all the way to Gulu. This is lowland area.

Day 7 - Gulu – Soroti

The morning we will ride through the network of small gravel roads north of the highway. We use a short bit of asphalt but hit the gravel again shortly after. We enter Soroti from the north, Soroti is a small town, with many transiting visitors.

Day 8 - Soroti – Kampala

Gravel roads bring us deep into the lake area. We find a small village at the shore. We will rent small boats to ferry us to the other side of the lake. There are no regular ferries doing this, so we have to charter local people to set us across in small fishing boats. Coming to the south side of the lake we take the main road back to Kampala, which will be very busy at the end.

Day 9 - Kampala – Departure

We will bring to the airport if needed. Otherwise, we say goodbye at the hotel.

Tourdetails

Tourcode:

Days:

Group size:

Price from:

Countries:

UNE

4-12

€2.075

Uganda

departures

Status

Map

Motorbikes

We either ride the Kibo 250 or the HaoJin 250, which ever is available at the moment.

Difficulty and offroad

During this trip we do not ride at significant heights. The bad slippery roads (particularly after rain) can make travel heavy, however this will probably only last a few days. About 60% of the route is on asphalt roads, which are often of remarkably good quality. Most gravel roads are also in decent conditions. For a small part of the trip, we ride on more challenging unpaved roads. The quality of these roads is very different. This trip is suitable for any healthy motorcyclist. We ride on asphalted main roads and regularly change the route and follow narrow back roads. About 45% of driving time is on unpaved roads. However, these are mainly well-packed gravel roads. The dirt roads are not difficult, but we recommend having prior experience off-roading or taking a training course in advance. The motorcycles are light and maneuverable all-terrain bikes.

Accommodation

During this trip we will stay in hotels and tented camps. Some hotels are basic, family-run accommodations but are the nicest options in town.

Climate

Uganda has two rainy seasons. In spring from March to May and from October to November in autumn. Since this trip is around the equator the average temperature throughout the year is 30 degrees.

Clothing

Compulsory items to bring are a helmet, motorcycle jacket with protection, gloves, a good strong pair of (motorcycle) trousers with protection or separate knee armour, and sturdy high (mountain) boots. Furthermore, we recommend bringing a good pair of sunglasses, lip balm and sunscreen, as well as a helmet with visor or a good pair of glasses that also protects against the dust on unpaved roads.

Insurance

Motorcycles have a compulsory basis liability insurance which is also valid in Uganda. Damage to the motorcycle itself cannot be insured.

Visa

For most nationalities, there is a visa requirement to enter Uganda. Uganda visas can be obtained online.