Fort Portal
Uganda · Western Uganda · 1500 m
Description
Fort Portal is the tea town of western Uganda, a cool highland centre at fifteen hundred metres surrounded by plantations that run in clipped green terraces to the horizon. It is the seat of the Tooro kingdom, whose round palace stands on a hill above the streets. The country immediately west and south is punched with dozens of explosion craters, most of them holding lakes of deep still water ringed by forest and banana gardens. Walking trails link the crater rims, and on clear mornings the Rwenzori snows appear on the western skyline. The town works as the base for Kibale and the southern parks.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 4 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – August or December – February
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Crater lakes of the Ndali-Kasenda field
- Tea plantations and factory tours
- Tooro Palace
- Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru caves and waterfall
- Crater rim walks and viewpoints
- Semuliki National Park and the Sempaya hot springs(Day trip)
- Karambi royal tombs
- Rwenzori views from the western ridges
- Bigodi wetland and its birdlife(Day trip)
- Town market and the highland produce