Physical geography Uganda is on the equator in east Africa. It was once called the pearl of Africa, and it's easy to see why. I was a bit disappointed when I heard that it didn't have a coastline, but then I found out that it contains about half of Lake Victoria, the biggest lake in Africa, as well as some other lakes. So as soon as I got off the plane in Kampala, the capital, I walked down to see it. There really is water as far as you can see, and then lots further. There are a lot of islands in the lake, but unfortunately I was on a tight schedule and didn't manage to see them. I then went to Jinja which they say is the source of the Nile, although the water in the Nile actually comes from several different places. Not content with looking at the white water rapids, I decided to throw myself down then in a rubber raft. It was a great way to see the river, although I'm sure I swallowed most of it in the process! Most of Uganda is a plateau about 1,000 to 1,400m above sea level, but I made it out west to the Ruwenzori mountains to do some hiking. Here the highest mountain is Mount Stanley, it's 5109m tall and always covered in snow. From here I wandered into to Kibale forest where I saw loads of chimpanzees. The number of stars that I could see from here at night was incredible. I also travelled out to Bwindi national park which is home to about 320 gorillas. I spent three days tracking them and it all felt worth it when I finally caught up with them. They are huge! The forest also has elephants and giant forest hogs. Unfortunately it started to rain heavily, and it got so muddy I had to leave. Most bits of Uganda have two rainy seasons, the short and the long, and it can get quite wet. Most of the country has warm temperatures between 15 and 25ºC, although I found out that it can get cold in the mountains.