To many Ugandans, the closest we ever get to our country’s spectacular wildlife is the silverback printed on the back of a fifty-thousand-shilling note.
It sounds far fetched but step into any office in Kampala and ask people where they spent their last weekend getaway. You will hear about boutique hotels in Jinja, beaches in Entebbe, or perhaps a night out in Fort Portal. Ask how many have watched the sun dip below the horizon over the vast plains of Kidepo Valley or felt the thunderous vibration of the Nile forcing its way through a gorge at Murchison Falls, and the room usually goes quiet.
The truth is, domestic tourism in Uganda faces a stubborn narrative. For decades, safaris have been framed not as a natural rite of passage for citizens, but as an expensive luxury reserved for foreign tourists clutching binoculars and wearing crisp khaki vests.
The high costs of park entry fees, vehicle rentals, and lodge accommodations have quietly built a psychological wall between Ugandans and their own natural heritage. We live in one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet, yet millions of us remain tourists in our own minds, looking from the outside in.
Now, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) wants to break that psychological wall wide open. on July 19th Dorcus Rukundo, UWA’s Commissioner for Tourism and Business Development, announced that from September 25th to September 27th, park entry will be 100% free of charge for all Ugandan citizens and East African residents.
A group of Musicians, journalists and social media influencers led by Ykee Benda were flagged off today to Murchison Falls National Park to officially launch this campaign.
This third edition of the “Open Park Days” also serves as a pre-activity leading into the global celebrations for World Tourism Day on September 27th, hosted this year in the eastern city of Mbale under the national “Explore Uganda” campaign.
The list of open destinations reads like a dream itinerary for anyone who has ever wanted to explore the Pearl of Africa: Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park and Wildlife Reserves Including Pian Upe, Semuliki, and Katonga.
Of course, there is one notable exception to this rule. Uganda’s world-famous primate sanctuaries. The rainforests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where half the world’s mountain gorillas reside, and Kibale National Park, the home of chimpanzee tracking, operate on a delicate, conservation model that naturally keeps permits exclusive. So these two parks will be exempted.