If you have ever dreamt of being in the middle of the world, the Uganda Equator line will fulfill your dream. Do you know what it feels like to stand on the Equator In Uganda, in the center of the earth with one leg in the Northern hemisphere while the other in the Southern and pose for a photo? If you are looking for this unique experience, Uganda should be your next Africa safari destination.
On your safaris in Uganda, you have three opportunities and spots to visit the Uganda Equator line and experience a moment of a lifetime. The most popular iconic location is at Kayabwe, about 77km (2 hours) drive from Kampala city, along the Kampala-Masaka road. It is a sought-after stopover for many visitors on their way to or from Uganda wildlife safaris in Lake Mburo Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, or gorilla trekking in Uganda Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which are home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas, those to Lake Bunyonyi Uganda and Rwanda.
Making a stop at the Uganda Equator on your Uganda safari allows you to relax and stretch your legs. It also offers the opportunity to buy souvenirs, enjoy amazing photoshoots, and participate in water experiments that prove to you that indeed this point is the middle of the Earth. The experiment is done by an expert and at 0° (Zero degrees), something happens.
Other Uganda Equator sites include Kikorongo in Queen Elizabeth Park and Lake Victoria. Taking a boat cruise to the equator spot in L.Victoria is one of the most rewarding experiences, especially when the sun is dawning.
If you would like to visit the Uganda Equator crossing, we will include the site in your Uganda safari itinerary. You will stopover at the Uganda equator line while traveling or returning from western or even both if you would like to.
The good thing is most of our Uganda gorilla safari tours, chimpanzee trekking in Uganda safaris and Uganda wildlife safari tours to the western region include the equator crossing experience at Kayabwe. You can book a safari to Uganda with us today and we lead you to the amazing Equator in Uganda.
In this article, we explain everything you need to know about the Uganda Equator crossing experience:
Wondering where is the equator in Uganda?. There are three best spots you can visit for an amazing Uganda Equator crossing experience:
The Kayabwe is the most popular iconic place to visit and explore the Equator in Uganda.
The town is strategically situated on the most popular route of adventures to a number of western Uganda safari destinations. The Uganda Equator at Kayabwe is located about 77km (2hours drive) from Kampala city, along Kampala city – Masaka city route. Kayabwe is a town in the Buganda region of Uganda in the central region of the country. It is found in Mpigi District.
This amazing spot can be visited on your Uganda tour to either the Uganda gorilla trekking safari parks of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park or the Uganda wildlife safari parks of Lake Mburo National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The place has a good-looking Equator monument, souvenir shops, and several restaurants. Some of the shops were set up by NGOs and money raised through sales goes to the children that the NGO supports. It is a highly recommended stopover if you are on a Uganda safari to or from the great western Uganda National parks.
Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most famous Uganda wildlife safari park also straddles the magical Equator line. Queen Elizabeth Park is situated in southwestern Uganda about 417km (7 hours) drive from Kampala.
It was named after the Queen of England after she visited the park in 1954. Here, the Uganda Equator line is situated at Kikorongo village in the northern section of the park at Kasenyi marked with a structural circular monument. You can explore this spot if you bass by for a snap capture alongside your wildlife encounters at the scenic Kasenyi savannah plains of the park.
Queen Elizabeth Park is home to amazing Uganda wildlife including 611 bird of Uganda species and over 95 species of Uganda mammals. It has 4 of the Big Five, over 5000 hippos, and rare tree-climbing lions.
The Uganda Equator line also passes through the northern parts of Lake Victoria, as well as through several of its islands.
This 68,800 square kilometers water body is the largest lake on the continent of Africa and the source of the world’s longest river. Even taking into account all the freshwater lakes in the world, Lake Victoria size-wise is second only to Lake Superior in the United States/Canada.
Its rather regal-sounding name originated in 1858 when it was discovered by British Indian Army officer John Hanning Speke on his search for the Source of the Nile River. Speke named the sizable freshwater lake after Queen Victoria, the current Queen of the United Kingdom. Queen Victoria’s reign ended in 1901, but Lake Victoria retains its royal name to this day.
The part northern part of the lake in which the Uganda Equator passes can be accessed from Entebbe city by boat. It can be explored if you are undertaking a boat tour to the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary to view the orphaned chimpanzees or if you are just enjoying a boat cruise or canoe ride from Entebbe to the equator spot.
On your cruise, you cross from the northern hemisphere to the southern. It is one of the most rewarding experiences as you see the sun dawning.
As noted above, the Uganda Equator Kayabwe is the most popular iconic place to visit and explore the Equator in Uganda. It is a perfect stopover location if you are visiting the western region of Uganda. There are different Uganda safari activities/things you can do in Uganda at the Equator crossing Kayabwe, including:
The Uganda Equator crossing monument at Kayabwe is where you can stand one leg in the Northern hemisphere while the other remains in the Southern and pose for a photo! It makes for great photographs and Uganda safari memories.
At the Uganda Equator Crossing Kayabwe, you can also participate in the amazing water experiments that prove to you that indeed this point is the middle of the Earth.
The experiment is done by an expert and at 0° (Zero degrees), something happens.
These experiments show the movement and drainage of water which differs in each of the hemispheres. The water experiment is known as a demonstration of the Coriolis Effect, a scientifically proven consequence. This effect describes the pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around Earth.
Many large-scale weather patterns are caused by the Coriolis Effect. The rotation of the Earth is the key to understanding the Coriolis Effect. The Earth, specifically, rotates faster at the Equator than it does at the North and South poles.
Also, the Earth is wider at the Equator, so to make a rotation in one 24-hour period, equatorial regions race nearly 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) per hour. The Earth rotates at a sluggish 0.00008 kilometers (0.00005 miles) per hour near the poles.
Let us assume you are standing at the Uganda Equator Crossing Kayabwe and want to throw a ball to a buddy in the middle of North America. If you throw the ball in a straight line, it will appear to land to your friend’s right since he’s moving slower and has not caught up.
Now, assume you’re standing at the North Pole and not at the Equator in Uganda. When you throw the ball to your friend, it will again appear to land to the right of him. This time, though, it’s because he’s moving faster than you are and has moved ahead of the ball.
The ball will deflect to the right anywhere you play global-scale “catch” in the Northern Hemisphere. This apparent deflection is the Coriolis Effect. Fluids traveling across large areas, such as air currents, are like the path of the ball. They appear to bend to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. The Coriolis Effect behaves the opposite way in the Southern Hemisphere, where currents appear to bend to the left.
The Coriolis Effect is responsible for this apparent deflection. Fluids that travel over large areas, such as air currents, are alike the path of the ball. In the Northern Hemisphere, they appear to bend to the right. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis Effect behaves the opposite way, where currents appear to bend to the left.
The Uganda Equator Crossing Kayabwe is also an impressive site for purchasing memorabilia/souvenirs to take back home as a memento of your incredible safari in Uganda.
There are several crafts stalls here managed by the local community which consists of the Baganda people who use local materials such as papyrus for weaving the baskets in certain patterns, local beads for making jewelry such as bangles, necklaces, and bracelets.
Other souvenirs sold in the craft shops at the equator include African print clothes, paintings, and sculptures among others. Here you can buy the popular T-Shirt with I crossed the Uganda Equator on it. Aid Child gallery and Tribal Art & Crafts sell their products in a neat and organized way.
Several restaurants are also constructed around Kayabwe. The two good restaurants are found in the Tribal Art & Crafts shop and the other at Aid Child café. They serve decent food and good coffee and the profits go to a good cause.
Uganda is one of the 11 countries around the world where the Equator runs. Other countries crossed by the equator include:
Uganda offers three opportunities and spots to see the equator crossing on your safari. At Kayabwe in the Mpigi District equator crossing, you will be able to see the equator monument. Kayabwe is about a 77km (hours) drive from Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Other Equator spots are in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Kasese District and in Lake Victoria.
Lake Victoria is the lake that is crossed by the Equator in Uganda. It is Africa’s second-largest lake covering an area of over 60,000km2. It is also the primary source of the Nile in Jinja, the world’s longest river. It flows out from the northern shore at Jinja in Uganda.
So, many amazing things happen at the Equator Crossing, the first is the fact that the sun rises and falls at a shorter interval while at the equator compared to other parts of the world. The second is the climate, the temperature around the equator is mostly warm almost throughout the entire which makes it a bit complex to cite the variations between seasons.
If you are ready to take safaris in Uganda and explore the equator, you can simply contact us with details of when you would like to go and your ideas for your trip. We can help you to plan and book wonderful Uganda safaris and tours to the Equator and other tourist places.
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