Uganda is nicknamed the “Pearl of Africa” and that name suits it well. I never realized living on the equator and having 12 hours of sunlight would be so great! I love the consistency of the weather and the rhythm of every day life…year in and year out. While it can get very hot and dry for about 2-3 months out of the year, we live at 3,700 feet above sea level and in the rainforest at the foothills of Mount Elgon, so it’s never as hot or miserable as a Texas summer. Uganda is truly a beautiful place!

Not only do we have beautiful scenery in Mbale with sunsets on the mountain, early morning clouds hovering in the valley, waterfalls that we see from our neighborhood, but we also have the beauty of the Nile River only 2 hours away, Lake Victoria just beyond that, the ice-capped Rwenzori Mountains in Western Uganda, and so much more. We have a plethora of beautiful trees and flowers, exotic birds and interesting animals. I never cared about birds until we moved to Uganda, and now it’s every day life to see birds flying around our compound that we used to only see in exotic pictures. If you are a bird person, message us and we’ll give you a list of the many exotic birds we have seen here in Uganda. (Leland has an East African bird book because we have seen so many cool birds and it’s actually worth identifying them.)

Uganda also has some crazy bugs! I don’t like bugs, but I can’t help but be amazed at these creatures. Some are way larger than they should be, and some are so unique and colorful that they seem out of a fantasy world.

And of course, we have been blessed to see amazing animals throughout the country in national parks and forests: monkeys, lions, leopards, elephants, zebra, cape buffalo, hyena, all kinds of antelope, and so many other animals we only ever saw in a zoo or on nature shows. We are so thankful to live in this beautiful country, and we don’t ever want to take for granted the unique nature that surrounds us.

And of course…we think you should come explore the Pearl of Africa with us!