Experience the best of Kabale

Kabale lies in Kigezi, the hilly far south-west of Uganda, at about 1,800 metres above sea level. Steep slopes cut into neat terraces climb on every side, and the cool, misty air has earned the area the nickname Switzerland of Africa. The town is a market and administrative centre close to the border with Rwanda.

Lake Bunyonyi, a branching lake dotted with forested islands, lies a few kilometres south-west of town, with dugout canoes and plenty of birdlife. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where mountain gorillas live in old montane forest, and the volcanoes of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are the region's best-known destinations, both reached by winding hill roads.

Kigezi's cool fields grow potatoes, beans, peas and millet, and a plate of boiled potatoes and beans with groundnut sauce is a standard meal. On market days the stalls fill with produce carried down from the hills. The drier spells come around June to August and December to February.