Fort Portal Travel Guide
Western Uganda's Centre-base
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Fort Portal is an important market town in western Uganda. With fine views of the Rwenzori mountains and a pleasant temperate climate, visitors to Fort Portal come not especially to visit the town but to use it as a centre-base and stopping-off point for visits to the nearby Kibale National Park, Magombe Swamp, Semliki Wildlife Reserve and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Several scenic crater lakes also lie close to the town at the Bunyuruguru Crater Lake Fields, and the town lies in the heart of tea plantation country.
Fort Portal is also the seat of both the Kabarole district and the Toro Kingdom. It is named after Sir Gerald Portal, a British Special Commissioner for Uganda, whose statue graces the main road of the town. The region is covered by extensive tea estates on which tea pickers can often be seen plucking tea leaves.
Attractions in Fort Portal
There is an abundance of craft shops along the main road whilst a vibrant daily market is always entertaining. As the capital of the Toro Kingdom a visit to the town would not be complete without a visit to the Royal Palace that overlooks the town. There are also some local community tourism projects underway in the area. As well as the well-known major National Parks such as Kibale, there are also several smaller attractions.
Relaxing
The Rwenzori Travellers Inn has a terrace bar/restaurant on the upper floor with views over Fort Portal town. The street level terrace restaurant and bar is popular with visitors passing through Fort Portal and acts as a great rendezvous point.
Getting Around
Fort Portal is only 75 km from Kasese and 319 km from Kampala. The town is served by all weather tarmac roads to the south and west. The journey time from Kampala to Fort Portal is around 3 to 3.5 hours.
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