Enjoy an amazing equator experience on your way to Lake Mburo National Park. You will get a stopover at the equator crossing line for an exceptional and lifetime experience.
Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where the imaginary line that divides the earth into two halves passes. The Equator or the Uganda equator crosses into Uganda at a point situated 75km south of Kampala along the Kampala – Masaka road.
What is an Equator?
The Uganda equator is one of the most well-known landmarks in Uganda. It is still the imaginary line that divides the earth into two halves, and it is seen on maps marking the equidistant from the North and South Pole.
“The intersection of the earth’s surface with the plane perpendicular to the earth’s axis of rotation and containing the earth’s center of mass”
Wikipedia
At this point, there are two cement circles marking the equator line and it is worth stopping if you are traveling to Masaka or Kampala for a photo moment. The Equator is located in Kayabwe, Mpigi District, about 72 kilometers from Kampala city, the capital of Uganda. You will find the poster for the Uganda Equator on the Kampala-Masaka road 420 kilometers from Kampala.
Equator Experience at Kayabwe, Uganda
Along the imaginary line of the equator, a magnetic needle has no dip and stabilizes in a perfectly horizontal position. You are able to stand with one of your feet in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere at this point; it is such an amazing experience to stand on both sides of the world.
The sun rises and falls rather so fast at the equator, with equal days and nights’ length. The people around the equator experience only warm temperatures and tropical climates throughout the year and therefore quite hard to tell the difference between seasons.
Water Swirl Experience
It is at the equator where you will see water drain straight down. The movement and drainage of the water will differ from the northern and the southern hemispheres at the Equator line, in the demonstration of the carioles effect.
With a movement that changes direction suddenly, something in motion to the left or right when moving on a rotating body like the earth. In some cases pressure weather cyclonical systems perform this, having a clockwise rotation in the north and a counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.
From a realistic perspective, you may not be able to see this as motion would not be seen with water in small amounts. At the equator, showmanship is used to stimulate the effect. While in the northern hemisphere, the water will drain down the hole in a clockwise direction yet take a counterclockwise direction as it drains from the southern hemisphere down the hole.
Also, watch a demonstration by a local entrepreneur on how water swirls in opposite directions in the northern & southern hemispheres at the equator line. Other equator markers are located in the Kasese district within the Queen Elizabeth National Park, 420km southwest of Kampala. But the experience at Kayabwe is the most outstanding of all.
Shopping at the Equator Line – Equator Experience Kayabwe
Another reason that makes the equator worthwhile stopover is the great shopping bargains. The point has got several craft shops that are run by individuals and organizations. These craft stalls sell souvenirs and handmade products while some with marks that talk about the Equator.
It will be so convenient and memorable if you bought a T-shirt with the words ‘I crossed the Uganda Equator’. You will get yourself a number of products from the gallery antique and the Aid child gallery.
Threre are also quite a number of restaurants serving both local, continental and international cuisines and dishes. So, the equator line is worth a stopover for an en-route lunch, while on your way to or from Lake Mburo National Park.
The experience here is magical, so do not miss it on your list.
You may also journey through the breathtaking landscapes of Uganda from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to mountain gorillas, for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Uganda is home to incredible wildlife in Africa.
You can make an extension to visit Bwindi Forest on a budget gorilla safari to encounter the mountain gorillas. For those that wish to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda, visit Volcanoes National Park, which is famous for gorillas and golden monkeys.