Kisoro is a town in the Western Region of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. It is the chief town of Kisoro District and the site of the district headquarters.

Location

Kisoro is approximately west of

Kabale Kabale City is a city in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the main city of Kabale District, and the district headquarters are located at Makanga hills. It is sometimes nicknamed "Kastone" as in the local Rukiga language, a "kabale" is a sma ...

, the largest city in the

Kigezi sub-region Kigezi sub-region is a region in Western Uganda that consists of the following districts: * Kabale District * Kanungu District * Kisoro District * Rukungiri District The area covered by the above districts constituted the former Kigezi Dist ...

. This is approximately , by road, southwest of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, the capital of Uganda and the country's largest city. Kisoro is east of Rumangabo and the Virunga Mountains in the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

(DRC). The geographical coordinates of Kisoro are 1°17'06.0"S, 29°41'06.0"E (Latitude:-1.2850; Longitude:29.6850). Kisoro Town Council sits at an average elevation of , above

mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

Overview

Kisoro is located under the peaks of the Mufumbiro Mountains, which are part of the Virunga Mountains and home to rare mountain gorillas. The area boasts of mountain scenery, Lake Mutanda, colorful markets, and volcano trekking. It is the nearest town to the

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is a national park in southwestern Uganda. It was created in 1991 and covers an area of . Geography Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the Virunga Mountains and encompasses three inactive volcanoes, name ...

and is an access town for those traveling to

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

or the DRC for gorilla tracking in the Volcanoes National Park or the

Virunga National Park Virunga National Park is a national park in the Albertine Rift Valley in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was created in 1925. In elevation, it ranges from in the Semliki River valley to in the Rwenzori Mountains. ...

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of Kisoro at 11,330. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the population at 12,700 in 2010. In 2011, UBOS estimated the mid-year population at 12,900. In 2014, the national population census estimated the population at 17,561.

Points of interest

The following additional points of interest are located within the town limits or near its edges: * offices of Kisoro Town Council * Kisoro central market * Kisoro Airport, administered by the

Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) is the government agency responsible for licensing, monitoring, and regulating civil aviation matters in the country. It is administered by the Uganda Ministry of Works and Transport. Location The au ...

* Kisoro District Hospital, a 160-bed public hospital administered by the

Uganda Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health is a Cabinet of Uganda, cabinet-level government ministry of Uganda. It is responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining an efficient and effective healthcare delivery system, including preventive, curative, and reh ...

* Lake Mutanda, located approximately , by road, north of Kisoro. * Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, for viewing mountain gorillas * ''Voice of Muhabura'' a local radio station that broadcasts on 88.9 FM. The radio streams live a
Vomuhabura Online
in Rufumbira (a local dialect synonymous to Kinyarwanda), Rukiga, English and Swahili. It serves over 6 million people.

Photos

Photo of downtown KisoroPanoramic View of Kisoro TownAnother View of Kisoro

References

External links

Google Map of Kisoro TownGuide to Kisoro Town
{{coord, 01, 17, 06, S, 29, 41, 06, E, region:UG_type:city, display=title Kigezi sub-region Kisoro District Populated places in Western Region, Uganda