Uganda Safari Holidays

Uganda Safari Holidays

Jungles hiding endangered mountain gorillas and animated chimpanzees, savanna home to tree climbing lions, and low visitor numbers firmly places Uganda as a specialist safari destination.

Highlights

• Trek mountain gorillas in UNESCO Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

• Interact with animated chimpanzees at Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge, or Budongo Forest.

• Join researchers and scientists on an exclusive gorilla or chimpanzee habituation experience.

• Marvel at the famous tree climbing lions of Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park’s southern sector.

• Head to Jinja for world-class river rafting on the mighty River Nile.

• Combine the primates of Uganda with traditional safari in neighbouring Tanzania or Kenya for the ultimate African wildlife experience.

• Head north to little visited Kidepo Valley National Park for a true wilderness experience.

• Experience the ferocity of the River Nile on a boat safari at Murchison Falls National Park.

Famous for protecting approximately half of the world’s mountain gorilla population within its borders, Uganda is in our opinion the premier destination for trekking these impressive primates. Although this is by far the most common reason for travellers to visit Uganda, ‘The Pearl of Africa’ has many more secrets waiting for you to explore.

With a total land mass almost identical to the United Kingdom and home to approximately 42 million human inhabitants, Uganda is relatively densely populated in comparison to its safari peers. Despite this, it still manages to rank amongst the top ten most biodiverse countries globally due in large part to its diversity of habitats. An astonishing 18,783 species of plants and animals have been recorded within its boundaries. These include over 1,000 bird species, along with seven out of the 18 plant kingdoms, and more than 340 mammal species, of which 29 are different species of antelope.

It is these numbers that will convince you that Uganda has much more to offer than just mountain gorillas and can support a safari itinerary without the need for a cross-border itinerary.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the primary area for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Here you can elect to spend 1 special hour with the gorillas on the standard trek or apply for a habituation permit which allows you to join researchers and scientists to participate in the habituation process for 4 hours. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is an alternative place in which you can track the gorillas. It is here you can also include tracking of the extremely rare and endangered golden monkey. Kibale National Park is one of the best places in the world to track wild chimpanzees, arguably second only to Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania.

These forested areas are perfectly complemented by traditional savanna reserves. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the country’s flagship wildlife reserve. Track chimpanzees, spot huge pods of hippopotamus on a boat safari down the Kazinga Channel or search for the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha on a vehicle safari.

Witness the true ferocity of the River Nile at Murchison Falls National Park or fly out to Kidepo Valley National Park in the far reaches of the north-east of the country to journey where relatively few have done before you.

Although, Uganda is rich in diversity and protects 39% of all mammal species occurring in Africa, it is important not to compare safari here with other African heavyweights such as Tanzania.

During the ill-fated reign of Idi Amin its wildlife populations were decimated. Although the intervening decades have witnessed huge progress and recovery in animal numbers they are still relatively low by comparison to its peers. Consequently, it is a relatively new tourist destination meaning infrastructure is in its infancy and travel within the country is still somewhat expensive.

A Uganda wildlife holiday is more about the uniqueness and authenticity of the experience, with specialist wildlife such as gorillas and experiences void of the hordes of tourists that have blighted more mainstream destinations.

For these reasons we view Uganda as more a specialist destination aimed at experienced travellers who have previously enjoyed traditional safari in one of Africa’s more established destinations. However, we do often recommend cross-border safaris for less experienced travellers when recommending a combination of gorilla trekking with a Kenyan or Tanzanian safari.

Contact us to discuss designing your perfect Uganda wildlife adventure or peruse our suggested itineraries below for more information and inspiration.