Epic scenery

The Rift Valley scenery in the west of Uganda is truly wonderful, with dense forests, scenic farmlands, open savannas and vast lakes, below the legendary Mountains of the Moon.

           Gorillas

The gorilla experience really does involve up-close encounters with these powerful primates. It is very definitely not for the faint-hearted.

          Chimps

People tend to underestimate the chimp experience, but these guys are not only also very powerful, but they are also much more active and certainly more like us.

          Savanna safari

The savanna safari in Uganda is not strong, which is why most people combine with Serengeti. As a result, these areas feel pleasantly raw and off-the-beaten-track.

          Local cultures

The indigenous tribal cultures of Uganda are easily accessible to visitors, both in the farming communities and with the hunter-gatherer Batwa pygmies.

         Low key feel

Uganda is not a mainstream location. It It has that authentic, low-key feel that is often appreciated by more experienced safari travelers.

            3-5 nights

If you only want to visit Uganda for gorillas, then you can get in and out in as little as 3 to 5 nights. However, it is usually best to spend at least four nights in the Bwindi Forest area and do two gorilla treks, to ensure good sightings.

           6-10 nights

Most people undertaking a trip of this duration visit the gorillas and then fly across Lake Victoria to the Serengeti region of Tanzania.
If you want to stay in Uganda, then you can combine Bwindi Forest with the chimpanzee area of Kibale Forest, which inherently means also travelling through Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you will pick up some modest savanna safari.

             11-15 nights

Longer trips within Uganda make it possible to extend that Bwindi, QE, Kibale combination to either continue by road north to Murchison Falls, or fly much further north to the remote Kidepo Valley, with both areas offering further savanna safari.

More likely you will combine Uganda with other countries, probably in East Africa, but possibly in Southern Africa.

The cost of safari in Uganda

Safari in Uganda ranges from pricey to very pricey. There are too many costly structural elements that cannot be avoided, like gorilla and chimp permits, internal flights and private vehicles. You can expect to spend USD 400 to 1200 per person per night

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

The two dominant price factors are the length of time that you spend on safari and the specific lodges that you choose to include in your trip. Deploying more time in town, rural and beach locations can bring the total cost down dramatically.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which camps do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles, helicopter explorations of remote areas etc.

If you have a medium budget, the best way to keep a lid on costs is to carefully choose lower-cost lodges.  You can also reduce the number of core safari nights and deploy time in more cost-effective beach, town and rural locations. We will help you understand where to trim and where to splash in order to achieve the best overall experience.

If you have a lower budget, then we can always look at other fundamentally less pricey safari countries.

Serengeti

Given the inherent weakness of savanna safari in Uganda, most visitors combine with the fabulous Serengeti region, which is easily reached by light aircraft from Entebbe.

Maasai Mara

We are also commonly asked to combine with Maasai Mara in Kenya, although connections by air via Nairobi area a lot more complicated.

Zanzibar

The coast of Tanzania is blessed with endless tropical beaches. Zanzibar is a very popular location with a great choice of lodges, whilst the other islands of Pemba and Mafia are much more peaceful backwaters, all with great diving.

The best lodges in Uganda

Uganda has only around 30 safari lodges, with a half dozen in each of Bwindi Forest, Queen Elizabeth and Kibale Forest, around 3-4 in Murchison Falls and only one in Kidepo Valley.

However, only about 6-10 of these lodges are at a level that makes us feel comfortable recommending to our guests.

If you are looking for high-end lodges, which are in the very best locations and offer the highest levels of guiding, hospitality and consistency, suitable for demanding guests, then we can suggest options in the Bwindi Forest area, but we might ultimately lean towards higher quality options in Rwanda.

Alternatively, there are several relatively good value camps, which are also in excellent locations and also take their guiding very seriously, but which typically offer lower levels of luxury and have the potential to be slightly less consistent in their delivery, suitable for more easy-going guests.

You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.

Luxury trips

Our luxury trips to Uganda combine lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari. The range of options for this level of trip are relatively limited in Uganda and we often end up steering towards Rwanda for gorilla trips.

Adventure trips

In our adventure trips to Uganda, we use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving.

When to go on safari in Uganda

The safari areas of Uganda are mostly less seasonal than those in other parts of Africa, since the tropical rainforest climate is more-or-less stable year-round. However, there are still seasonal changes that need to taken into account if we are to properly plan a great safari.

When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.

Mar-Apr : Early rainy season

The Mar-Apr season is a period when the Bwindi Forest (gorillas) and Kibale Forest (chimps) areas usually experience slightly higher than usual rainfall, although these showers tend to be lighter and more fleeting than those later in the year. The difference is probably not enough to significantly affect trip planning.

In the safari areas at this time, Queen Elizabeth has similar conditions to the above, but Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley can be very hot and humid, with increasing rainfall.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although can peak over Easter.

June, making wildlife viewing a little more challenging.

During May-Jun temperatures can drop pretty low during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around.

There is no significant variance in price through the year.

May-Sep : Winter dry season

The May-Sep dry season is a period when the Bwindi Forest (gorillas) and Kibale Forest (chimps) areas usually experience slightly less rainfall than usual, making for easier and more pleasant gorilla tracking conditions.

Temperatures can get relatively cold at night, dropping to around 7C or 45F, especially in June and July. Early morning activities can therefore be quite chilly so travellers should bring appropriate clothing.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively high at this time, typically peaking around August, so it's best to book well in advance in order to ensure rooms at the best lodges and permits for the best gorilla families.

In the safari areas at this time Queen Elizabeth has similar conditions to the above. Murchison Falls can be quite dry during Jun-Jul, but can be very rainy Aug-Sep, with increasingly difficult wildlife viewing. In Kidepo Valley this is the main rainy season and worst time of year to visit.

Oct-Nov : Late rainy season

The Oct-Nov season is a period when the Bwindi Forest (gorillas) and Kibale Forest (chimps) areas usually experience slightly higher than usual rainfall, potentially with torrential downpours and (even worse) long periods of drizzle.

Whether or not these conditions are sufficiently adverse to seriously affect trip planning is questionable, after all you are likely to experience some rain around here year round. Often it's the more dramatic seasonal variations in the safari areas that will prove a more decisive factor.

Visitor traffic tends to be very light at this time, although earlier in October may still be a little more busy due to visitors coming in from Serengeti (where there are migration events taking place).

In the safari areas at this time Queen Elizabeth has similar conditions to the above. Murchison Falls tends to experience heavy rains, with difficult wildlife viewing. In Kidepo Valley conditions improve greatly and November can be very pleasant.

Dec-Feb : Summer dry season

The Dec-Feb dry season is a period when the Bwindi Forest (gorillas) and Kibale Forest (chimps) areas usually experience slightly less rainfall than usual, making for easier and more pleasant gorilla tracking conditions.

Visitor traffic tends to be very light at this time, although peaks sharply during the two weeks of the Dec-Jan holiday season.

 February may also be a little more busy due to visitors coming in from Serengeti (where there are migration events taking place).

In the safari areas at this time Queen Elizabeth has similar conditions to the above. Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley are both in their dry seasons, with the most favourable weather and wildife viewing conditions of the year.

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Bwindi Forest

Set in the southwest of Uganda, Bwindi Forest is one of the prime locations in Africa for viewing mountain gorillas. The area contains a handful of good lodges and offers an excellent range of other forest and cultural activities, notably including interaction with the Batwa pygmies.

The most significant downside for Bwindi Forest is the unavoidably high cost of visiting and the potential shortage of gorilla permits during peak seasons.

Kibale Forest

Set in the southwest of Uganda, Kibale Forest is an important tropical reserve, the best location in the country for viewing chimpanzees, with guest accommodation in several lodges, of which one or two are of decent quality. The surrounding farmland is extremely scenic.

The most significant downside for Kibale Forest is that there’s only one good lodge, meaning that availability can be very difficult during the main vacation seasons.

Kidepo Valley

Set in the remote north of Uganda, Kidepo Valley is a real trophy location for experienced safari travellers, with impressive landscapes and a good range of wildlife. Guest accommodation is in just one good quality lodge. Dry season is Nov-Apr, converse seasons to most safari areas.

The most significant downside for Kidepo Valley is the high cost of access and the shortage of availability at the one lodge during the main vacations seasons.

           Simple hospitality

The whole country of Uganda only contains around a dozen decent quality lodges and no truly upmarket options. You may need to be easy-going and forgiving at times.

           Polluted locations

 The safari areas are not well-protected in Uganda, with areas like Queen Elizabeth being encroached upon by settlement, so careful route planning is essential.

           High costs

Like most frontier countries, Uganda is costly to visit. Very expensive gorilla permits and internal flights are essential components.