Uganda Wildlife Safaris & Holiday Tours

Uganda is unique travel destination offering a variety of wildlife tours and safaris in major national parks. Explore both fauna and flora during your wildlife safari adventures in Uganda in major destinations such as Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley Murchison falls national park, Lake Mburo national park, national park, Semiliki national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, and Kibale forest national park.

The most highlights of Uganda safari tours are mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and golden monkeys however, expect to encounter the big five i.e. lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and Rhino during your ultimate journeys and holidays to Uganda.

Uganda wildlife safaris lead you to experience unexploited natural resources combined with variety of landscapes, habitats and vegetation ranging from montane forest, open savannah forest, acacia woodlands, grasslands and wetland marshy areas to spot a number of birdlife and animals such as mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, leopards, African buffaloes, elands, bush backs, impalas, topis, Jackson’s hartebeests, warthogs, Rothschild’s giraffes, spotted hyenas, lesser and greater Kudus, oribis, burchell’s zebra, cheetahs, crocodiles, pottos, olive baboons among other animal species.

Wildlife safaris in Uganda will lead you deep within the African continent to experience the best of Ugandan tour packages that are arranged and customized by local tour operators and agencies with a purpose of executing authentic African experiences by selecting the best routes to discover wildlife. Tour packages range from 1 day lake mburo national park, 3 days safari to Queen Elizabeth national park, 2 days murchison falls tour, 4 days Kidepo valley national park safari, 10 days Uganda wildlife safari and gorilla trekking Experience, 6 days Uganda gorilla and chimpanzee trekking tour, 8 days Best of Uganda gorilla trekking safari, 5 days Wildlife safari and chimpanzee habituation adventure among others. All these wildlife safari holidays in Uganda can be customized basing your travel needs and desires.

Uganda is a best travel destination for primate safaris and tours in Africa with well distributed primate tracking destinations. Expect to see patas monkey, vervet monkey, red tailed monkey, black and white colobus monkey, blue monkey, olive baboon, chimpanzees, mountain gorillas, l’hoest monkey and grey checked mangabey. The black and white colobus monkey and olive monkeys are the popular spotted primates in almost every Uganda national park.

Something very special in Uganda, we are blessed with tree climbing lions in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park in Ishasha sector.

Book Uganda wildlife safaris and tours to experience a number of activities such as gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, boat cruises along the courses of Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park and Victoria Nile in the Murchison falls national park, hiking, horseback riding, Rhino trekking, game drives, mountain climbing, quad biking, golfing, bungee jumping, guided nature walks, cultural encounters among others.

Best Time To Go Wildlife Safaris In Uganda

Uganda wildlife safaris and tours can be done throughout the year however the best time to visit Uganda is during the dry seasons of December to February and June to September. These seasons are also termed as peak seasons in Uganda and Rwanda, registering higher numbers of tourist arrivals. Tourists intending to visit Uganda for wildlife safaris are advised to book their tours at least 6 months in advance in order to secure their gorilla and chimpanzee trekking permits since are always highly demanded during those months.

Visitors tend to spot plenty of animals during dry seasons than wet season. For the case of gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, the trails tend to be drier and less slippery hence making movement easier for trackers.

National Parks In Uganda for Best Wildlife Safaris and Tours

Currently Uganda has a total number of ten national parks, each with unique features that makes it attractive and holding a position on Uganda’s tourism industry. Get ready for a whole African wild experience in just one piece after booking a Uganda safari and holiday tour.

Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is among the top safari destinations and highly visited national park in Uganda for wildlife holidays and tours. It is located in several districts f Uganda such as Kasese, Rubirizi among others. It is approximately 370km away from Kampala city and just 5 hours’ drive from the city center.

The park is naturally endowed with a number of tourist attractions ranging from water bodies, over 600 bird species & 90 species of mammals and 10 species of primates found in kyambura gorge and maramagambo forest.

Activities:

Game drive is a major activity for most visitors to Queen Elizabeth national park. Expect to see tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park, elephants, buffalos, leopards, hippos, kobs among others in kasenyi sector in the northern part of the park.

Boat cruise at kazinga channel takes 2 hours and it the is second recommended activity in queen Elizabeth national park. It is done on the Kazinga channel that connects lake George and lake Edward. During this launch cruise, visitors have an opportunity to spot hippos, crocodiles and several bird species along the shores of kazinga channel.

Experiential tourism is yet another activity in queen Elizabeth national park that supplements its uniqueness. It involves counting animals and learning about their behaviors closely while recording the varied findings. Experiential tourism is also known as research tourism. Queen Elizabeth national park offers three categories of experiential tourism that is to say lion tracking, hippo census and mongoose tracking. These activities are conducted by a few visitors and professional researchers from the Uganda wildlife authority.

Chimpanzee tracking is another interesting activity done in kyambura gorge. Currently; Kyambura gorge has one habituated chimpanzee family available for trekking experiences.

Other activities visitors may book on their Uganda safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park may include; birding in maramagambo forest, community walks, scenic viewing, plantation tourism, visiting katwe salt works, crater hikes, among others.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison falls national park is the largest national park in located in pakwach district north east of kampala capital city. Murchison falls national park is famous because of the falls on the victoria Nile formed with the action of the large water masses squeezing through the narrow gorge, and falling down over a high cliff of about 45 meters to the bottom of the falls, where it continues to flow gently eastwards to the albert delta, and finally, it joins with lake albert. Visitors interested for wildlife safaris in this park may encounter all the big fives if they make a stopover at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary to track the rhinos. Ziwa rhino sanctuary is privately managed project located nakasongola district near nakitomi village.

Activities

Hiking to the top of the falls is one of the safari highlights in Murchison falls national park. The top of the falls can be reached by a car however, we always advise our guests to hike to the top of the falls starting from the bottom of the falls on foot. Therefore, the boat cruise at the bottom of the falls is combined with a magical hike to the top of the falls through the Winston churchill trail.

Bird watching is also done along the shore line of the Victoria Nile during the boat cruise to the Albert delta and visitors have endless chances to spot the prehistoric shoe bill stork, horn bill, puveli illidopsis, yellow footed king fisher among others.

Game drives safaris in Murchison falls national park are conducted in the south and paraa side of the park. Expect to see rothschilds giraffes, lions in the savannah plains, buffaloes, elephants, kobs and hippos among others.

Chimpanzee trekking can also be done to your visit to Murchison falls national park for the best Uganda wildlife safaris and tours. Chimpanzee tracking can done in budongo and kaniyo pabidi eco site.

Other activities include; hot air ballon, sport fishing, nature walks in kaniyo pabidi forest,

 Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale forest national park is a home to a variety of primates and it is a famous destination for chimpanzee tracking and habituation experiences. The park is also known as the capital of primates with over 1400 chimpanzees, olive baboon, bush babies, L’Hoest’s monkey, red colobus monkey, red-tailed monkey, black-and-white colobus monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, blue monkey, Vervet monkeys and Potto and many other mammals

Activities

Chimpanzee trekking is the main activity in kibale forest national park due to presence of tall trees in the forest that ease the adoptability of the chimpanzees and other primates. Visitors may encounter other primates like the black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and the red tailed monkeys during chimp tracking experience in the park.

Bird watching is also famous in kibale forest national park with over 370 recorded bird species hence being the paradise of birding safaris and tours in Uganda. Such birds include; the blue headed bee – eater, nahan’s fracolin, the masked apalis and the cassins spine tail. Birders who visit the park on their wildlife and birding safaris in November to January stand a chance to see a number of migratory birds.

Nature walks in kibale national park will give you a chance to spot the unique features of the forest ranging from forest primates, birds to beautiful butterflies and some nocturnal animals like the bush babies, potto, nightjar, civet

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi impenetrable national park is famous travel destination in Uganda and Africa for wildlife safaris and tours.  The park is a home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population with seventeen habituated gorilla families in all the sectors of the park ie Ruhija, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Rushaga. The park is also a home to other primates like chimpanzees and different monkey species.

Activities

Birding. Bwindi is Uganda’s oldest forest with about 350 species of birds recorded. It has a variety of birds with 90% of the Albertine Rift endemics. It has 23 endemics including Blue-headed Sunbird and Short-tailed Warbler. There are also seven IUCN red data listed species. It is easy to spot Red-headed Bluebill, Flycatchers African, Emerald Cuckoo and Common Bulbul, African Blue and White-tailed Blue.

Birding is a common practice in Bwindi Swamp trail of Ruhija, Buhoma Waterfall Trail and the bamboo zone.

Gorilla Trekking. In Uganda, Bwindi is well known for being a habitat of Mountain Gorillas hence gorilla tracking is must do experience on a visit to Bwindi forest national park. Rushaga, Buhoma, Nkuringo and Ruhija are the four main gorilla tracking locations in Bwindi. These locations have 18 gorilla families.

Gorilla tracking permits can be secured if you book with Africa Adventure Vacations or directly with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). You can pay for the permit in advance up to two years.

A number of 8 visitors aged above 15years are allowed to track gorillas for one hour in a day under a guidance of a professional UWA ranger who always help guests to spot gorillas and other forest residents during a trail.

Mountain biking in bwindi. Mountain cycling in Bwindi is an ultimate adventure that starts from the headquarters of a park; Buhoma to Ivi River. It is a 13km trail. While mountain biking you spot red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus and bushbucks. It takes six to seven hours. The cycling is always organized by Buhoma Community Rest Camp. It is under the community development initiative known as “Ride for a Woman”.

Hiking Or Nature Walks In Bwindi. Primate encounters, waterfall walks, mountain views, impressive birdlife spotting and forest walks are the main activities on your nature walk trail in Buhoma. When walking from Rushura Hill Walk, you go through a forest shared by two countries. During the day you will view the conical peaks of the Virunga Volcanoes, Rwenzori Mountains and lakes Edward and George.

When exploring Bwindi impenetrable forest, you will find Muyanga waterfall walk departing from Buhoma to river Ivi Nkuringo trail. It is sighted 33m with the falls plummeting.  After a walk of 6km around a hill of Muzubijiro, you will spot birds and primates that will attract your attention. You will view Virunga ranges too.

Wild pigs are also found in a place known as Mukempunu. The seven hours walk of Ivi river which is 14km makes trail pass through a place of wild pigs “Mukempunu”. The legendary African Corner is found along a trail found the Habigorogoro and Riyovi Ridge which gives you a chance of spotting Buhoma river. Habinyanja trail is estimated 4-6hours. On the steep ascent the hikers enjoy a comfort of sloping habinyanja swamp. Birders walking on this route will see African Black Duck and Black Bee Eaters, Pel’s Fishing Owl and more.

The tail of Buhoma-Nkuringo is roughly three hours. It crosses through the park hence connecting two villages. This has an oversight of impressing misty hillsides of Nkuringo. It is also good to leave the luggage with the driver to meet you on the other side of hill. The walk to Ivi river can be put into consideration to complete the trail.

Cultural tours in bwindi. Bwindi is rich with the local Bakiga and Batwa cultures. These two communities practice a lot of handcraft such as the beeswax candles, fabrics, and wood carvings. On the three-hour village walk you will meet some shops selling these artefacts. These cultural activities are very important in the livelihood of the Batwa and Bakiga communities. The Batwa also prove their talents in cultural aspects of cultural/traditional songs and dances.  These songs and dances portray the Batwa past life in the forest.

Black smith is also practiced in the area. Traditional doctors also heal their patients using the local herbs got from the plants. Beers from banana are also made and a visitor can buy if he or she wants to test.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake mburo national park is the nearest nation park to Kampala city, located in western Uganda along Masaka Mbarara road and it’s a perfect destination for short wildlife safaris and weekend gateway tours in Uganda. However, the park is faced with serious problem of poaching from the surrounding community and encroachment of the park land for farming activities.

Activities

Bird watching:   Lake Mburo national park is a home to over 350 bird species including, batelear, coqui fracolin, grey crowned crane among others. Birding is done on foot in Lake Mburo national park and it is the only national park where you can do a nature walk freely with limited restrictions.

launch trips. Boat cruise in the park exposes visitors to spectacular views of the undulating land scape and animal along the shoreline of the lake Mburo. A number of animals gather around the water bodies in lake Mburo national park during the dry season, therefore; the boat cruise gives you an opportunity to explore the national park at a glance.

Game drives. Tourists planning for wildlife safaris and tours in Uganda are advised to spend at least a night in lake Mburo national park to spot some of the unique species of animals such as zebras, eland, buffaloes, oribi, deffassa, waterbucks, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi, and reedbucks among others.

Sport fishing is another activity that can be done in Lake Mburo national park.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo valley national park is located in the north eastern region of Uganda with inselbergs in rising up and stand out in the open savannah of the national park, giving spectacular scenic views of total wilderness.

Activities

Game viewing is spectacular in kidepo national park with over 80 mammal species, 28 of which are special to only kidepo valley national park, for example, the bat-eared fox, aardwolf, caracl, cheetah and the hanting dogs. You can also spot lions, leopards and hyenas.

Hiking is so interesting in kidepo valley national park and it is done on lamoi mountain, along kidepo river, borassus palm forest and kanangoroko hot springs spice up the hike to superb.

Birding is can also be done in kidepo valley national park. The park has over 58 species of bird species such as the verreaux eagle, pygymy falco, Egyptian vulture among others.

Other activities include cultural encounters and performance such as the emuga dance at naporere and lakaraka dance. Kidepo nvalley national park is also ideal for outdoor camping.

Mountain Elgon National Park

Mountain Elgon is located in the eastern region of the country at the border of Uganda and Kenya. Mountain Elgon national park has a large caldera on the summit of the mountain, covering over 40km. The highest peak of mountain Elgon is waggagai; rising 4321m above the sea level and is the second tallest peak after margherita of Rwenzori mountains.

Activities

Hiking and nature walks are the most famous activities that give visitors a chance to learn about the mountain vegetation and the way it succeeds on another with an increase in altitude.

Birding is another activity done in mountain Elgon national park. it gives you a chance to spot the sought after and endangered lammergeier. You will also get a chance to spot other bird species like the vultures, Jackson’s francolin’s, white starred forest robin among others.

Semliki National Park

Semliki national park is found in western Uganda in Bundibugyo district in a considerable distance from Queen Elizabth national park. Semliki national park was before a forest reserve in 1932, however it was upgraded and it was turned into a national park in 1993. Semliki national park holds a position on among the small sized national parks with about 300sq.km.

Activities

Birding is the major activity in Semliki national park, despite of its small size. Semliki national park has over 400 bird species some of which are restricted to only this area such as the ejacis guiness and the isolana congolana.

Nature walk through the mineral enriched swamp to the hot springs is a walk to remember. You can tell the location of the hot springs even before you reach them by detecting the rise in the temperature as you get close to the hot springs.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga National Park is found in the border that joins three countries; Uganda, Rwanda, and the democratic republic of congo. It is among the smallest national parks in Uganda covering an area of 33sq.km. The park is also famous for gorilla trekking and it only has one family of mountain gorillas with two silverbacks, an adult female two juveniles and about 3 infants. However, this gorilla family is so mobile and makes trekking it so hard.

Activities

Gorilla Tracking. Usually, when you arrive at Mgahinga, you will find a guide who takes you through the behaviors of gorillas’ and this will increase your interest to know more about these intelligent gorillas. The lifetime experience with natural beauty gorilla trekking safari begins from Ntebeko entrance gate. It good for one to utilize well his/her time with these beautiful gorillas’ since maximum time allowed to spend with them is one hour.

If you are from Kampala and you wish to use the road means of transport like a car, you can drive from Kampala via Kabale to Kisoro. It is an 8-hour drive. The easiest and fastest means of transport to access the park is by air. You can book in advance with AAV so that a daily scheduled flight can be booked for you. It takes only 1 hour to reach the park if it is by boarding of a plane from Entebbe to Kisoro Airstrip which is near the park.

Birding in Mgahinga is also something that cannot be missed out because of the beautiful scenery it has got. In-between Mt Sabinyo and Gahinga you will observe beautiful birds of different feathers flying together in groups or sometimes you will sight one bird flying alone thus making the scenery look attractive. Rwenzori Turaco can be observed through montane forest and bamboo forest.

The Rwenzori Turaco is seen at about 2,700m on the Congo-Uganda border. There are wonderful birding places at the bamboo belt of about 2,500m above sea level. There is also a tall montane forest of about 2,660m.  there are also vocal inhabitants at the forests edge of the tangled vegetation and they include; the Doherty’s Bush-shrike, Banded Prinia, Red-faced Woodland Warbler and Chubb’s Cisticola.

The Cape Robin-chat, Streaky Seedeater, Kivu-ground Thrush, Black-headed Waxbill, Olive Thrush, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Bronze Sunbird, Rwenzori Batis and Dusky Turtle Dove are sighted in the gorge trail between Sabinyo and Gahinga.

Hiking And Nature Walks In Mgahinga Gorilla. Hiking through Sabinyo Gorge forest gives a chance to sight good birding opportunities and also provides opportunities to spot Rwenzori Turaco. The walk is estimated for four hours and you will have to pass through Rugezi swamp where a good birder will be overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery of birds.

Hiking on the foothills of the volcanoes of the Virunga gives tourists an opportunity to sight wonderful agricultural villages and surrounding lakes, forest birds, bamboo forests, Rugezi swamp and wild vegetation.

Rwenzori National Park

Rwenzori national park is located in the south western Uganda on the Rwenzori mountain ranges, the national park is a good option for hiking and mountain climbing. It covers an area of 996sq.km, which is a reasonable size. The tourists that visit Rwenzori national park love climbing up to the highest peak called margharita peak. Birding is one of the famous park activities in Rwenzori national park; the park is blessed with over 200 bird species plus 70 mammal species including bats and primates such as the golden monkeys and the colobus monkeys of different types among others