Uganda Safaris

Capital City: Kampala
Population: 46 million
Airport: Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Time Zone: EAT
Dialing Code: +256
Currency: Ugandan Shillings (UGX), USD 1 = UGX 3700
Language: Luganda, English

Climate: Tropical
Altitude: 1100m above sea level

Main attractions: Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Savannah Safari, Culture

High season: Dec-Feb & June-Sept

Low season: March-May, Oct-Nov

Known as the pearl of Africa with a rich and greater diversity of landscape and wildlife. Uganda is home to quickly varying landscapes it boasts of 10 National Parks and over 11 reserves.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with south Sudan in the north west and only 5km from the eastern border of Kenya, some 700km from Kampala. Gazetted as a national park in 1962, it has a profusion of big game and hosts over 77 mammal species. The park ranks among Africa’s finest wildernesses, from Apoka, in the heart of the park, a savannah landscape extending far beyond the gazetted area, towards horizons outlined by distant mountain ranges to the broad Narus Valley near Apoka with seasonal oases. Combined with the open savannah terrain, make the Narus Valley the park’s prime game viewing location especially with its dense populations of Lion, Buffalos, Elephant and many similar angulates.

Mountain Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon National Park is home to over 300 species of birds, including the endangered Lammergeyer. The higher slopes are protected by National parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating an extensive trans-boundary conservation area which has been declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve. A climb on Mt. Elgon’s deserted moorlands unveils a magnificent and uncluttered wilderness without the summit-oriented approach common to many mountains: the ultimate goal on reaching the top of Mt. Elgon is not the final ascent to the 4321m Wagagai Peak, but the descent into the vast 40km² caldera. A number of hiking routes are available for those hiking Mount Elgon. Traditionally, the most popular route has been a four-day round trip from Budadiri to Wagagai, following the Sasa trail in both directions.

Murchison Falls National Park

Located in the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, the park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes, and buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents. Murchison Falls is notably blessed with over 144 mammals,556 bird species,51 reptiles, and 51 Amphibians. With a great number of African elephants, Murchison falls is impressive all year round. A great location for game drives and boat rides on the Nile and hiking to the top of falls,

Kibale National Park

Down to the west in the varied track of tropical forests is Kibale National Park. This biologically diverse region provides shelter to a 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 370 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics. Most prominent among Kibale’s primates is the chimpanzee population surge of about 1,500 individuals, divided into at least a dozen different communities, four of which are habituated to humans. The Kanyantale community has been subject to daily tourist tracking since 1993. chimpanzee trekking and birdwatching are the main attractions of this park.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. It’s a home to 350 bird species as well as zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck. Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. The park is a great destination for game drives, nature walks and boat rides. The Ankole people that live near the park also offer a cultural experience in to their cattle keeping community.

Rwenzori National Park

Also is the west, Uganda boasts of The Mountains of the Moon, Mountain Rwenzori. The equatorial snow peaks include the third highest point in Africa. Enjoy world-class hiking and mountaineering on an eight to nine-day hike to Margherita peak with the help of skilled climbers. You can also enjoy non-technical hikes as well to scale the surrounding peaks. Mt. Stanley’s Margherita Peak is at 5,109 metres, the highest point in Uganda and third highest point in Africa after Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

Semuliki National Park

On the remote western side of Rwenzori, lies Semuliki National Park. Dominated by the eastern extension of the Ituri Forest of the Congo Basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diverse forests; one of the few to survive the last ice age, 12-18,000 years ago. The park contains evidence of even older processes; Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during the last 14 million years. This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes, and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for a classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees, and over 600 species of birds. Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo, and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob. The park is a great location for game drives, boat rides and chimpanzee trekking in the Kyambura Gorge.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rain forests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 459 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked.

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park sits high in the clouds, at an altitude of between 2,227m and 4,127m. As its name suggests, it was created to protect the rare mountain gorillas that inhabit its dense forests, and it is also an important habitat for the endangered golden monkey. The park also has a huge cultural significance, in particular for the indigenous Batwa pygmies. This tribe of hunter-gatherers was the forest’s “first people”, and their ancient knowledge of its secrets remains unrivaled. Mgahinga’s most striking features are its three conical, extinct volcanoes, part of the spectacular Virunga Range that lies along the border region of Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. Mgahinga forms part of the much larger Virunga Conservation Area which includes adjacent parks in these countries.