How much does a Uganda safari cost

The cost of the Uganda safari depends on the tour activities you are destined to do in Uganda. The most sought-after Uganda safari activity is the gorilla safari, but you can do either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience. During gorilla trekking, a maximum of 8 tourists follow a fully habituated gorilla family and spend one hour with them. For the gorilla habituation experience, tourists spend four hours with a semi-habituated gorilla family.

Most Popular Safaris

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5 Day off season Gorilla and Chimp Safari

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3 Days Rwanda Gorilla Tracking Safari

5 Day Gorilla & Chimp Tracking Safari

Booking the gorilla permit is necessary before confirming any gorilla tour in Uganda. Currently, the Uganda gorilla trekking permit costs $800 for foreign nonresidents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300,000 for East Africans.

For the gorilla habituation experience, the current gorilla permit cost is $1500 for foreign nonresidents, $1000 for foreign residents, and 750000shs for East Africans.

When you choose to do game safaris in Uganda, you must pay park fees, which are between $40 and $45 per person, depending on the national park you visit. Some Uganda National Game Parks include Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and others.

You must secure a permit if you are destined for a chimpanzee safari experience in Uganda. In Uganda, you can do either chimpanzee trekking or chimpanzee habituation experience. 

With the chimpanzee trekking safari, tourists have one hour allowed with a fully habituated chimpanzee troop. Chimpanzee Habituation experience tourists escort researchers team to follow a semi-habituated chimpanzee community but have four hours with them.

Some chimpanzee destinations include Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi in Murchison Falls National Park, Kalinzu Forest, and others. The costs of the chimpanzee permits in Uganda vary with destination.

To cost the Uganda safari, you must know what activities to do while visiting Uganda. Uganda is a country gifted by nature with a cocktail of activities you cannot exhaust in a day.

What activities to do on the Uganda safari

Gorilla safari in Uganda

The gorilla safari adventure in Uganda happens in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park. You can do gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience while on the Uganda tour. You need to purchase the Uganda gorilla permits first, as stated prior.

The age limit for gorilla safari in Uganda is 15 years and beyond now to allow more children to visit the only mountain gorillas in the world.

When booking gorilla permits for Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, you must note the area under which the permit is booked. Bwindi forest is divided into four regions separated by features that are hard to navigate, making it difficult to cross from one area to another to attend early morning briefing.

The cost of the gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation permits for Uganda is stated above.

You must pack the right gorilla safari gear as this Uganda safari adventure happens in a rough, jugged jungle that may not be comfortable for you.

Chimpanzee safari in Uganda

You can do chimpanzee trekking or chimpanzee habituation experience in Uganda. Uganda has various chimpanzee habitats, but the cost of permits differs with the destination. In Uganda, you can do chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park, which is the gem in the chimpanzee jewelry of Uganda.

While in Kibale National Park, you can do chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation experience. This park hosts the largest number of chimpanzees in Uganda, with about 1500 chimpanzees living in this forest.

Currently, Kibale National Park chimpanzee trekking permits cost $250 for international nonresidents, $150 for foreign residents, and 1,50000shs for East Africans.

The cost of chimpanzee habituation permits for Kibale National Park is $300 for international nonresidents, 250 for foreign residents, and 250000shs for East Africans.

Kyambura Gorge Queen Elizabeth National Park is another home to the chimpanzees in Uganda. Currently, the cost of chimpanzee trekking permits for Kyambura Gorge is $50 for foreign nonresidents, $40 for foreign residents, and 30000shs for East Africans.

Other Uganda chimpanzee safari destinations include Kaniyo Pabidi in Murchison Falls National Park, Budongo Forest, Semuliki National Park, Kalinzu Forest, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Uganda Wildlife Education Center, and other destinations.

Game safaris in Uganda

While on Uganda safari, you can spend time in the game parks in different parts of Uganda. Some Uganda game parks include Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park.

You must pay park entrance fees as a must cost before entering these parks. No cash is allowed at the entrance of these parks, a measure adopted to reduce the chances of bandits attacking park staff. 

The best game viewing time in Uganda safaris is early morning when these animals emerge from their night hideouts or late afternoon as they return home. 

While on a game drive in the Uganda National Parks, you may spot animals like lions, leopards, waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, herds of elephants, warthogs, elands, zebras, impalas, hartebeest, and others.

Not all these animals are found in Uganda's national parks, as some are especially found in particular parks. An example is the tree-climbing lions only found in the Queen Elizabeth National Park Ishasha sector. As you choose a destination to visit on the Uganda safari, you may state your interest in animals so our safari consultant can tailor an itinerary to cover your ideas.

Water activities on Uganda safari

Uganda may be landlocked, but this country's water bodies offer tourists chances to engage in various water activities while on a Uganda safari.

White water rafting

The white water rafting adventure on the River Nile is thrilling. There is no need to have any experience to participate in this breathtaking adventure on the River Nile. On the ground, there are experienced instructors to take you through all the necessary training in the shortest time possible. You just need to trust your feelings about this adventure and secure your safety gargets.

Although there are different levels of tides you can go through during white water rafting on River Nile, either in Itanda Falls or Murchison Falls National Park, you can stop where you most feel comfortable.

Launch trips on Uganda safari

In Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, the highlight of either park is the launch trip.

The Murchison Falls National Park is relaxing, but when you look over to the banks of Victoria Nile, you may spot several wild animals that grace the shores to quench thirst or take a bath. Schools of hippos and crocodiles are permanent residents of this river and can be seen from the lunch.

The high point of this launch trip is thundering Murchison Falls, where River Nile vigorously pushes through the narrow bend of about 6 meters wide to burst out and form a thundering sound. River Nile water plunges down a 43-meter-high cliff to finally continue with its course. Hiking to the top of the falls gives you the thrill of where the River Nile generates violence.

Queen Elizabeth's launch trip on the Kazinga channel is exciting as you enjoy the delights on the Rift Valley floor. It is common to spot wild animals that often visit the shores of this channel from the Mweya peninsular to quench their thirst. You may spot herds of elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks, cape buffaloes, and many other animals.

An array of birds often visit the shores of the Kazinga channel, including foreign migrants that fly from as far as Europe. This about 3-hour voyage is relaxing, especially after the game safari under the scorching sun of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Sports fishing in Uganda

You can take some time on freshwater bodies while on a Uganda safari. You need a fishing permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to access this adventure. Hire a boat and captain to accompany you during the Uganda sports fishing adventure. It is best to carry your fishing equipment and lures. Fishing on Uganda safari is mostly done in Murchison Falls National Park at designated points of the River Nile.

Some fish species you may catch during the Uganda safari include tilapia, Nile perch, cut fish, lungfish, mudfish, and others. The catch and release method is used during the Uganda sports fishing adventure. Pre-arrangement is needed to reserve a boat and captain when you are on the water.

Do not forget to pack sunscreen as you come for the Uganda sports fishing adventure.

Other private water activities on Uganda safari may include Sunset cruise on Uganda safari, Kayaking, tubbing, and beach activities.

Visit Lake Bunyonyi

If you want tranquility, taking some time to Lake Bunyonyi is an excellent choice. The 29 islands in Lake Bunyonyi can be explored by boat, but the Akampene Island, where girls were impregnated before wedlocks, were abandoned to die, and others were left to drown. The cool breeze from this lake Bunyonyi is soothing.

You can swim in the water of Lake Bunyonyi since it is bilharzia-free, do zip lining, birding, village walk, and much more.

Birding in Uganda

In Africa, Uganda is a birding giant with over 1000 bird species listed as residents of the various vegetation zones in the country. The list of bird species in Uganda is rivaled by no other in Africa. Chances of spotting Albertine rift endemics in Uganda are more open.

Some of the Uganda birding destinations include Bwindi forest, Mgahinga forest, Mabira forest, Lake Mburo National Park, Lake Bunyonyi, Mabamba Swamp, Musambwa Island, Lake Mutanda area, and others.

For the best Uganda birding experience, you need a well-tailored itinerary and ample time to navigate the different birding destinations.

Some birds you may spot in Uganda include shoebill, Black bee-eater, Pink-footed Puff back, Grey cuckoo-shrink, Olive thrush, Handsome Francolin, shelleyshelley'snwing, and others.

Mountaineering on Uganda Safari

Hiking Rwenzori ranges is a renowned mountaineering adventure in Uganda. You need to pre-book your Rwenzori hiking adventure so that all the necessary arrangements can be made in advance. The cost of climbing the mountain Rwenzori depends on various factors.

Excursion mountaineering can be arranged too during Uganda safari, like on Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Muhavura in Mgahinga National Park.

What to pack for the Uganda safari?

• A pair of binoculars to get a closer look at the far-ranging animals. and features
• A travel Journal to keep a record of every detail that you may get to see in the park.
• Binoculars are used to get a clear picture of fur-covered animals and birds.
• Sunscreen protects your skin from sunburns and applies while at the pool in case your lodge has one.
• A torch just in case lights go out at night, and because most accommodation facilities use solar, sometimes the panels may run short of power.
• When the dry spell is experienced in the Uganda game parks, which is expected between June and September, and from mid-December to mid-January, the temperature may rise to about 28 degrees centigrade. You need to pack some light wear like sleeveless and shorts with flip flops. The color of the clothes to pack must be dirt-friendly, like Khaki.
• Avoid bright colors because they may look suspicious to some wild animals and cause them to charge at you. The wild is dusty sometimes, which may make your clothes dirty if they are brightly colored. 
• A camera for taking memories of your Uganda safari adventures to different safari destinations 
•  Some hard cash to exchange into local currency in case you need an on-ground transaction.
• Carry an extra fully charged battery to switch with in case one runs low.
• Insect repellant as the wilderness has stinging insects that may hurt your skin. 
• First Aid kit for just in case of any illness that is known to you.
• Toiletries in case your lodge doesn't.

There are variety of activities to enjoy while on safari in Uganda, Contact us today to plan your safari to Uganda in adavance.