What to Expect On Safari To Uganda
September 15, 2021
What to Expect On Safari To Uganda
Uganda is an authentic African adventure destination. On safari to Uganda, you should expect a mix of different doses of safari adventure experiences, with primate trekking adventures topping the list of activities.
Your typical safari to Uganda will feature mountain gorilla trekking in the rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga National Park, complimented with a walk with our chimpanzee cousins the dwell in the rainforest of Kibale and marinated with a private game viewing drive in any of the big four safari parks.
From impeccable landscape views to unique remote cultures and a budget-friendly economy, we explore what you one traveler should expect on safari to Uganda in this post. Let’s find out.
Primates Adventures
Primate Adventures is the biggest attraction on any Uganda safari holiday. Expect to trek into the remote rainforest jungles, searching for great apes like the famous mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. Uganda has 20 primate species within its rainforest destinations, with Kibale Forest National Park harboring the highest density of primates in Africa of 13 primate species.
The most outstanding primates in Uganda that you should expect to see are the mountain gorillas found in two regions in southwestern Uganda: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Expect at least a 10-hour drive from the city center to reach the mountain gorillas. And trek for an unspecified time through steep terrain and impenetrable jungle to get where a habituated gorilla family forages. The journey may be tiring, but the rewards of sitting next to a giant mountain gorilla in the middle of the jungle are insurmountable.
The other comparable primate adventure you should expect to make your Uganda safari memorable is the chimpanzee trekking experience in either Kibale Forest or the other three sought-after chimp destinations in the country.
Chimpanzee trekking is a bit easier than mountain gorilla trekking adventures. Expect to trek a troop of habituated chimpanzees in a moderately navigable terrain in Kibale Forest, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, or Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park. On a chimp trek, local experts will guide you into the rainforest and allowed you to stay with our primitive cousins for about an hour. However, you can stay for almost the whole day with the wild bunch, only if you pay for the Habituation Experience Permit that costs a little more than the standard tracking permit ($300).
The only place you should expect to easily see more primates on a lazy hike through the jungle is in Kibale Forest National Park. 13 primates jump through its forest canopies, including the black-and-white colobus, red-tailed monkey, grey-cheeked mangabey, l’Hoest’s, and blue monkeys.
One should expect to easily see the baboons and smaller nocturnal species like the bushbaby and potto on game drives and nature walks. The black and white colobus monkeys are frequently spotted in treetops anywhere, especially in the western Uganda regions.
If you visit the Ugandan side of the Virunga Mountains in Mgahinga National Park, expect to encounter the other mountain gorillas that share the Virungas with Rwanda and DRC’s gorillas. However, there’s another interesting character among the bamboo forest zones of the park, the endangered golden monkey. This is the most compelling character you should expect to wow you on a primate adventure in Uganda.
Guided treks to find a habituated golden monkey group of about 30 members set out every morning, traversing the steep-sloped on the base of Gahinga, Sabinyo, and Muhavura Volcanoes to find the tiny chicky primates. Trekkers spend about an hour with the forest dwellers before retreating to the glorious camps on the foothills of the park.
If you’re not a big fan of the primates in the Mgahinga region, hikers and bird watchers should expect to find the best time in the region with three mountain peaks of up to 4,157 m (13,540 ft) and about 179-184 bird species recorded in the area.
Wildlife Viewing
If you get cringed up by the safari crowds in Kenya and Tanzania, expect the most rewarding private wildlife viewing experience in Uganda. Uganda is not yet popular with safaris, therefore entertaining fewer tourists yet harboring an impressive number of wildlife species within its big four safari parks.
It’s only in Uganda where you should expect to have a great adventure mixt of the big game viewing adventures, birding, walking, hiking, and primates viewing experiences all in one tour package without leaving the country. You should expect to see more Uganda safari recommendations, including this kind of mix from most local safari operators.
Uganda offers a more relaxed wildlife viewing experience with laid-back game drives in the expansive Murchison Falls National Park, the colonial English Queen Elizabeth National Park, the remote semi-arid Kidepo Valley National Park, and the smallest of all, Lake Mburo National Park.
On a typical safari game drive in Uganda, you should expect to easily spot big herds of elephants, buffalo, many species of antelope, giraffes, and zebra. Lions and leopards are relatively easy to spot. A boat launch on Kazinga Channel or the Nile in Murchison Falls will bring you the closest to pods of hippos in the shallow banks, humongous crocodiles, and hundreds of waterbirds.
Expect to find the rare kind in the remote Kidepo Narus Valley, including the cheetah, wild dogs, caracal, aardwolf, greater and lesser kudu, mountain reedbuck, and Guenther's dik-dik. Kidepo Valley National Park is easily forgotten because of its position on the grid. Still, it’s the Uganda safari adventure you shouldn’t miss visiting for an auspicious wildlife viewing experience.
Landscapes
Uganda has a more varied landscape compared to its East African counterparts. Uganda sits in the center of the two East African Rift Valley arms, which create gorgeous landscapes with the mountainous east fading into the flat savannah plains of the central and southern region, beautifully dissolving into the snowcapped east into the Rwenzori peaks and the rugged southwestern part.
In the central region sits the massive lake Victoria, whose northern banks beautiful splash into the capital city, poring its waters through the great Nile river that embarks on its north journey leaving behind a decor of lakes along its routs.
In the west, the savannah plains fade beautifully into the rainforest jungles shadowed by the Virunga volcanoes in the southwest and the Rwenzori ranges in the west to create an Eden for a plethora of wildlife species. These landscape features are what make Uganda the Pearl of Africa.
The western region around Kibale National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park is dotted with hundreds of creators that from above look like the first raindrops before it pours down. These are the best places to go nature hiking, especially around the Fort Portal region in the western part of Kibale Forest.
Location of Attractions
On your Uganda safari, expect to drive or fly from the northern banks of Lake Victoria into the western/southwestern safari circuit, where almost all Uganda’s top attractions sit. Then, go across the western region to find the most beautiful landscapes that make Uganda the Pearl of Africa.
Bwindi in the southwestern corner (near the border with Rwanda (south) and DRC in the west) and Kidepo Valley National Park in the northeastern corner (bordering Southern Sudan (north) and Kenya in the East are the remotest destinations with each one about 700 km from the capital Kampala. It would take at least ten hours by road to get to these remote corners.
When you reach the two remotest destinations in Uganda, expect to easily connect to the rest of the safari circuit by road from either the northeast or the southwestern region.
The best alternative is to fly to Bwindi through two of its small airport located about a 1.5-hours drive from the park. After tracking the mountain gorillas, expect to drive north to connect to Queen Elizabeth, Kibale Forest, Rwenzori Mountains, Murchison Falls, and end with Kidepo Valley National Park, along the western safari circuit.
Accommodation Variance
Uganda’s tourism is just catching up with the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the holiday accommodation options are pretty impressive, with world-class city hotels well spread in the city center, premium camps, and lodges in safari parks to chose from.
Expect to find a varied choice of accommodation options catering to all budgets in entry cities like Kampala and Entebbe. Park entries and visitors centers provide a good selection of camps and lodges, and one will be washed with unlimited choices.
Send us an email, and we’ll be happy to recommend some of the best accommodation options to suit your budget.
Cultural Experiences
When traveling to Uganda, you’ll not fall short of unforgettable cultural experiences along your adventure journey from the city to the countryside. Uganda is a multi-cultural destination, with every corner of the country washed with myriad cultures.
Expect myriad cultural exposures from some of the best testing vegetarian culinary to language, music, dance, lifestyle, and meeting some of the most isolated cultures of prehistoric times on your safari in Uganda.
In the Urban centers, a plethora of native African and international cultures entangle to create cultural hotspots that become living cities. Entebbe and Kampala are your entry points into the country. Expect to find some jaw-dropping experiences on an evening or early morning walk around these two towns in their local markets, suburbs, and social places.
If you’re headed East to find the Nile River source, the region is awash with remarkable eastern tribes eat, dress, farm, and dance in exquisite cultures. The Northern semi-arid region harbors the semi-nomadic Masaai-like tribes that will entertain your evenings with sky-jumping dances, half-naked dressing style, and amazing body piercings.
Down in the southwest are the Batwa pygmy tribes that occupied the rainforests before evacuating for conservation purposes entertain gorilla adventurers with the dying cultures within small rainforest pockets. The Rwenzori mountains people, not so different from the Batwa in the west, will captivate you with their strength and well-kept ancient cultures on your visit to the Mountains of the Moon.
Book Your Safari To Uganda
Whether you’re traveling for the cultural experience, viewing the big game on safari, or an adventure of your life, expect to get the best authentic experience in Uganda with Encounter Africa Safari. We organize customized Uganda safaris packed with your choice of expectations and experience at a budget you can afford. Send us an email at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com.
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