How Many Days Should I spend on a Uganda Safaris? Uganda safaris evoke imaginations of trans versing the sweeping plains of untouched savannah, walking through unblemished jungles, browsing through different ecosystems with the hope of finding remarkable wildlife species with binoculars in hand as well as cameras to take photos. Uganda safaris are undeniably life-changing and not-to-be-missed experiences of a lifetime. Any memorable trip begins with the appropriate and detailed planning, which leaves travellers wondering “how many days should I spend on a Uganda safari?”
The beauty about Uganda safaris is that you can enjoy a wonderful safari experience within as little as a weekend and as much as 2 weeks. With numerous National Parks distributed across the country, visitors can easily access at least one safari destination not far from Kampala City, especially when there are few days to spare for the safari. However, one week or more is perfect for a comprehensive Uganda safari to relish the experiences in top National Parks, Reserves and regions.
Enjoy a Uganda safari in two to three days
If you can spare only two to three days for the Uganda safari, you will have a real marathon to realize the true meaning of the word “Pearl of Africa”. For convenience sake, you can fly into any of Bwindi’s nearby Airstrips, then spend the next day trekking mountain gorillas before flying out. For road trips, connect to the outstanding Bwindi National Park on the first day, spend the second-day trekking gorillas in the jungle before leaving the next day.
For wildlife tours, visitors can fly or drive to Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth or Murchison Falls National Park. These Parks boast of Cape buffaloes, leopards, Defassa waterbucks, Topis, Olive baboons, impalas, common elands, vervet monkeys, lions, Klipspringers, hartebeests and so much more in addition to a wide array of accommodation facilities for all visitor categories. On the second day of these trips, visitors can undertake game drives before sunrise as wildlife start surfacing from their different hiding places. This lasts the entire day and the next day is for departing the Parks and returning to the City, How Many Days Should I spend on a Uganda Safaris?.
Undertaking Uganda safari within four to six days
Travellers that have four to six days to spare have enough time to combine gorilla trekking adventures with wildlife experiences. Start by connecting to Bwindi National Park (or better still flying into the close by Kihihi or Kisoro Airstrip), then the next day trek mountain gorillas. On the third day, travellers can depart for Queen Elizabeth for a wildlife viewing experience then end the journey in Kampala City, the next day. The remaining days can be spent in Kibale forest National Park to search for the endangered chimpanzees in the wild, How Many Days Should I spend on a Uganda Safaris?.
Exploring Uganda within one week
A one-week long Uganda safari is just perfect for exploring the beauty of Uganda’s wilderness and jungles. This trip is enough to tour Murchison Falls National Park for big game safaris, Kibale Forest for chimpanzee trekking tours, Bwindi National Park for indelible gorilla trekking experiences, another wildlife viewing experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park, plus relaxation on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi.
Touring Uganda in two weeks
For two weeks in Uganda, travellers have sufficient time to explore all top safari destinations in the country while combining Jinja City (adventure Capital of East Africa), Mount Elgon with the stunning Sipi Falls, Kidepo valley National Park (the real African wilderness), Murchison falls National Park with its magnificent sceneries and landscapes in form of Murchison falls. Then later add Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Bunyonyi and even Lake Mburo National Park.
Important things to keep in mind when going on Uganda safaris
Keep in mind the jet lag when deciding the number of days. The arrival day is usually set aside for relaxing and rejuvenating (considering the long distance and time from your country).
Normally, typical Uganda safaris with wildlife viewing begin very early as the wildlife are still active in the morning or better still late afternoon/evening when weather is cooler and more favourable. For travellers planning to enjoy game drives, keep in mind that this is the time nocturnal animals are actively hunting.
Also, Ugandan roads, especially the ones in National Parks are bumpy and full of dirt thus 4WD Vehicle is recommended. Given the high temperatures in these areas (rising to over 30˚C during the dry season and this will leave you fatigued by the end of the game viewing experience.
There is no harm in getting help when organizing the Uganda safari, by having a credible tour operator do the majority of the planning on your behalf.
Top destinations worth exploring during Uganda safaris
With a wide range of safari destinations throughout Uganda, where are then the top destinations to explore during safaris? One of these places is Murchison Falls National Park. Entebbe Town, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Bunyonyi, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Sipi falls, Lake Mburo National Park, Jinja City, Kidepo Valley National Park, the Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Fort portal City, Semliki National Park
