Uganda Safari Tours
Uganda Safari Tours are the amazing Uganda tour packages that give a traveler a planned tour of Uganda and its attractions and its historical sites. Uganda is also called the Pearl of Africa because it’s the best safari destination in Africa where you will explore and enjoy different biodiversity such as vegetation, wildlife, favorable climate among others. Uganda is gifted by nature in that it has a wide range of attractions which you will view and also participate in various breathtaking activities where you will gain a lot of experience on your Uganda safari tour.
Why visit Uganda
Uganda is located in east Africa and is rich in biodiversity in that it harbors over 300 mountain gorillas that is half of the world’s mountain gorillas which are found in Bwindi impenetrable national park, chimpanzees, tree climbing lions which are found in Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth national park, savannah vegetation among others. Uganda offers wildlife adventures on your safari where you will be able to view different animals including the big 5 which are lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and the rhinos which are only found in Ziwa rhino sanctuary and other animals like giraffes, zebras, waterbucks among others. You will also be able to see the Source of the Nile which is the longest river in the world and the source is found in Jinja. When you visit Uganda you will enjoy the favorable climate with temperatures that range between 25 °C to 29 °C.
Uganda is a hospitable country in Africa with welcoming and friendly people therefore on your Uganda safari tour you will be able to visit the local communities where you will interact with the charming people and learn more about their ways of life, culture among others hence gaining a lot of experience.
Which Uganda safari company to use
Uganda has many safari companies that offer safari tours to visitors such as Achieve Global Safari, Explore Rwanda Tours, Focus East Africa Tours among others. These companies offer safari tours like gorilla trekking, wildlife viewing, mountaineering, primate viewing in Uganda and other destinations like Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Tanzania. When choosing a safari company to use you need to find out whether the company belongs to recognized associations such as Africa tour operators, Tourism Uganda, Association of Uganda tour operators among others.
Uganda safari tours activities
While on a Uganda safari tour there are a wide range of interesting and adventurous activities that you will engage in to make your safari memorable including?
Gorilla trekking safari: Gorilla trekking is the most popular activity carried out in Uganda which involves visitors moving into the dense tropical rainforests in search of the endangered mountain gorillas and once the gorillas are found the visitors will spend one hour with the gorillas in their nature habitat. Gorilla trekking in Uganda is carried out in two national parks namely Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located in southwestern Uganda in Kanungu district and is a home of 19 habituated gorilla families which are found in four sectors of the park namely the Ruhija sector in the East, Nkuringo sector in the South, Rushaga sector in the South and Buhoma sector in North.
Gorilla trekking in Uganda is also carried out in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park which is a home of one habituated gorilla family called Nyakagezi. Currently, Mgahinga gorilla national park has another habituated family called the Hirwa family which migrated from Volcanoes national park in Rwanda in October 2019, therefore, there are two families that can be trekked in Mgahinga gorilla national park.
Gorilla trekking permit in both Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park costs $600 per person and in July 2020 it will cost $700 per person because it was increased by $100. Gorilla trekking in Uganda allows a maximum of 8 people to trek each habituated gorilla family and given a maximum of one hour in the presence of the gorilla family which will be used to capture the moments, take pictures with flashless camera and learn more about the gorillas for example how they feed, behavior, habitat among others which gives you memorable experiences on your Uganda safari tours.
Chimpanzee trekking safari: Chimpanzee trekking is another interesting activity in Uganda where visitors move into the forests in search of the chimpanzees just like gorilla trekking. Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda is mainly carried out in Kibale national park because it’s a home of different primate species where chimpanzees are the major attractions. Chimpanzee trekking is also carried out in Kalinzu forest which is located in Bushenyi district, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park among others.
Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda allows a maximum of 6 people to trek each habituated chimpanzee family and are given one hour in the presence of the chimpanzee family where they will be able to view the chimpanzees de-nesting, breastfeeding, feeding, juveniles playing with each other among others. The cost of a chimpanzee trekking permit in Uganda varies depending on the destination where chimpanzee trekking is carried out for example in Kibale forest national park it costs $150, $90 in Budongo forest, $50 in Kalinzu forest and Kyambura Gorge.
Wildlife safari: Uganda is a home of 10 national parks where you will be able to explore and enjoy different wildlife animals on your safari tour in Uganda such as:
- Murchison falls national park which is the largest protected area in Uganda. Murchison falls national park offers morning game drives and night game drives where you will be able to view different animals such as the lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, hippos, giraffes, waterbucks, bushbucks among others.
- Queen Elizabeth national park this is the second largest national park in Uganda where you will be able to view wildlife species including savannah grassland, savannah woodland and animal species like elephants, buffaloes, large herds of hippos, leopards, Oribi, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, giant forest hog, Topi, warthogs, crocodiles, tree climbing lions which are the second most visited attraction in Uganda. The tree climbing lions are found in the Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and they are usually seen relaxing up in the fig tree branches looking down on the antelopes as they graze in the open savannah grasslands. Animal species in Queen Elizabeth national park can be seen during the day game drive in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsula, Ishasha plains and night game drives which are done in the Mweya peninsula by use spotlights for clear viewing of the nocturnal animals.
- Lake Mburo national park, this is one of the small national parks in Uganda but rich in biodiversity, Lake Mburo national park is located in western Uganda and harbors different wildlife species such as wood vegetation type with acacia species and animal species like zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, impala, eland, Oribi, Topi, bushbucks, warthogs, jackals, hyenas, leopards among others which can be seen during the day and night game drives.
- Kidepo valley national park, this is one of the isolated national parks located in northern Uganda. Kidepo valley national park is comprised of open tree savannah grasslands which provide clear views of animal species such as bat-eared fox, cheetah, striped hyena, Aardwold, zebras, warthogs, bushbucks, waterbucks, elephants, Oribi, buffaloes, bush pigs, lions, leopards, reedbucks, eland, side-striped jackal, giraffes among others.
- Other national parks that you can visit on your Uganda safari tour include Mount Rwenzori national park where you can engage in mountain climbing, mount Elgon national park, Semliki national park, Kibale forest national park also known as a primate destination which harbors chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, Mgahinga gorilla national park which harbors gorillas and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which harbors over 300 mountain gorillas.
Birding safari: Uganda is the leading country in Africa with the best birding safaris in that it harbors over 1057 bird species some of which are endemic to the Albertine Rift such as pigmy falcon, scarlet chested sunbird, red-throated bee-eater, black-breasted barbet, white-crested hornbill, black wattled hornbill, red tailed ant thrush, scarlet chested sunbird, orange cheeked waxbill, handsome francolin, dusky crimson wing and others rare species such as the prehistoric Shoe bill stork, Ostrich and Kori only seen in Kidepo valley national park, Shelley’s crimson wing among others. Bird watching safaris in Uganda can be carried out in all national parks, around water bodies like Kazinga Channel, River Nile, Lake Victoria and other birding destinations like Mabira forest, Budongo forest, Maramagambo forest in Queen Elizabeth national park, Bigodi wetland in Kibale forest national park, Mabamba swamp where you will be able to see the sought after shoebill stork and many more destinations.
Water tours: When you visit Uganda the pearl of Africa you will get an opportunity to explore the water bodies on a boat trip for example boat cruise on Kazinga Channel where you will view large herds of hippos, bird and animal species, Lake Mburo boat cruise, Source of the Nile boat cruise where you will engage in activities like white water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking, jet boating, sport fishing among others, Lake Bunyonyi which is the deepest lake in Africa and offers boat trips where you will cruise in a dugout canoe and visit various islands on the lake among others hence making your safari tour in Uganda memorable.
What to see on your Uganda safari tours
Wildlife, during your Uganda safari tours you will be able to see various vegetation types such as savannah grassland, woodland, tropical rain forest, acacia woodland among others and various animal and bird species which are found in the 10 national park in Uganda and other destinations including the big 5 mammals which are elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffaloes plus other animals like waterbucks, bushbucks, Oribi, Topi, elands, impalas, giant forest hogs, warthogs, hyenas, civets, jackals hippos, Nile crocodiles among others.
Source of the Nile, River Nile is the longest river in the world with its source found in Jinja. River Nile starts its journey to the Mediterranean Sea via Egypt and Sudan and it flows to 11 countries namely Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Source of the Nile offers various activities to visitors on a safari tour in Uganda such as kayaking, sport fishing, white water rafting, bungee jumping, jet boating, horse riding, quad biking among others.
Rwenzori mountain, on your Uganda safari tour you can visit mount Rwenzori national park where you can engage yourself in climbing the snow-peaked mountain, for example, climbing Margherita peak which is the highest peak with 5,109m above the sea level.
People, Ugandans are hospitable in that we are welcoming and friendly which will give you an opportunity to visit the local communities on your Uganda safari tour, interact with the people and learn more about their way of life, visit their homesteads, taste the type of food they eat among others. Among the local communities, you will visit the Batwa also known as pygmies who used to live in the forests of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga before they were gazette into national parks. During the Batwa community tour, you will learn about their hunting and gathering skills, how they survived in the forest, watch performances such as storytelling, dances, songs, visit where they used to stay in the forest among others which gives you great experiences on your safari.
When to go on Uganda safari tours
Uganda experiences two seasons that is the dry which is also known as the peak season during the months of June, July, August, December, January and February and the rainy or low season in the months of March to May and September to November. Uganda has a favorable climate, therefore, visitors can visit anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry or peak season. The dry season is recommended because Uganda receives less rainfall and most activities like chimpanzee and gorilla trekking will be successful in that the trails in the forest will be passable. The dry season is good for wildlife viewing in that most animals will gather along the water bodies to drink water which gives you a clear view of animal species in Uganda such as elephants, buffaloes, leopards, antelopes among others.
Visitors can also visit Uganda during the rainy or low season because all activities in the national parks will take place regardless of the rain. The rainy season is also ideal for bird watching in the national park and forests where you will be able to view migratory and different bird species. During the rainy season, you are advised to carry different equipment’s on your safari to protect you from rainfall when engaging in different activities for example hiking boots, waterproof rain jacket/poncho, hat, long sleeved shirt and trousers, backpack among others.
How much are Uganda safari tours
The price of Uganda safari tours depends on the activities you want to engage in, the destinations you want to visit and the accommodation type where you want to stay during your safari. However, if am to cost for type where you want to stay during your safari. However if am to cost for a tour package like for example 3 days gorilla trekking in Bwindi gorilla safari you include the distance of the journey from Kampala City to Bwindi impenetrable forest national park which takes about 8 to 9 hours, gorilla trekking permit which costs $600, accommodation which range between $150 to $900 depending on the type and the whole package will cost $1698 per person and when there are two people and above the amount will be less. In case your safari is for wildlife viewing in Murchison Falls national park for example 3 days Murchison falls the package will cost $1273 per person and if it’s a group the amount will be less.
Where to stay on your Uganda safari tours
Uganda has a wide range of luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation facilities where visitors on a safari tour in Uganda can stay depending on the destination you are visiting because it’s advisable to sleep near the destination you have visited for easy accessibility to the tourism attractions. The accommodations in Uganda include Apoka Safari Lodge, Buhoma Haven Lodge, Wild waters Lodge, The Haven Lodge, Pakuba Lodge, Paraa Lodge, Mihingo Lodge, Eagles Nest Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Pumba Lodge, Bush Lodge, Chameleon Hill Lodge, Mount Gahinga Lodge, Travellers Rest Hotel, Kidepo Savannah Lodge, Isunga Lodge, Kibale Forest Camp, Primate Lodge Kibale, Equator Snow Lodge, Mihingo Safari Lodge, Lake Bunyonyi Overland Resort, Bunyonyi Birdnest Resort among others. The accommodation facilities provide comfortable beds, quality meals, other services like free internet, swimming pool, sauna, beautiful views of animals, birds, forest, water bodies and favorable environment where you will relax after gorilla trekking in Bwindi national park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park or mountain climbing in Rwenzori national park, Mount Elgon national park which makes your safari tour enjoyable.
Uganda is gifted by nature in that it has a lot to offer in form of breathtaking attractions, interesting activities like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, lion research tracking, boat cruise, game drive among others, accommodation facilities and favorable climate which make your Uganda safari tours exceptional and unforgettable.
