Planning for Uganda safaris soon? Uganda is a very lovely country, probably one of those destinations in Africa that almost every travel blog will recommend to you. This Uganda safaris review will give you all the reasons, facts & information that will guide you right from the process of brainstorming for a safari to your last minutes of a safari in Uganda.
There is so much behind Uganda being called ‘The Pearl of Africa’ and indeed it deserves it or even more to this name. Want to know why Uganda is called the pearl of Africa? Winston Churchill made it clear in his 1908 book called ‘My African Journey’, where he talks about various experiences and encounters from various countries in Africa.
Out of all the countries he visited, Uganda is among the destinations that caught his sight and attention to the extreme that he reached an extent and writing the phase below in his book;
“For magnificence, for variety of form and color, for profusion of brilliant life – bird, insect, reptile, beast — for vast scale — Uganda is truly “the Pearl of Africa,” Sir Winston Churchill wrote.
Each year thousands of tourists of different nationalities visit the country for safaris and leave only amazing reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor and safari bookings about their respective experiences. What you should know is those good experiences don’t just come right away but rather depend so much on the way you organize your safari, the safari operator you choose and a lot more.
I wish for you the best experience in Uganda! Which is why i had to come up with this informative and descriptive Uganda safaris review article; to guide you and instill you with some bit of knowledge as you inquire from tour operators about a safari to Uganda.
How much does a Uganda safari cost?
The cost of a Uganda safari depends on the activities you are willing to carry out, the kind of lodges (lodging options) chosen and how long you intend to spend on your safari. Expect to spend more on luxury gorilla safaris than budget gorilla safaris.
Now to break this down, typical wildlife safaris are way cheaper than gorilla safaris because trekking gorillas requires Uganda gorilla permits which cost $600 in the high and low seasons in Uganda’s tourism industry. Wildlife safaris don’t require any kind of permits which lowers down your total safari cost less by the price of a permit.
Secondly, accommodation determines the final price of your safari to a greater extent basing on the kind of facilities you want. Uganda has budget, mid-range (comfortable) and luxury lodges which usually range from $35 to $1000 per person for a night.
This definitely means your safari becomes cheaper with cheap accommodation and expensive with luxury lodging facilities (high-end accommodation).
Thirdly, the number of days you wish to spend on your Uganda safaris also determines the final price. This is more like self explanatory, more days means more expenditure for you and less days means less. So with this i’d say the cheapest safaris to Uganda are wildlife safaris to Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park and Queen Elizabeth national park on budget accommodation.
With these kind of safaris, you are only billed for car hire fees, accommodation fees, fuel, driver fee, park entrance fees and professional fees for companies.
What you should also know is costs become cheaper when you travel in groups because you share costs of accommodation, transport, fuel and more. So imagine you traveled in a group of 8 and shared all those costs? The safari would definitely become extremely cheap for each of you in all ways and you would have a lot of money to save.
This is the main reason why some travelers join Uganda group safaris, to save money. In a group, a safari that costs $5000 can be booked between $2000 – $2500 depending on a few factors. My final say about costs is; it is dynamic and dependent on the activities you wish to carry out, where you want to stay and how may days you wish to spend on a safari.
Choosing a Tour Operator / Safari Operator
Uganda currently has so many tour operators (over 500) but not all will give you the best experience of a safari. Some are experienced where as some are not, some are registered with travel associations, some have existing offices where as some operate from their home premises, some are registered companies and a small portion of them are not real (fake companies).
With all these, how does a tourist know which company is genuine or not? How can a tourist differentiate between an experienced tour company and one with less experience? I know it’s a bit hard to tell but with the help of platforms like tripadvisor and safari bookings plus extra help from Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO), you are able to narrow down to safari operators you can trust for your safari.
See my list of the best Uganda safari companies / travel operators
Where as it is recommended to make use of these platforms, a small portion of people don’t have time for such but rather just confirm their trips without making thorough research about the tour operator they are dealing with. This is very bad and might land you in the hands of a fake operator who will receive your deposit but fail to offer you the services you paid for.
You can also easily land on an operator who is new in the business, has less experience or probably knows less about tourism. Visit TripAdvisor, search for reviews of clients who had a safari with the tour operator you are dealing with in the past and if you see a lot of negative reviews or reviews about clients being conned of money then i suggest you cross out that operator from your list.
If an operator has no or few reviews and you like their package then don’t be too quick to judge them but rather inquire from AUTO about their credibility so many new companies are being set up by experienced tour consultants and guides. What happens is, as the Uganda tourism industry grows and expands; experienced workers resort to starting their own companies because they feel they can make it by themselves implicating a new company can still give you the best experience.
So how do you choose a genuine tour operator? The first step is confirming their membership in AUTO’s Membership directory. If the company is affiliated to AUTO then at least you are some how granted financial security. Secondly, liaise with Uganda Wildlife Authority or Uganda Tourism Board to confirm if the company is fully registered in Uganda and granted authority to operate it’s businesses in the country.
The set back to this is, so many companies from other countries offer safaris to Uganda (especially the ones within East Africa) which they deliver through travel agencies and partnerships.
If you find out that a company is registered in another country and is promising you safaris to Uganda then go ahead find out more about their credibility through several websites of their country before dealing with them though i strongly recommend you deal with a company that is registered in Uganda and has it’s ground offices here too. The last step is to visit TripAdvisor and safari bookings for reviews (most important part).
So which company should i go with? I suggest you book your safari with a registered and experienced safari company that is affiliated to AUTO, is member of TripAdvisor and and has several good reviews from past clients. This way you won’t only be guaranteed financial security, but will be sure of a nice and memorable safari in Uganda too.
What do you need to go on a Uganda safari
You need some requirements before you can go on a Uganda safari and some of them are; a Uganda Visa, yellow fever vaccination certificate, original copies on your travel passport, your return air ticket and more. About Visas, phase out the misconception about Uganda Visas being hard to get.
This is not true and you will get your Visa easily if at all you meet all the requirements for getting one. Uganda being prone to yellow fever calls you to get vaccinated at least 10 days before setting foot in Uganda to avoid infection.
The level of malaria is quite high and you need to carry / take some malaria prophylaxis in Uganda for your safari to prevent you from falling sick whilst on your trip.
These are so far some of the most important requirements. Some of the other basic requirements is petty money to use and of course you need to have made a deposit to book your safari.
How to book affordable flight tickets to Uganda
So many airline companies operate in Entebbe International Airport and some of them are: KLM, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Brussels Airlines, Kenya Airways, Etihad Airways, Ethiopian Airways, South African Airways, EgyptAir, British Airways, Rwandair to mention but a few.
The price of air tickets depends so much on the kind of class you are flying in but usually won’t cost you so much. Follow the link below to book affordable flights to Uganda.
Book affordable flights to Uganda here
When to go on a safari
Despite Uganda being an all year round destination for travelers, you ought to schedule your safari for the best season. I previously wrote an article about the best time to visit Uganda for a safari or holiday, cited out all the facts and backed them up with several reasons.
You can choose to read that article for a more descriptive fineprint but all i can say is you ought to plan your safari for the dry months of the year (June to August & December to February). During the dry season, wildlife is more visible to humans because they don’t take shelter like they do during rainy seasons.
Besides, the roads in various national parks are not so good and are usually muddy during rainy seasons which causes vehicles to get stuck often. In fact, i recommend you to choose a 4×4 safari vehicle for your safari because they hardly get stuck even in bad weather conditions.
The dry season might be gold mine for you, how about the wet season? I love adventure and if it were me, i would instead opt for a safari in a month with an unpredictable weather condition.
This way, i am able to carry out various activities in different conditions for instance, it would be fun trekking mountain gorillas on a dry day, view wildlife the next day on a very cold weather where i have to wrap myself with several clothes to feel warm and take a cup of coffee in the cold environment of my place of stay.
Despite many blogs claiming the perfect time to go on a safari is during the dry months, i believe that perfect time is the perfect time for you.
When you are on a holiday or rather got a break from work and feel you should spend it in Uganda then that can be the perfect time for you. Otherwise, if you want to view plenty of wildlife and primates like mountain gorillas then you ought to schedule your safari for the dry months of the year.
How to securely Make Payments for your Safari
About Payments, the very first mistake most clients do is make deposits to personal bank accounts. Only make deposits to personal bank accounts if you trust the tour operator you are dealing with else you might land in the hands of a fraudster or an inexperienced non-existent company.
The fact that a company needs to first be registered and incorporated before getting a company bank account is enough for you to clarify that making deposits direct to company bank accounts is proof enough to show you are dealing with a fully registered tour company.
It’s always good to be cautious because the Uganda tour and travel industry relies mainly on inquiries that they receive from websites that any one can create and rank, even fraudsters. Like said previously, Uganda currently has over 500 tour and travel operator of which approximately 150 of those are registered with Association of Uganda Tour Operators. You have to to take that extra caution, especially if it comes to making payments (deposits) for your safari.
So what are some of the ways of making safe and secure payments for a Uganda safari? The most convenient and trusted way to make payments for your safari is through direct wire transfer (EFT – Electronic Funds Transfer) to the company’s account.
Several tour companies currently support credit card transfer! Most of them use point of sale machines, Pesapal and Direct Pay Online. Pesapal and Direct Pay Online are registered platforms that will let you securely make your payments by credit card at a small charge per transaction.
These platforms only deal with registered companies and usually ask for company registration documents at the time of integrating their respective services on clients websites hence, they are so worthy of trusting.
Only issue with Pesapal is sometimes they fail to charge your card even with correct details and credentials, something that a POS machine would have done with no issue. I haven’t used Direct Pay Online before, but i have received a number of good testimonials about their service.
Can i make payments for a Uganda safaris using Paypal? Paypal currently doesn’t support Uganda and is very strict about Ugandan accounts. To make it worse, Ugandan Paypal accounts can’t receive funds and are only limited to payments, purchases and other online transactions.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t make Payments using Paypal completely because some tour companies have gone ahead to register their safari companies in Kenya, opening up Kenyan Paypal accounts and using them for withdrawing money from Uganda.
If your operator asks you to make payments through Paypal, first ensure that their account is verified before making any transaction and besides, non-verified Paypal accounts are only limited to a withdraw limit of $999 a month.
Paypal is only used by a small portion of operators but since the birth of national identity cards in 2015, we are hopeful that Paypal with lift the ban on Uganda anytime because it’s main reason was curbing down the number of fake accounts created and with national identity cards, it’s hard for a citizen to own multiple accounts.
Where to go on a safari to Uganda
There are so many places you can go to in Uganda but not all of them are frequently visited or perhaps not all of them will give you the best adventure of a safari.
The destinations you choose for your safari greatly determines your whole enjoyments of a safari hence, you should always endeavor to talk to your safari operator to add up the most interesting places in your final itinerary. Below are just some of the destinations you can visit with the most interesting being marked with an asterix (*).
1. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park*. Bwindi is so far the most visited national park in Uganda and almost 95% of all trips have it among the places to visit in a safari itinerary. So what makes Bwindi the most visited? Like said previously, Uganda harbors half the total population of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas in Bwindi which indeed makes this park the best place for gorilla trekking in Africa.
Other activities in this safari park include Batwa Habituation experience and nature walks though it is mainly visited for gorilla treks. it’s diverse regions make it possible to carry out gorilla tracking from various parts of the national park which quite an awesome adventure.
2. Murchison Falls National Park*. Murchison Falls National Park is probably the best place for wildlife viewing in Uganda. Emerging as the biggest of all the Uganda national parks, Murchison Falls NP is also the only safari park that harbors the big five animals (Elephants, Lions, Buffalos, Rhino and Leopards).
The most exciting feature about this park is the devil’s cauldron, a place where water passes through a steep gorge and plunges down to a pool. In fact, all launch trips in Murchison falls not only reward you with a water side wildlife viewing experience but also gets you close to the devil’s cauldron for about two hours.
Murchison Falls NP also harbors a good percentage of chimpanzees implicating it’s way possible to combine a wildlife viewing experience with a chimpanzee trekking / habituation experience from this amazing national park.
3. Queen Elizabeth National Park*. Situated in Kasese – Western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second best place for wildlife safaris in Uganda. This park is famously known for harboring the tree climbing lions along it’s wilderness of the Ishasha sector.
All safari visits (launch trips) to Kazinga Channel are actually initiated from this national park. So many sources have branded this park as the most visited which could definitely be true because of it is easy to access and besides, it’s far easier to combine Bwindi or any other parks in western Uganda with Queen compared to Murchison falls.
QENP harbors approximately 98 species of mammals and over 600 species of birds not forgetting the population of chimpanzees that live in it’s outskirts of Kyambura Game Reserve.
4. Kidepo Valley National Park*. Kidepo is still virgin and is the most isolated amongst all the national parks. Falling far north-east on the wild frontier region of Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park is definitely not only one of the best places for wildlife viewing in Uganda but also the third best national park in the entire Africa as reported by Cable News Network (CNN) in a 2013 article.
This park is not so visited because of the past security situation and of course the distance (main turn-off). Traveling to Kidepo NP can take close to a day and a half by road or approximately 2 hours by flight which is quite a distance, reason why most clients don’t always opt for it. If you are planning a wildlife viewing safari in Uganda, i would recommend Kidepo any day because it harbors a lot of wildlife that can’t be seen anywhere else in Uganda.
Kidepo borders Masai Mara National Park (The best national park in Africa – best place for wildlife viewing in the whole world) to the left reason why extinct wildlife like the cheetahs occasionally cross borders to this national park.
5. Mt. Elgon National Park. Falling far in Eastern Uganda, Mt. Elgon National Park is one of the least visited national parks in Uganda especially by foreigners. The main activities here include a hike to the top of the mountain and visiting Sipi Falls.
This national park has no clear roads yet but rather small paths that you can use for finding your way. However, sad news is anytime it could be no more because it brings far less income to Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Recently rumor broke that UWA had plans of withdrawing it’s status of a national park but i still can’t confirm how true this is. Otherwise, if you are looking for a physical challenge of a mountain hike, Mt. Elgon will definitely give the best challenge.
6. Semuliki Valley National Park. Situated in Bwamba – Bundibugyo District in western Uganda, Semuliki National Park was born in October 1993 and appears to be one of Uganda’s newest national parks. This park sprawls across the soils of Semliki Valley in the western side of the Rwenzori and is bordered by one of Africa’s most ancient forests, Ituri Forest.
In fact, if you want a taste of central Africa without departing from Uganda then this park should be top on your destination list. Main activities here include birding, wildlife viewing, nature walks & hikes, a visit to Sempaya Hot Springs and Batwa Trail.
7. Lake Mburo National Park*. Lake Mburo National Park is apparently Uganda’s smallest Savannah national park and is conveniently situated along the highway that connects Western Uganda to Kampala. This park is the only place where you can find Impalas and also appears among the best wildlife viewing spots in Uganda.
Other activities to carry out in this park include birding, a boat-cruise on Lake Mburo, nature walks, horse back riding, quad biking and more.
8. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mgahinga Gorilla NP is the only alternate place in Uganda where you can view mountain gorillas apart from Bwindi. This national park lies in the outskirts of the Virunga mountains (Virunga conservation area) and harbors mainly mountain gorillas and golden monkeys.
The only problem with gorilla tracking in Mgahinga is it’s population of mountain gorillas isn’t so much and worst of all these mountain gorillas often cross borders to Rwanda and Congo occasionally, making it hard for them to be spotted.
If you have experienced Gorilla trekking in Bwindi then i recommend you try out another in Mgahinga. Other activities carried out include the Batwa Trail.
9. Kibale Forest National Park*. Famously known for harboring the biggest population of chimpanzees in Uganda, Kibale Forest National Park is definitely the best place for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. This national park is mostly visited for chimp treks although there is also a possibility carrying out other wildlife activities like forest walks, birding and more.
Kibale Forest has one of the most beautiful and varied tracts of a tropical forest in the entire Uganda. Kibale is so far among the most beautiful national parks in Uganda with so many forest covers that will guarantee you panoramic views.
10. Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Rwenzori Mountains National Park might be one of the least visited national parks in Uganda but is definitely the best place for mountaineering / mountain trekking safaris. A climb to Mt. Stanley’s Margherita Peak is a physical challenge of a lifetime and a memory that can’t be phased out of your brain easily.
Mt. Rwenzori is among the greatest mountains in the world hence, you should definitely consider it for a safari. Only bad thing with it is the length! It usually takes 10 – 14 days to climb this mountain back n’ forth depending on your level of fitness. This climb however, isn’t so hard!
According to Uganda Wildlife Authority, the oldest person to make a full climb to the Margherita peak was 78 years old implicating it’s something you can accomplish if you are determined.
11. Lake Bunyonyi. Lake Bunyonyi is one of the best places to unwind from in Uganda. This magical lake nicknamed “a Place of many little birds” is located between Kisoro and Kabale in western Uganda right close to the border of Rwanda.
This lake has over 29 islands and is rumored to be the second deepest lake in the whole world according to some sources. The main activity here is mainly relaxation, birding and a boat cruise along the lake itself. Most gorilla tracking clients usually take a day off and relax at Lake Bunyonyi to unwind from the fatigue of trekking gorillas.
In case you opt for a gorilla safari in Uganda then you should also consider relaxing at the magical views of this wonderful treasure.
12. Itanda Falls. Previously named Bujagali falls, Itanda falls is the best place for excursions in Uganda. This waterfall is located in Jinja and is mostly visited for Bungee Jumping, White Water Rafting, Quad Biking plus more activities.
Itanda falls are easily accessed from Kampala by road on a 2 hours drive implicating you can make your journey there in the morning, have a full day of activities, then return to Kampala on the same day.
The exceptional accommodation facilities and fish (nile perch) in it’s neighborhood however, won’t let you return back to Kampala on the same day. Jinja is a whole new chapter of adventure itself and we always recommend clients to give it their time.
Above are so far the most visited / popular safari destinations in Uganda. Also note that the activities you opt for will determine your destination for exaple any client who would want to track mountain gorillas, view wildlife and track chimpanzees would have Bwindi, Murchison Falls NP or Queen Elizabeth NP and Kibale Forest NP included in their itinerary.
So what this mean? Don’t mind so much about destination! Leave that to your safari operator but rather inform them thoroughly of all the activities that you intent to carry out whilst on your safari.
Safari Activities / What to do in Uganda
There are so many safari activities to undertake in Uganda but, the fact that the country is mainly known for the big population of mountain gorillas it harbors make gorilla trekking the most carried out tour activity in Uganda.
Over 70% of safaris in Uganda have a gorilla trekking activity meaning most itineraries have Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on their plan which also makes Bwindi one of the most visited national parks in Uganda. So what are the most common safari activities in Uganda?
Equator Visit. I would say this is one the most carried out activities in Uganda because all trips that go to western Uganda (where the most visited national parks are) pass by equator and most of the clients stop by for an experience.
This is the line that separates the northern and southern hemispheres of earth. The equator divides earth in the middle and you can easily make memories at this point by stepping beach foot on a separate hemisphere of earth.
The temperature around the equator is so funny and you will see it for your self. This activity usually acts as a stop over for lunch, rest or rather coffee and usually takes not more than 2 hours.
Gorilla Trekking. Gorilla Trekking is definitely the most carried out activity in Uganda. When you search about places where you can find mountain gorillas (gorilla berengei berengei) in Africa, Uganda is one of those most popular destinations that will show up.
In fact, Uganda is currently the best place for gorilla trekking in Africa because it shelters over half the total population of mountain gorillas in the whole world. Gorilla trekking can be carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Watch a video of gorilla trekking below;
I made a special list of gorilla trekking companies that can guide you to an exceptional gorilla encounter in Uganda plus it’s neighboring countries in case you are planning for a Uganda gorilla trekking experience.
Wildlife Viewing. Wildlife viewing in Uganda is very amazing. This activity is one of the most carried out and can be done from over half of the national parks Uganda has. The best places for wildlife viewing in Uganda are Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park (CNN’s 3rd overall pick).
One thing i like about Wildlife safaris is the cost factor! These safaris are way cheap and will cost you as low as $200 depending on the number of travelers in your group. If need be, try to include hot air ballooning in your wildlife safari to get a more rewarding experience of wildlife.
Chimpanzee Trekking. Chimpanzee Trekking is another awesome activity to carry out in Uganda and best if included in the same package with a gorilla activity.
Unlike gorillas, there are quite a number of places in Uganda where you can find chimpanzees and some of them are; Kibale Forest National Park, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kyambura Gorge), Murchison Falls National Park, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu Forest plus more places.
Kibale, Ngamba and Queen still remain the most popular destinations for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda. A chimpanzee permit costs $150 in peak seasons, $90 in low seasons and can be purchased from Uganda Wildlife Authority offices in Kamwokya.
Launch Trips / Boat Trips. Launch Trips are also referred to as boat trips or launch cruises occasionally implicating if you bumped across any of the names above then you shouldn’t confuse them because they mean almost the same thing only with a slight alternation.
The only alternation is boat trips can be small or big depending on the area you are in. Boat trips along Lake Mburo or Lake Bunyonyi are usually carried out using small boats unlike launch trips. So far the best places for boat trips / launch trips are Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Bunyonyi. These three spots have the best views especially Murchison falls and Lake Bunyonyi.
Birding. Uganda shelters so many species of birds in various places like forests, swamps, wetlands, Savannah plantations and more. Some of the popular places for birding in Uganda include Mabamba Wetland on Lake Victoria, Bwindi Forest, Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki Valley National Park and more. Birding is definitely an exciting adventure especially to those that shelter the passion in their hearts.
Golden Monkey Trekking. Apparently, the best place for golden monkey tracking in Uganda is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park though a number of these monkeys also reside in the impenetrable forest of Bwindi. Uganda Wildlife Authority has for years stepped up efforts of habituating Golden Monkeys in this national park so as to diversify it’s tourism activities.
Mgahinga harbors mainly mountain gorillas and golden monkeys implicating tourism activities are quite low within this park. A golden monkey tracking permit apparently costs $100 each exclusive of park entry fees.
Nature / Community Walks / Cultural Visits. Nature / Community walks are usually carried out to unwind clients from the fatigue of long distance journeys. As you should know, Uganda national parks are very far away from Kampala and you will spend hours traveling to and fro for instance, if you left Entebbe at 6:30am and reached Lake Mburo at 3:00pm, you realize have a lot of hours before the night falls and during this time we recommend you either take a rest or rather do a community walk.
Also in scenarios of morning game drives, these walks can spark up your afternoon with some slight adventure. These walks are one of the cheapest activities and trust me, visiting tribes in nearby villages will reward you a great sight of the Ugandan diverse culture.
Apparently, the best tribes to visit are the Batwa Pygmies (Bwindi & Mgahinga), Karamojongs and Acholis (Kidepo Valley National Park).
Batwa Trail / Experience. The Batwa Trail / Experience will grant you an encounter with the Batwa Pygmies in Bwindi or Mgahinga. These Pygmies still live an ancient life in forests and rely primarily on hunting to survive despite the change in the world.
This tribe is greatly endangered by wild animals but still opt to live in the forests and surroundings of Bwindi and Mgahinga. They are very fun to visit and apparently the best tribe for community walks, reason why their activity is priced a bit high. A batwa trail costs between $30 to $50 where as the full day experience that happens in Mgahinga will cost you $100.
White Water Rafting. White water rafting is another exciting adventure and is mainly carried out from Itanda Falls – Jinja on River Nile. The challenge and adventure is probably one of those adventures you can never forget easily. I have done rafting before and it scared the hell out of me! I’d be very brave to try it out anytime soon but still, i loved the adventure.
Bungee Jumping. Bungee Jumping is also carried out from Jinja (Same place as rafting). It’s another of those adventures for the brave. However scary it might be, the rope can’t cut lose so at the end of the day you will still come out in good shape. Good thing is all these activities at Itanda falls can be carried out in one day only that we recommend you take at least two days so that you get the best experience.
Quad Biking / Horse Bark Riding. These two activities can be carried out in Jinja and Lake Mburo National Park. Of the two places, i recommend Lake Mburo more because of the possibility to see wildife while carrying out your activities.
City Tours. City Tours are best recommended for last days of Uganda safaris and are usually slotted that way. In case your safari ends too early or rather you have a few more days to your departure then you can maximize on that. City tours are mainly carried out in Kampala and Jinja and feature visits to monuments, cultural centers like Ndere Cultural center, religious facilities, botanical gardens in Entebbe, exploring night life plus more.
Mountaineering / Mountain Hiking Mountaineering is so physically challenging that you have to be very fit to accomplish it successfully. I often see travelers end their journey half way and instead opt to stay at respective camps as they wait for their friends to return from their hike which isn’t good.
You have to be extra brave and hungry to hike till the peak before you return to your starting point. Unlike other activities, this activity can’t be done in one day and can take up to 10 days to climb up and return to your starting point. A climb to Margherita Peak of Mt Stanley (Mt. Rwenzori) takes approximately 5 days and another 5 days for your return, which equates to 10 days of hiking.
In between there are camps and stopping points where you will be resting as you experience the hike. So far the oldest woman to reach Margherita peak is Beryl Park, at the age of 78 in 2010. Another mountain worth a climb is Mt Elgon in eastern Uganda. This adventure is equally awesome but not so close to the Margherita adventure.
Sipi Falls Hike. Sipi Falls are located in a district known as Kapchorwa and remain among the most beautiful creations in eastern Uganda. As you edge Kenyan boarder, you will see one of Uganda’s least visited national parks, Mount Elgon National Park.
It is at the edge of this national park that you will see the magical Sipi waterfalls (A waterfall made up of three rivers). The hike is quite adventurous and will require you to travel in vehicles as you trek on feet at the same time.
I could have left out some of the activities but above are just some of the best and most popular that i believe will give you the best moments in Uganda. These activities are not so expensive except for gorilla tracking and i recommend you carry out as much as you can when you travel to Uganda.
Where to stay in Uganda
short safaris vs long safaris
budget safaris vs luxury safaris
road safaris & fly in safaris
safety and caution
tips
my take
faqs (are Ugandans friendly?)
answered all your questions
yo’ve just read 10000 words, written the best i know and i can only answer questions that follow
Uganda safari companies
