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02/UG
The densest primate country on the continent.
Bwindi gorillas, Kibale chimpanzees and lions that sleep in fig trees.
About Uganda
Uganda is the value case and the naturalist case at the same time. A Bwindi gorilla permit costs USD 800 against Rwanda at 1,500, and the forest holds roughly half of the mountain gorillas left on earth.
Add Kibale, where chimpanzee tracking runs at the highest success rate in Africa, and Queen Elizabeth, where the Ishasha lions genuinely do lie along fig branches. More than a thousand bird species have been recorded inside the borders.
- Gateway
- Entebbe (EBB)
- Gorilla permit
- USD 800
- Habituation permit
- USD 1,500
- Bird species
- 1,090 recorded
Where you go in Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Around half the world's mountain gorillas across four trekking sectors, from Buhoma down to Rushaga.
Kibale Forest
Chimpanzee tracking with the strongest sighting record on the continent, plus a four hour habituation option.
Queen Elizabeth
Kazinga Channel boat safaris and the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector.
Murchison Falls
The Nile forced through a seven metre gap, with a boat ride to the base of it.
How we plan Uganda
Four hours, not one
Gorilla habituation in Rushaga buys four hours with a family still getting used to people. Eight trekkers, one group, a different experience entirely.
Sector matters
Bwindi has four trekking sectors and they are hours apart. We book the lodge against the sector, not the other way round.
Birding at a serious level
Shoebill in the Mabamba swamps, Green-breasted Pitta in Kibale, Albertine Rift endemics along the escarpment.
When to go
Best
Jun to Aug
Dry and firm. The prime trekking window, and it books out early.
Strong
Dec to Feb
Second dry season. Hot in the savannah parks, excellent in the forests.
Green
Mar to May
Heaviest rain. Trails turn, rates drop, birding peaks.
Mixed
Sep to Nov
Short rains. Afternoon storms, workable mornings.
Bwindi gorillas and Kibale chimpanzees.
Photographs from Uganda
Before you plan Uganda
- Gorilla trekking permits, what they cost and how booking worksHow much is a gorilla permit, and how do you get one?
- Rwanda or Uganda for gorilla trekkingWhich country should I trek gorillas in?
- What to pack for a gorilla trekWhat do I need to take gorilla trekking?
- How hard is gorilla trekkingHow fit do I need to be to trek gorillas?
- Planning a first safari in East AfricaHow do I plan a first safari?
- What an East African safari costsHow much does a safari cost?
Next destination
Kenya
Maasai Mara big cats and Amboseli tuskers
Ready to plan Uganda?
Tell us when you want to travel and who is coming.