Safari in Uganda | Mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and forest

Mountain gorilla watching from the vegetation of Uganda's rainforest

Destination

Uganda does not compete with the savannah: it offers something else. Montane forest, primates and an hour in front of a gorilla family that resembles nothing you have done before.

Design my safari

In Uganda a good part of the experience happens outside the vehicle, inside the forest. The encounter with mountain gorillas comes at the end of a guided walk through dense jungle, alongside trackers who know each family individually.

The country sits where the East African savannah meets the Congo rainforest, and that boundary explains its biodiversity: it is one of the richest bird destinations on the continent and holds a significant share of Africa's primates.

Add a stretch of classic savannah in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, and a single trip can combine forest, primates, plains wildlife and the Nile.

If you are deciding on the month, read when to travel and where the migration is each month.

Gorilla trekking grants exactly one hour with the family once it has been located. It is a limit designed to protect the animals, and it makes the encounter deliberately brief and impossible to repeat. Permits are limited and are booked far in advance.

Mountain gorilla among the vegetation of Uganda's rainforest

Forest and savannah on the same route, with the distances covered overland.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

A montane rainforest declared a World Heritage Site and home to a considerable share of the mountain gorillas left in the wild. The heart of the trip.

Kibale National Park

One of the best places on earth for chimpanzee tracking, in a forest with an exceptional density of primates.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Savannah, crater lakes and the Kazinga Channel, travelled by boat among hippo and elephant. In the Ishasha sector live the lions that rest in the fig trees.

Murchison Falls National Park

The largest park in the country, crossed by the Nile, which narrows into a gorge just a few metres wide before it drops.

Lake Bunyonyi

A highland lake scattered with islands, free of bilharzia and crocodiles. The usual place to rest after gorilla trekking.

Mgahinga National Park

In the Virunga volcanic chain. Besides gorillas, it holds the golden monkey, a primate that lives only in this region.

The equatorial climate spreads rain across almost the whole year; what changes is how heavy it is.

June to September

The long dry season and the best window for trekking: the forest paths are firmer and the walk is considerably more comfortable.

December to February

The short dry season, with very similar conditions and slightly fewer visitors. A good alternative if mid-year dates do not work for you.

March to May and October to November

The rains. The forest is at its best and permits are easier to get, but the walk is demanding and muddy.

A destination of primates rather than big cats, and that is exactly its value.

Mountain gorillas

They live in the wild only along the border between Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Seeing them means walking, which is why the encounter feels earned.

Chimpanzees

Tracking in Kibale lets you follow a habituated group through its daily routine, on foot and at close range.

Birds

Uganda ranks among the richest bird countries in Africa, with forest species you will not find in the savannah destinations.

Savannah wildlife

Elephant, buffalo, antelope, hippo and lion in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, to round out the trip with a classic safari.

Wildlife and landscapes typical of this destination.

What travellers ask most before choosing this destination.

What makes a safari in Uganda different?

Uganda is not open savannah but forest and mountain. The trip turns on primates rather than the Big Five: mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi and chimpanzee tracking. It is a safari you walk more than you drive.

What is mountain gorilla trekking like?

You set out in small groups with guides and trackers, walking through humid forest on steep ground for a stretch of time nobody can predict, and the encounter with the gorilla family is limited to one hour. Permits are issued by name, strictly limited in number and booked far in advance.

When is the best time to travel to Uganda?

The driest months are June to August and December to February, when the forest trails are firmer and the trekking is easier going. The rains concentrate between March and May, and again between September and November.