Top Uganda safari activities in 2024
Uganda is one of the best places to go on safari in 2024 because it has so much to offer, such as gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, wildlife viewing, boat cruise safari, hiking experience, golden monkey trekking, cultural experiences, bird watching, and more. Uganda Safaris take place in different national parks, such as Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Semuliki National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mount Elgon National Park, Mount Rwenzori National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, and others.
Gorilla trekking
One of the most popular safari activities in Uganda that brings in a lot of tourists is gorilla climbing. Uganda has two national parks where gorilla hiking is feasible: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Mountain gorilla trekking starts very early in the morning with a lesson on how to follow the rules and regulations. After the briefing, you will be split into smaller groups of eight people. Each group will be given a family of habituated gorillas to walk with and an experienced park guide who knows the gorilla trekking trails well. Gorilla trekking in Uganda takes between 30 minutes and 6 hours, based on where the gorillas are. This is because gorillas like to move around in search of food, so they can be in one place one day and somewhere else the next. During trekking, you will be able to see, among other things, different types of primates, birds, plants, and trees. Once the mountain gorillas are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural environment. This gives you a chance to learn more about their habits and behaviors, watch them go about their daily lives, take photos, and record the beautiful moments to show people back home.
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking safari is fun and the second best thing to do on a Uganda safari after going on a gorilla trekking. In Uganda, you can go chimpanzee trekking safari in places like Kibale Forest National Park, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Kalinzu Forest. Like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking safari starts early in the morning with a briefing about laws and regulations to follow while trekking. After the briefing, you’ll start trekking through the forest with an experienced park guide. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours, based on where the chimpanzees are because they move around looking for food. During trekking, you may be able to see mammals, birds, primates, and other types of wildlife. Once the chimpanzees are found, you will be able to spend an hour with them in their natural environment. This will help you learn about their way of life, habits, and behaviors as you watch them eat, play, hunt, fight, mate, rest, take photos, and record videos.
Golden monkey trekking
Golden monkey trekking safari is a fun thing to do in Uganda. It can only be done in Mgahinga gorilla national park, and it starts with a briefing about the rules and what to expect. Trekking to see the golden monkeys can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on where they are. During the trek, you may see other primate species, bird species, and other animals. Once you find the golden monkeys, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. This gives you a chance to watch them play, jump up in trees, take pictures, and record the moment.
Wildlife viewing/ game drives
Game drives are another great thing to do on Uganda safari. Visitors can explore the national parks in the savannah in comfortable safari cars with expert guides. In Uganda, grassland national parks like Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park are good places to go on game drives. Game drives can be done very early in the morning when animals are most active, in the afternoon when animals are less active, or at night game drives to see animals that are busy then. During the game drives, you can see animals like the “big five” mammals, which are elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, and rhinos at Ziwa rhino sanctuary, as well as Uganda kobs, giraffes, zebras, warthogs, elands, impalas, topi, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, duikers, warthogs, and many more without forgetting sighting bird species.
Bird watching
Uganda is one of the best places to go birdwatching safari because it has over 1,080 known bird species. These include 24 species that are only found in Albertine, as well as forest birds, savannah birds, water birds, and migratory bird species. Uganda has a number of birding areas including Mabamba swamp, Semuliki national park, Lutembe bay wetland, Botanical gardens, Kibale forest national park, Kidepo valley national park, Rwenzori mountain national park, Lake Mburo national park, Budongo forest, Mabira forest reserve, Mpanga forest reserve, Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park among others. During bird watching safari, you will be with an experienced bird guide who will help you find different bird species like the elusive shoebill stork, Black Bee-eater, Egptian goose, Green Breasted Pitta, Karamoja Apalis, Brown-chested Lapwing, Marabou stork, Yellow-Throated Cuckoo, African Jacana, Great Blue Turaco, Purple-breasted Sunbird, African fish eagle, and others.
Mountain climbing/ hiking
Uganda is full of hills, highlands, and mountains, which makes mountain climbing one of the best things to do on vacation. Mount Rwenzori, Mount Elgon, Mount Morungole in Kidepo Valley National Park, Mount Moroto, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are all great places to go hiking safari in Uganda. In Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, visitors can climb Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo, and Mount Muhabura that are such impressive and attractive to climb.
Cultural experiences
Cultural safari experience is a fun thing to do in Uganda, where tourists can meet the Karamojong in Kidepo valley national park, IK people, Bakiga, and Batwa, who used to live in Bwindi and Mgahinga forests. During the cultural safari experience, you can learn about the culture and history of the local people, visit their traditional homesteads and farmlands, interact with them, and enjoy their traditional entertainment, among other things.
Boat cruise safari
A boat cruise safari is an amazing activity where people can enjoy fresh water, see beautiful scenery, and get close to wildlife, among other things. Boat cruise tours can be taken on different bodies of water in Uganda, such as Lake Victoria, which is the second largest lake in the world, Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Bunyonyi, which is the second deepest lake in Africa, Lake Mburo, Albertine Nile in Murchison falls national park, and the source of the Nile, among others. During the interesting boat trip tour, you will be able to see a variety of water birds like Long tailed cormorant, Pelicans, Yellow billed stork, African fish eagle and among others, water animals like hippos and Nile crocodiles, and other animals drinking water along the shores.
Best time to go for a safari in Uganda in 2024.
- Safaris can be done in Uganda at any time of the year, but the best time is in June, July, August, September, December, January, and February, which is also known as the peak season. During the dry season, it rains less or not at all in the national parks. This means that access roads, hiking trails, chimpanzee trekking, and gorilla trekking trails will be dry and easy to use, unlike during the wet season when the paths are muddy and slippery. During the dry season, there won’t be as much rain, so there will be less vegetation in the national parks. This makes it easier to see different kinds of wildlife.