Planning a Safari trip to Uganda : Suggestions & Advice

This blog will try to help you in planning an optimal itinerary for a Safari / Wildlife focussed trip to Uganda. I have been through this planning exercise myself quite recently before my visit in February 2020. But, in my case, this being a ‘recce’ trip as a travel advisor, I had the advantage of spending more time. Moreover, the primary objective to experience as many destinations as possible in a ‘speedy’ fashion, allowed me a lot of ‘coverage’ in Uganda. Both these have provided me with the necessary first-hand experience to provide suggestions and advice to be considered for planning your own wildlife / Safari trip to Uganda.

Planning and ‘compromises’

Planning a trip to any ‘destination’ involves compromises. We have to be practical enough to realise that experiencing everything that a destination or a country has to offer within a limited period of time is rarely possible. Most of us operate under constraints of time and budget. This gets us into the inevitable and unpleasant task of deciding ‘what to skip’ and how much time to spend at each place, when planning for a travel to a destination. Unless, you are planning to visit the same country again, planning  ‘compromises’ are inevitable.

Background on Planning a Safari trip for Uganda

Landlocked Uganda is one of the smaller countries of Africa. This should make it easier to cover most of the country. However, poor infrastructure and expensive air-travel makes distances an important factor.

The map below would give you an idea of the geographical location of destinations in Uganda.

The wildlife attractions are also spread out across the country – Kidepo in the extreme north, Bwindi in the extreme south, Mt. Elgon in the East and Murchison Falls in the West. To get an idea, the road distance between Kidepo in the north to Bwindi would be around 1,100 kms (taking around 20 hours to traverse) with Kampala as a mid-point in the centre of the country. For more information on Parks in Uganda, visit the tourism website of Uganda on www.visituganda.com

We are considering 7-8 days as the minimum itinerary duration and about 12-13 days as the ideal duration. Of course, covering most of the important destinations in Uganda would take around 22-25 days! (I took 25 days to cover nearly 75% of the country!).

Ideally, we would avoid travelling for more than 5-6 hours. More than that would leave no time for destination activities and leave us very tired at the end of the day.

 

The Essentials: Must do activities in Uganda

We start our planning with considering the absolute must-dos in Uganda and work around that as the base. They are:

1. Mountain Gorilla Tracking

   Visiting and spending time with the endangered Mountain Gorillas is the emblematic experience for Uganda! Uganda is only one of the two places in the world this is possible. Hence, Mountain Gorilla tracking has to be on the Ugandan itinerary. Mountain Gorilla tracking in Uganda is done either in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or in Mgahinga National Park.

2. Chimpanzee tracking

Again, Uganda is only one of the two countries where tracking and spending an hour with wild Chimpanzees is feasible. Chimpanzee tracking can be done either at Budongo Forest or at Kibale National Park. This option of two places provides us with some flexibility in planning.

Both the above points would mean that including the Southern part of Uganda is essential in any Wildlife itinerary to Uganda.

 

Other Wildlife destinations

Basis the accessibility and logistical compatibility with the must-do experiences (above), we can classify the destinations into ‘Desirable’ and ‘Great – but maybe some other time!’

‘Desirable’

1. Murchison Falls National Park
2. Kibale National Park
3. Queen Elizabeth National Park
4. Ishasha sector, Queen Elizabeth National Park
5. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

‘Great – but maybe some other time!’

1. Kampala City Tour (A beautiful way to learn about Uganda and its people)
2. Mt Elgon National Park
3. Budongo Forest Reserve (near Murchison Falls National Park
4. Kidepo National Park
5. Lake Mburo National Park

Click on the destinations above for links to our blogs for more information. This would help you in deciding which parks / experiences are to your liking.

Special interest Destinations

These are destinations which may be relevant to people who have a particular objective in mind.

a. Jinja:White water rafting and Source of the River Nile

Refer our blogs on the same:

https://beyonder.travel/africa/white-water-rafting-on-the-river-nile/

https://beyonder.travel/africa/source-of-the-river-nile-a-mystery/

https://beyonder.travel/africa/journey-source-river-nile-uganda/

A couple of hours away from Kampala, it can be delightful extension prior or post your wildlife trip.

 

b. Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Refer our blog on this delightful destination with its noble conservation effort. It can either be a day trip or an overnight experience. A great extension to your trip either prior or post your Wildlife trip.

Check out our blog on: https://beyonder.travel/africa/uganda/the-island-of-chimpanzees-ngamba-sanctuary/

c. Birding

Birding has to be one of the major interest elements for all safaris in Uganda. After all, Uganda has more than 1,000 bird species and nearly 50% of Afria’s bird and butterfly species. For serious birders, it may be worthwhile to add a couple of destinations.

1. Semuliki National Park (between Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks)
2. Mbamba Swamp – for your best chance to add the elusive Shoebill to your life-list.

Visits to these places can significantly enhance the birding experience.

Check out our Wild Life Diary for Uganda on: https://beyonder.travel/africa/uganda/uganda-wildlife-diary/

d. Trekking

There are two fabulous destinations for travellers who are interested in trekking in pristine nature. One is the Rwenzori Mountains – snow-capped mountains and the highest mountain range in Africa. Second is Mt. Elgon National Park  – Rain forest trekking to the world’s largest caldera. Both are best experienced as multi-day treks and it would need a separate plan in addition to the normal wildlife itinerary discussed here.

Check out our blog on a walk in Mt Elgon National park: https://beyonder.travel/africa/mt-elgon-national-park-hiking-uganda/

 

e. Lakeside Leisure time

Some travellers would revel in a few days of leisure in pristine lakeside resorts. Uganda has a delightful option in the south near Bwindi Forest – Lake Bunyoni / Lake Mulehe / Lake Mutanda. Pristine lakes with the backdrop of the Virunga range of mountains would make for a leisurely romantic time. You can add this option towards the end of your trip after the Mountain Gorilla tracking.

 

 

Itinerary Suggestions

Given the logistics and ‘must-do’ experiences, we have come up with three suggested itineraries. Our suggestions vary with the number of days planned and would involve mainly the destinations in the ‘Desirables’ section (above). The broad two options would be a 9 day itinerary and a 11 day itinerary.

Given the restriction on time: the ‘Great – but some other time’ destinations and the special interest destinations have been excluded. We can, of course, add these options in a customised itinerary on request.

9 day itinerary: Check it out here: Safari in the Pearl of Africa – Uganda 9D/8N

11 day itinerary: Check it out here: Best of Uganda: Waterfalls, Safaris & Primate tracking 11D/10N

 

Differences between the two main itineraries

You will notice the basic difference between the two itineraries with the 11 day itinerary including Murchison Falls National Park. However, with the increased load, the 11 day itinerary is actually more ‘hectic’ and tiring than the 9 day itinerary!

 

Beyond the Usual itinerary

The third itinerary suggestion is quite different from the usual iterations. Here our suggestion is to include the remote Kidepo Valley. From Kidepo travel to Murchison Falls National Park. On the way back to Kampala, cover Budongo Reserve for Chimpanzee tracking. Of course, a visit to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary would be inevitable – a short stop en-route to Kampala from Budongo forest.

From Kampala fly to Bwindi Impenetrable forest for taking part in the Mountain Gorilla tracking. You can end the trip either by flying back to Kampala for your flight home or take the road to Kigali international airport (nearer than Kampala).

However, this plan would have two major ‘compromises’. The first is skipping Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here, in order to experience a remote treasure with completely different animal species, you will compromise on the most visited National park of Uganda. However, there is not much of a compromise on the ‘wildlife’ experience and sightings as you would be covering Murchison Falls National Park instead.

The second aspect of compromise is the cost. This itinerary would involve flights and hence the cost is expected to be higher than the first two options!

Check out our blog on the remote beauty of this wild area: https://beyonder.travel/africa/kidepo-stunning-landscapes-remote-wilderness/

Extensions / Add ons

Here we discuss the various ‘extensions’ possible to the Suggested itineraries. These are modelled mainly on the ‘Great – but some other time’ and Special interest sections.

1. Visit to Jinja – Source of the River Nile and White Water Rafting

Check out on: Journey to the Source of the River Nile

2. Overnight stay at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Check out on: Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary

3. Boda – Boda City tour of Kampala

This is a recommended city adventure! Check out our blog on: Boda Boda Adventure in Kampala.

Other Important Planning Discussion points

Start and end point

In many cases, itineraries start and end in the same place – usually the capital city with a major international airport to facilitate travel back home. In case of Uganda, this would be the Entebbe International Airport.

Normally, most Uganda itineraries would have the Mountain Gorilla tracking as the last experience. Travelling back to Entebbe from Bwindi takes more than 9 hours. Since there are very few flights late evening, it is essential to stay the night somewhere for the flight next day. This is normally done at Lake Mburo. Lake Mburo offers the additional advantage of completing your Safari trip with one last safari with a different eco-system and different animal species.

An Alternative? Both economical and time saving.

Note that in case of Uganda, the star attraction i.e. the Mountain Gorillas are in Bwindi to the South. Bwindi is, in fact, closer to Rwanda than to Entebbe – the international airport of Uganda.

Hence, it may be optimal to end your travel with the Mountain Gorilla tracking and then drive across the border south to Kigali in Rwanda to take your flight back home. Both Entebbe and Kigali are equally good with international connections and hence getting a return flight from either airport should not be too difficult.

What the return from Kigali does is that it does away with the additional night. It takes only 3-4 hours to drive from Bwindi to Kigali. Hence, you can save a day and end your Uganda Safari trip with an exhilarating memory  – the Mountain Gorilla tracking!

Gorilla Express Tours – Combination with Kenya

Uganda is ‘raw’ safari experience. What any travellers prefer is to combine their East Africa Safari (Grasslands) in Kenya / Tanzania with only the Mountain Gorilla tracking in Uganda. The argument goes that experiences other than Mountain Gorilla tracking are not unique to Uganda. Moreover, the Safaris in Kenya / Tanzania are the most productive in the world! Hence, after spending 8-9 days in Kenya / Tanzania, one can quickly fly to Kigali and then do the Mountain Gorilla tracking within 2-4 days – either in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda or Bwindi Impenetrable forest in Uganda.

Check out our itinerary for the Gorilla express on: Mountain Gorilla Tracking – Bwindi Impenetrable Forest 3D/2N

The above can be combined with any itinerary in Kenya or Tanzania.

 

Flip Side of the ‘Gorilla Express

The flip side of the Gorilla express is obvious. First is the Chimpanzee tracking: It canoe be done in Kenya / Tanzania. Further, this option misses out on the rich wildlife and ecosystems of the rest of Uganda. It is not debatable that safaris in Kenya / Tanzania are definitely more productive with better and more economical accommodation options. But, Uganda offers a different experience with different types of species. E.g. the birding is far superior in Uganda. The ecosystems and experience options are also unique: E.g. Boat Safari Cruises like the ones in Murchison Falls and the Kazinga Channel are definitely missing in East Africa.

Conclusion: Your way is the highway!

The argument can go on. At the end of the day, it boils down to your overall travel objectives. A true wildlife lover would opt for experiencing Uganda and its rich diversity separately and not squeeze Mountain Gorilla tracking with East Africa. However, if you are a tourist and enjoy wildlife (but not too seriously), combining the short Gorilla tracking with your East Africa Safari can be a good alternative!

Talk to us! Call us – always a pleasure talking about Uganda.