A List Of Top Uganda Safari Activity Options
In an uncrowded environment, Uganda provides a stunning array of natural safari locations and cultural attractions. It would be ideal to create a customized itinerary based on the amount of days you will be on safari in Uganda. The most popular safari activity in Uganda is gorilla trekking. The majority of safari activities in Uganda take place in wilderness areas, which are home to a variety of habitats that support a wide variety of wildlife and plants.
Despite being landlocked and lacking a seaport, Uganda offers a variety of water sports due to its fresh and salty water basins. Due to the fact that Uganda’s attractions are spread out over the country, a safari should last a fair number of days, including transport time.
What Are The Best Safari Activities in Uganda?
Trekking with Gorillas in Uganda
One of Uganda’s most amazing wildlife experiences is gorilla trekking. Only eight hikers per gorilla family are permitted to engage in the unique activity of gorilla trekking each day. 19 gorilla families currently reside in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park and the primeval Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. To reduce forest disturbance, 152 gorilla hiking permits are now available for public booking per day.
To enter Uganda’s gorilla trekking destinations, anyone must obtain a gorilla permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
You must be aware of the location where your gorilla permit is reserved in order to undertake gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Your gorilla permit is valid in four locations inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south, the Buhoma area in the north, and the Ruhija area in the east.
How Much Does a Uganda Gorilla Permit Cost?
Gorilla licenses for Uganda cost 800 shillings per person for foreign visitors, $700 for foreign residents, and 300,000 shillings per person for East African trekkers.
A gorilla trekking permit’s total cost consists of:
a charge for a ranger guide.
safety when trekking for gorillas.
assistance from the local community.
conservation assistance for mountain gorillas.
Spend an hour with the mountain gorillas.
Park admission costs.
The purchase of a gorilla permit does not include transportation to gorilla trekking locations, gratuities, porter services, or any other personal belongings.
Experience of Gorilla Habituation
The demand for gorilla habituation is growing every season, despite the fact that it is one of the more recent activities added to Uganda’s list of things to do. In the gorilla habituation experience, you spend four hours in the wild following a family of semi-habituated gorillas with a group of researchers and habituators. A method known as “gorilla habituation” allows a family of wild mountain gorillas to become accustomed to human presence without changing who they are.
The southern region of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is where gorillas get habituated. For the gorilla habituation experience, two gorilla families are set aside.
During gorilla habituation, you are permitted to spend four hours with the mountain gorillas once you have located them.
Game Drives While on Safari in Uganda
There are four national game parks and a few wildlife reserves in Uganda. Among the game parks in Uganda are
National Park at Murchison Falls
This game park is located on the banks of the Nile River in northern Uganda. The Buligi track region is the best place to see wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park, and the Northern banks offer the most fascinating game drives.
You might see giraffes, lions, leopards, waterbucks, reedbucks, herds of elephants, a herd of buffaloes, hartebeests, Uganda kobs, and other creatures during the early morning or late afternoon game drives in Murchison Falls National Park.
The launch excursion to Murchison Falls National Park highlights the park’s breathtaking splendor. You take pleasure in the riverine creatures that bathe or satisfy your thirst along the banks of the River Nile. Along the way, you’ll see an amazing school of otters and hippopotamuses and keep an eye out for serried Nile crocodiles that like tanning at the crocodile café. Lions, giraffes, elephant herds, and hartebeest are among the creatures you might see.
Savor the breathtaking image of the River Nile as it thunders out of a gorge that is six meters wide, creating a hazy look.
There is a 360-degree view of the precise drama point where the River Nile violently stumbles over a bed of underlying rocks before forcing its way through the canyon when you add a hike to the top of the falls to the launch journey to Murchison Falls National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Rwenzori ranges serve as the backdrop for Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is located on the bottom of a rift valley. During a game drive, you can follow a network of pathways where you might see creatures like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, and others having fun in the patchwork of grassland thickets, particularly in the northern Kazinga and Kasenyi area.
Tree-climbing lions are common in Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha area. Lions enjoy preying on Ganda Kobs, who frequent the Kasenyi plains as a daytime hangout, thus you might see lion drama there.
You can see the marshy banks where both native and exotic birds flourish during the launch cruise on the Kazinga channel at the bottom of the rift valley. Many different kinds of animals enjoy bathing and drinking along the banks of the waterway.
Elephants, cape buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, and other creatures may be spotted enjoying this channel’s offerings.
The golden sun may be seen illuminating the channel as it sets beyond the horizon on a hot, sunny day.
Lake Mburo National Park
The starting point for all safaris traveling to western Uganda is Lake Mburo National Park. Lake Mburo National Park is 228 kilometers away from Entebbe or Kampala.
You might see creatures like impalas on the impala track and zebras that enjoy lounging on the grass valley floor on the zebra track during the game drives that use various paths in this park. Klipspringer can be seen in the rock kopjes along the Ruroko trail.
More wildlife, including as giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, warthogs, cape buffaloes, elephants, bush duikers, and others, may be seen on game drives in Lake Mburo National Park.
You can experience the refreshing breeze of Lake Mburo National Park by boating there. Many swamp birds enjoy spending the day in the marshy areas along Lake Mburo’s beaches, so keep an eye out for them. Many crocodiles and hippos enjoy spending time in this lake, so keep an eye out for them.
Valley of Kidepo National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park, with its relatively level plains, is a wildlife-rich area in northeastern Uganda. Unlike other Ugandan national game parks, Kidepo Valley National Park boasts an impressive amount of species.
Bat-eared foxes, klipspringers, black-backed and striped jackals, reedbucks, striped hyenas, cheetahs, aardwolves, lions, Rothschild giraffes, cape buffaloes, ostriches, and other creatures may be sighted during the game drives at Kidepo Valley National Park.
Ugandan Birdwatching
More than a thousand bird species can be found in Uganda, with various habitats spread throughout the nation. Depending on the amount of time available for your safari, we may create an itinerary for avid birdwatchers that includes visits to the best places in Uganda.
Some endemics of the Albertine Rift, which are found in Mgahinga National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, are found in Uganda.
Bwindi National Park, Kibale National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Mabamba Swamp, Lake Bunyonyi Area, Botanical Gardens, Musambwa Island, Mpanga Forest, Lutembe Beach, and others are among the places in Uganda where birdwatchers can go.
The Shoebill Stork, Grey-Headed Warbler, Red-Chested Sunbird, Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Ostriches, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Handsome Francolin, Shelley’s Crimson Wing, Alpine Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Malachite Sunbird, Papyrus Gonolek, Red Faced and Black Collared Barbets, and Others are among the birds that call Uganda home.
Trekking with Chimpanzees In Uganda
With almost 98% human DNA, chimpanzees are among the closest relatives of humans. One of Africa’s fortunate destinations for chimpanzee trekking safaris is Uganda. Kibale National Park, Kaniyo Pabidi in Murchison Falls National Park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Semuliki National Park, and other locations are among the chimpanzee habitats in Uganda.
You must obtain a chimpanzee permit in advance from the Uganda Wildlife Authority in order to enter certain chimpanzee destinations. It is necessary to reserve a seat on the boat to Koome Island in order to see white chimpanzees at Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Rafting on white water on the Nile River
The River Nile encounters a bed of rocks as it leaves its source on Lake Victoria, resulting in the spectacular tides of Itanda Falls. You don’t need any prior expertise to go white water rafting because instructors are there to walk you through the steps. You use a tube boat to sail on the falls and continue peddling over the choppy tides when white water rafting. The falls’ varying levels are what make for an exhilarating experience.
To establish the current water currency, a leading kayak and a certified skipper accompany each journey.
If white water rafting makes you uneasy, you can kayak or tubing on the Nile.
In Uganda, mountaineering
With Margherita, the highest mountain at 5109 meters above sea level, you may trek the entire year-round, glacier-topped Rwenzori ranges. It takes roughly seven days to return from Hiking Mountain Rwenzori, but you must plan ahead.
Hiking through stunning vegetation zones with unusual plants is a fantastic experience that leads to the Mountain Elgon caldera. The view is breathtaking as Mountain Elgon reaches 3070 meters above the surrounding plains. This mountain offers a variety of paths, including the Suam, Piswa, Sipi, and Sasa trails.
Highlands of Mgahinga National Park, such as Mountain Gahinga, Mountain Sabyinyo, and Mountain Muhavura, offer excursion mountaineering activities.
Safari in Uganda: Cultural Experiences
Uganda is a multiethnic country with various chiefdoms and kingdoms. With advance preparation, an ethnologist can learn more about Uganda’s varied culture. Kabaka is the ruler of Buganda Kingdom in Central Uganda; Kyabazinga is the monarch of Busoga Kingdom in Eastern Uganda; and Omukama of Tooro and Omukama of Bunyoro are found in Western Uganda.
Ugandan Religious Tourism
In Africa, Christians from all walks of life come together to celebrate the Ugandan martyrs who were slaughtered by Kabaka Mwanga of Buganda, one of the kings. These religious adherents were Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants. At Namugongo, where a conical basilica has been built in their honor, they were set on fire.
Ugandan Nature Walks
There are several forests and marshes in Uganda where you can go on nature walks. Numerous birds, primates, butterflies, native natural trees, and other creatures can be found in these woodlands.
The lone Mgahinga forest in Uganda is home to golden monkeys, as well as potto, bush babies, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and others.
See the Nile River’s Source
The Nile River’s source is located in Jinja, Uganda. The greatest option would be to take a boat to the point where the water from Lake Victoria leaves the River Nile. Given that the water in the Nile River begins to flow more quickly than the still water in Lake Victoria, the drama beneath this water is mysterious. The same spot is where the water on both sides emerges.
The world’s longest river, the Nile, flows through Ethiopia, Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. They fill the Mediterranean Sea with its water.
Leaping from a Bungee
In Jinja, experience the rush of bungee jumping off a steep cliff overlooking the Nile River. A boat is waiting for you at the bottom, and you are safely restrained by a hefty rope. It is difficult to locate a spot like this again in the Nile course, therefore this exhilarating journey is worth a shot.
