Where to go in Uganda

For a small, landlocked country of which almost 25% of its 241,550 sq. km area surface covered by lakes and rivers, Uganda certainly make this country an interesting places worth adding to your bucket list. As though not enough, this little country that the historical Winston Churchill called the Pearl of Africa is home to quite a number of stunningly beautiful mountains, and also home to half of the worlds remaining mountain gorillas – there are only 1004 mountain gorillas still existing in the world., For the game watchers (NOT hunters), there are 4 prime National Parks where you can go see the larger predators. This being a preamble, simply grab your cup of coffee and keep reading till the end – there is plenty to do in Uganda!

Visit Kampala City:

Kampala is a typical African capital with a compact, high-raised centre surrounded by sprawling suburbs. Kampala is Uganda’s commercial, political and logistical hub but also one of East Africa’s most friendly cities – although there are a few places which may not qualify to be friendly, the city generally is a lovely & safe place to visit.

For additional info: What to See & do in Kampala.

Related: Is Kampala Safe for tourists?

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: gorilla trekking & rainforest wildlife

Don’t be put off by its intimidating name “Impenetrable” – you’ll be led into the Bwindi Forest by a team of local enthusiastic guides, rangers and trackers and the reward is worth the effort – this majestic forest is where to go in Uganda for gorilla trekking.

You will spend an hour viewing and photographing a group of habituated mountains gorillas in their pristine rainforest habitat before returning away and back to your comfortable safari lodge in Bwindi. A gorilla trekking experience can be wet, humid, muddy and tough but the experience is absolutely worth it.

For more info: Gorilla Trekking in Uganda.

Murchison Falls National Park: game viewing, river cruises & birding

With the Nile River flowing across Murchison Falls National Park, boat safaris & cruises on the Nile are quite a popular thing to do for most visitors to this park. There are up to three (03) very popular boat cruises done on the Nile waters; The sunset cruise, delta cruise and the not to be missed waterfall cruise. Murchison Falls is the place to go in Uganda for classic safaris to see elephants, buffalo, lions and hippo and with a bird count of nearly 500 species. In this very park, you can also track chimpanzee on either your way in or out at Budongo Forest.

For more info: All you need to know about Murchison Falls National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park: birding, game viewing, chimps & river cruises

Combining easily with Bwindi Forest – popular for the mountain gorilla trekking, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular and most accessible savannah reserve and is home to elephant, buffalo, leopard, numerous antelope species and the famous tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha Plains.

Take a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel to spot hippo and crocodile and don’t forget your binoculars: with a staggering 600 recorded bird species, Queen Elizabeth NP is one of the world’s premier bird-watching destinations.

For more info: Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Kibale Forest National Park: primates, birds & butterflies

Rapidly becoming a must-do destination in Uganda, Kibale Forest offers visitors an accessible and enlightening insight into life in a tropical rainforest. Large mammals aren’t so easily seen but the clouds of dazzling butterflies and gorgeous forest birds more than makeup for it, and besides, Kibale is most famous for its primates – up to 13 Primate species have been sighted in this forest.  Most common for tourists visiting this park is to go for chimpanzee tracking or the full day chimpanzee tracking.

For more info: What you need to know about Kibale Forest National Park. 

Lake Mburo National Park: serene game viewing & birding

Lake Mburo, a perfect overnight stop-over for travellers making their way between Kampala & Bwindi Forest National Park. Lake Mburo National Park is halfway into the 10 hours drive to Bwindi forest from Kampala and is the place to break the long drive with an overnight stay at any one of the selected safari lodges.

Selected safari lodges in Lake Mburo National Park: