Expert Reviews of Budongo Forest (4 Reviews)

The vast Budongo Forest is Uganda’s most important refuge for chimpanzees, supporting a population currently estimated at around 800, including a community that has been habituated for research purposes since the 1970s. It is also one of the most extensive and ecologically diverse forests in East Africa, with 465 plant species recorded. Most impressive are the giant ironwood and mahogany trees that stand up to 60m tall, and whose buttressed bases are often used as drums by roaming chimps.

The only part of Budongo Forest that is properly developed for visitors is an ecotourism site operated privately by Budongo Eco Lodge. This accessible site lies within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area, right alongside the main surfaced road from Kampala to Paraa via Masindi. It effectively functions as an annex of Murchison Falls NP, and is best known for offering chimp trekking on twice daily excursions that leave at 8am and 3pm.

My experience is that Budongo is less reliable

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than Kibale National Park for chimps, but that’s a matter of luck on any given day. On my most recent visit in November 2023, I had a wonderful and very photogenic sighting of a large, mostly male group pant-hoot calling in the trees. One thing I really enjoy about chimp trekking in Budongo is that there are far fewer tourists than is the case in Kibale, and you’re likely to have any sighting to yourself.

Budongo Forest also offers superb bird-watching. The area around the ecolodge is known as the only place in East Africa for Puvel’s illadopsis; on my most recent visit, I enjoyed an excellent view of this localized bird after my guide located a pair by call. For dedicated birders it is worth diverting to Busingiro, which used to offer chimp tracking to tourists but no longer does. However, this is the springboard for exploring the so-called Royal Mile, which is arguably the single best bird-watching site in Uganda in terms of rarities and visibility.