Uganda Travel Guide

Uganda, The ultimate "off the beaten track" destiantion in Africa!

Uganda is often linked with gorillas and chimpanzees. The apes are the countries main attraction and adds something extra compared to other more traditional safari destinations. However, Uganda has so much more to offer with some great game parks, unique boat safari's in 3 different national parks, huge forest areas, waterfalls, matoke (bananas) everywhere, mountains with snow, stunning lakes, volcanoes and the friendliest people in the world! On top of that you can venture off the beaten track by going to unspoiled game parks like Kidepo Valley NP. What about visiting unspoiled tribes in the east of the country (karamajong) or hike the Rwenzori Mountains. For real travelers Uganda is a MUST!

Gorilla trekking Tour

I had wanted to hire a car and drive through Uganda, but after spending over a month trying to secure gorilla tracking permits to no avail, I was told that often the Ugandan Wildlife Authority are uncooperative with individual groups of tourists as they are paid of my tour companies, whether this is true I’m not sure but I tried contacting them by both email and phone for over a month and received no correct info and was just led around in circles with false email addresses etc...
If you are situated in Uganda it’s a different ball game and it seems it’s a simple process to obtain the permits from the UWA office in Kampala. Seeing as I didn’t want to risk arriving and there being no permits left I decided to give up and book through a tour agency. In the end I’m so glad we did, we booked the permits and a driver to take us from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a safari, on to Lake Bunyonyi for a night, down to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to track gorillas and finally across the Rwandan border to Kigali.

All the booking and communication was done through Jackie from Katona, who was extremely helpful and answered all of my questions, gave great advice and put together multiple itineraries based on each new request, for us to look through.

When we arrived in Kampala we found the office easily and paid the balance and made some final arrangements which all went smoothly. (It’s worth noting that USD notes printed before the year 2000 and which are smaller denominations than $50 are not accepted anywhere in Uganda).

We met our driver the next morning and he was quiet but helpful throughout the trip. Overall the value for money was amazing and we got to see so much more and got a lot more packed into the time we had there. You are read about our experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park and our experience tracking gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest here, we never would have seen so much wildlife both on the safari and on the drive without our driver’s sharp eyes. We also had baggage missing from our flight when we landed and the company arranged for it to be driven down and meet us the day after the tour started, they took away all the worry and did this all completely free of charge

I tend to believe that Uganda is a bit underrated as a safari destination; it's often trumped by it's neighbor Tanzania. However, I do encourage people to take full advantage of Uganda's parks and natural wildlife, it has so much to offer.

There is still space for improvement, in the sense that very little time has gone by since the reserves were again viewed as such, the animals are a bit skittish compared to some other safari parks. I am sure that will change in time, and the amount of animals you see compensates the fact that some run away. The Grasslands are amazing, and please if you can help it do not miss a chance to sleep by Victoria Nile.

Here you will find the most different species of monkeys in whole africa. ( 7-11 if i remember correctly)
Jungles, rainforrest, savanna. Friendly people.
Birding...... one can walk on kingfishers here...

Phantastic experience, lots of animals, amazing views. The best destination in africa. One can see savannah, rain forest, high ,mountains, lots of activities, like rafting, trekking. The people really loving, direct, and don't try to sell everything. A great fusion of being for reform but with keeping the nature, the sources, the animals, like building for the future. I hope the people can keep the conservation of what is really important.

Wildlife is not so rich as in other countries; but some species cannot be found on other places (Chimps, Gorillas)

Give me Uganda any day! There is something so magical about it compared to the likes of Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa. You feel as though you are part of a secret when you are there, like you are the first discoverers - but with the added bonus of wonderful guides and hosts and great accommodation to stay in.

The only downside was driving distances - but I loved watching the country from the window anyway. Who needs to pay a masseuse when a 'bush massage' is included?!

It's like being on a really wonderful and special adventure.

Uganda is an unspoiled destination, because it has never suffered the mass tourism of Kenya and Tanzania. The people are friendly and welcoming by nature, and there is plenty of opportunity to get out of the vehicle and explore on foot and to interact with the locals.

Game densities in some places are very good, but here, you have to work a little harder to spot your game than in other, more popular destinations. Also, top end accommodation can be hard to find in certain areas. However, Uganda has a beguiling charm, and will get under your skin. At the end of a multi-country African safari, Uganda will linger as one of your fondest memories, sometimes for reasons you can't quite put your finger on.

Uganda is at the heart of Africa and presents itself as very Friendly to visitors and full of wonder and encounter once in the wild. Make sure you sit with the people and take time to engage them in conversation.