Uganda Travel Guide

Life Experience

I visited Uganda 3years ago, as a student in order to work on a project about their living standars. Because of the project I met a lot of people and I have to admit that they are very friendly and hospitable. The weather in Uganda is normal, not dry but warm. The food is cheap and tasteful. They mainly offer goat sticks, soup with rice and vegetables and mattoke which is a traditional plate made by bananas. The accommodation was good as the staff was very willing to serve you, but it was a little bit slow. As far as the transportation is concered, they have "boda-bodas", which are motor bikes where you sit behind the driver. They also have buses and vans which are like taxis. The scenery is green and magnificent and there is a great variety of wildlife to explore by selecting this country as a safari destination. This safari had been arranged by the hotel where I stayed, situated in Mbarara district. We woke up in the morning and a bus booked by the hotel, took us to "Queen Elisabeth National Park". Approaching to the park we were astonished by the beautiful sunrise. Then we left it all to our communicable guide who was explaining all only in english, as the official languages are english and swahili. Small safari vans took us to indiscribably places in this huge park, driving among a lot of animals. The feeling that you get when you are so close to them cannot be discribed. It is unbelievable that you are in their natural living place. Elephants, lions, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys are just a few of what you can see. This is a life experience that you have never imagined!!!

Not like other safari destinations!

I have been lucky enough to take several safaris in East Africa over the last few years (in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania). If you're looking for the "classic" safari in an open-top vehicle admiring the wildlife on the plains, perhaps Uganda is not really the right destination for you. You probably won't see huge migrating herds like in the Serengeti, for example. And perhaps you'll find the general infrastructure and tourist facilities a bit more basic and lacking the luxury factor. But what I found in Uganda was something special, and quite different from other safari destinations I've been to.
My primary reason for going on safari to Uganda (and Rwanda) was to see the mountain gorillas, and that experience is worth a whole review in itself, so all I'll say about that here was that it was an extraordinary, wonderful experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Truly the highlight of my trip by far.
Also magical were walks in the forests, hearing chimpanzees shrieking in the trees, and coming close to them (with great care!). Those forest treks really made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Lots of fascinating monkeys to see and hear in those magical forests too.
Another highlight for me (in one of the forest treks) was the encounter at the bat cave in Maramagambo Forest (although the last I heard it has been closed to the public due to health fears).
I opted to take a camping safari, rather than lodge-based. It's truly the best way to experience the magic of the bush. There is nothing quite like lying in your tent at night, listening to the sounds of lions roaring nearby, monkeys shrieking in the trees, and hippos grazing on the grass outside your tent. There are no fences and "safe" enclosed campsites - you are truly amongst nature. One night a group of elephants came into our camp, another night it was lions. Not for the faint-hearted, but truly extraordinary, and you don't experience these things in lodges. Also, it's worth bearing in mind that camping safaris are quite luxurious - I had a very comfortable tent set up for me every night, complete with bed and wash-stand. Showers and toilets were portable and therefore not luxurious, but on the other hand you can only laugh and feel the wonder of the bush when a baboon steals your toilet paper... Food was excellent, all transported along with us vacuum packed for freshness as part of a very impressive logistics operation that accompanied our safari as it moved around the country.
Some "normal" game drives were also included in this safari, and while perhaps not as spectular as others I have been on in East Africa, there was still some excellent game viewing to be had. Highlights of game drives included the incredible tree-climbing lions (seen several times), a leopard strolling in front of our vehicle, and of course the spectacular birds (even as a non-enthusiast I couldn't help but be blown away by the incredible birdlife). Guides were very hard-working and dedicated, always making every effort to find the most elusive wildlife and get us up close, but always respecting nature at the same time. They were very, very few other tourists around, so we didn't experience the "20 vehicles surrounding a lion" phenomenon that often blights safaris in the more popular safari destinations.
In short, I can say that Uganda is perfect for the more adventurous safari-goer who wants to do something a little different (more on the wild side). If you're willing to get wet, muddy, bitten by ants, and exhausted in order to get up close, on foot, to some of the most wonderful and rare creatures on earth, this is the place. For me, Uganda is all about spine-tingling experiences in magical forests, and getting face to face with the wildlife, with no vehicles or fences to separate you. I've never been anywhere quite like it.

It’s an Amazing and (still) not touristic place

I went to Uganda with Tubale Safaris, it was an amazing trip, full of beautiful landscapes and wildlife

The gorilla experience was absolutely astonishing

Short-Long stay!

Unfortunately we've spent Just 6 days in Uganda, and considering what this Land can offer is very short time!
We've travelled through 2000 km in those days and we've being able to spot different landscape and an amazing wildlife!
I really reccomend Uganda and in future i would love to visit again this terrific country!

Magnificent Uganda The Pearl of Africa

Through Safari booking we booked a 10-day trip to Uganda with Lulu Safari. Booking through Elvis was simple and transparent. Our guides Samuel, an excellent driver and Claudio, an excellent translator into Italian, satisfied us with all our requests and were very professional, informed about everything, plants, animals, habits and customs. Uganda has given us fabulous scenery from national parks seeing all the animals leopards lions hippos giraffes buffaloes crocodiles hyenas rhinos hundreds of types of birds. the icing on the cake was the gorilla trek that we met after three hours of walking and they were three meters away in front of us. during the journey we met several villages and were able to observe their way of life. We passed through savannahs and forests and mountains and lakes. One thing you can't forget is the smiles of the children. temperatures were pleasant in some places a little warmer in some places a little cooler with two or three afternoons of rain. we felt safe and not in danger throughout the entire trip. we are very satisfied with this trip to Uganda and recommend it to anyone with a bit of a spirit of adventure. Thank you Uganda.

Stunning country, full of explosive and lush nature. Wonderful!

Uganda is a wonderful country, full of explosive and lush nature. We saw many animals (elephants, giraffes, hyenas, lions, leopards, antelopes, zebras, hippos, buffaloes, all types of birds) and the encounter with chimpanzees and gorillas was truly exciting. We found the food good and basically cheap and the people were friendly and smiling. The rangers and guides were kind and very knowledgeable. Definitely one of the most beautiful trips of my life!

Unforgettable

Our 7 days highlight tour with Speke Uganda Holidays was truly unforgettable.
They made us feel safe the whole time and we got to see so much - volcanic craters, local towns with banana, tea and coffee plantations, the big 5, chimpanzees and gorillas. It was an action packed 7 days.
All of the hotels were incredible - we particularly loved Elephant Plains near Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Unbelievably incredible trip!

Words cannot begin to describe how incredible our trip was. Caesar and Emma were amazing guides. They went way above and beyond to ensure we had a great time. The hotels were very nice and the service was spectacular. The wildlife was incredible.

Great animals everything else is ehh

Uganda is a large poor country, The national parts have lots and lots of animals. Customer service, food, hotels, roads, are all poor. Ugandan people are very friendly.

First of all, we have to define "safari destination". In my response, I rather took this as "wildlife destination", since neither Kibale nor Bwindi are really "safari destinations" for me.
I saw 10 different pimates, which is extraordinary. Plus, you have a chance of enjoying hippos, elephants, and even lions, and a great variety of birds making this an amazing wildlife destination.