What Are The Top Safari Tour Attractions In Uganda?
Looking for the top safari tour attractions in Uganda?
Uganda boasts many compelling attractions, including magnificently high mountains (some of the highest in Africa), spectacular waterfalls, gorgeous forests, vast lakes (like Lake Victoria), expansive savannah plains, and mighty rivers (including the Nile!).
The country is a diverse and beautiful place, hence its nickname the Pearl of Africa.
The main safari tour attractions in Uganda are s the rare and endangered mountain gorillas that inhabit the montane forests of the southwest.
However, this equatorial East African country boasts other variety of wildlife, including chimpanzees, antelopes, monkeys, the Big 5, 1097 bird species, etc…
Friendly and enormously scenic, Uganda offers everything you could ask of a tropical African adventure destination.
Here is our selection of the 8 Top Safari Tour Attractions In Uganda:
Top safari tour attractions in Uganda
1. Mountain Gorillas
Uganda is one of only three countries on Earth (Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo) where it is possible to join the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat without fences, and is home to the highest number of them.
The country has almost 60% of the world’s last remaining 1063 mountain gorillas.
With an experienced tracker, there is only bated breath between you and the wisdom reflected in the eyes of one of the world’s most majestic creatures.
Read More: Trekking Gorillas in Uganda
Where to See Gorillas in Uganda?
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – home to about 500 mountain gorillas
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park – home to about 80 mountain gorillas
2. Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are also among the major safari tour attractions in Uganda.
Imagine the adventure of heading out to track these great apes in dense rainforest.
Seeing chimps in their natural habitat is a real privilege.
As we share 98.8% of our DNA with chimpanzees, they are our closest relatives.
Uganda is home to over 5700 chimpanzees.
Kibale Forest National Park has the highest population with about 1,500 followed by Budongo Forest with about 800 and Kalinzu Forest with around 300.
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, about 250 chimpanzees live in the Kyambura Gorge and on Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary, 52 orphaned and rescued chimpanzees undergoing rehabilitation.
Read More: Kibale Chimpanzee Trekking (A Breathtaking Wildlife Adventure).
3. Old World Monkeys
Mountain gorillas and chimpanzees are not the only primate you’ll have the privilege of seeing up close in Uganda. Uganda is home to the highest density of primates in the world.
The expansive rainforest jungles of this landlocked country in East Africa are home to 18 species of monkeys.
Kibale Forest National Park is home to the globe’s highest population density, with 13 primate species including, red colobus, back-and-white colobus, blue monkey, Uganda mangabey, and red-tailed monkey. It also contains the rare L’Hoest’s monkey (also known as the mountain monkey).
And the slopes of the Virunga Mountains in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in are home to the gorgeous golden monkey.
Please make time for Kibale Forest National Park if you’re keen to see a variety of unusual, Old World primates!
4. African Savannah Animals
Although Uganda is renowned for its primate treks, the country is also a fantastic wildlife game viewing destination.
Uganda has the Big 5, which is something only a few African nations can claim. The Big Five are lion, elephant, rhino, leopard and buffaloes. It also has those famous other African animals everyone hankers to see.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the country’s premier destinations for classic game viewing. Being one of the most biologically diverse parks in the world, the park offers potential sightings of elephants, hippo, crocodile, buffalo and a variety of antelope species, to name a few.
However, the stars of the show are undoubtedly the famous tree-climbing lions that call the park home. Another superb national park for game viewing is Murchison Fall National Park.
5. Landscapes
Uganda’s landscape boasts outstanding features like Africa’s largest lake, the source of the world’s longest river, the strongest waterfall, and Africa’s tallest mountain range.
From the fertile, lush basin of the Great Rift Valley and magical rainforest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to the glistening water of the Kazinga Channel and striking vistas of the Virunga Mountains, it’s a nature lover’s paradise.
We can’t forget to mention Uganda’s most extraordinary natural beauty, the Rwenzori Mountains – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a breathtaking sight to behold, offering stunning scenery of waterfalls, lakes, rivers, glaciers and forests.
You can experience the captivating landscapes up close through hikes, boat cruises or even mountain biking excursions.
6. Ugandan People & Culture
Besides the rich, diverse wildlife and natural landscape, Uganda is also famous for its people.
Happy, generous, friendly, and welcoming are the words closely associated with the people of Uganda. They are known as sociable that are more than willing to welcome and help every visitor to their country.
Beyond the friendliness and warmth of the population, Ugandan people are also some of the most fascinating individuals you will ever meet.
About 56 tribes with different cultures call Uganda home, making it a cultural melting pot of various indigenous people.
One of the highlights of visiting Uganda is immersing yourself in the culture and learning from the Ugandans as they share their colourful dress, music, dance, food and languages with you.
7. Prolific Birdlife
Home to about 1,097 of the 2,250 bird species recorded on the African continent, Uganda is the richest destination for birding in Africa.
Uganda’s birds have no shortage of habitats to inhabit; the dense tropical rainforests, the montane forests, the scenic shores of the Great Lakes, crater lakes and River Nile, the vast swamps and wetlands, and even the semi-arid desert plains of the northeast in Kidepo National Park.
The best part about birding in Uganda is that watching birds is very easy, and can sometimes start right from the airport in Entebbe.
All 10 National Parks in Uganda has a long list of both native and migratory and birding can be done on nature walks and hikes, game drives, boat and canoe ride.
8. Weather
Uganda earned the tag, “Pearl of Africa”, partly because of her amazing climate and weather. The weather in Uganda is warm during day and cool at night, with slight variations across regions and seasons. Only in Uganda can you comfortably keep shirtless both during day and night!
Uganda is located along the Equator, thus receiving direct sunshine. Ordinarily the direct sun should create such hot weather with unbearably high temperatures but it is not the case. The day temperatures in Uganda and especially around the capital Kampala average at around 27oC (81oF).
The big water bodies such as Lake Victoria, the average altitude of 1100 meters above sea level, mountainous landscapes (altitudes rising up to 2000m above sea level) of the west and southern region, and the dense vegetation and forest cover that Uganda still possesses help regulate the temperatures.