Uganda
Gorillas · Chimps · Wild Africa
Bwindi's ancient mist forests. Kibale's 1,500 chimpanzees. Murchison Falls thundering over the Nile. Uganda is the most wildlife-dense country in Africa, and almost nobody talks about it.
The Wild That Most Travellers Miss
Uganda Wildlife Safari
Uganda is East Africa's most biodiverse safari destination, protected by the Uganda Wildlife Authority across 10 national parks, 12 wildlife reserves, and 13 wildlife sanctuaries. The country holds more than half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, sheltered in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest on the edge of the Albertine Rift — a population shared with neighbouring Rwanda. Kibale Forest harbours over 1,500 chimpanzees with a sighting success rate above 90%. In the north, the Nile forces through a gorge at Murchison Falls before widening into one of Africa's great wildlife rivers. Queen Elizabeth National Park straddles the equator, its Ishasha sector home to lions that climb fig trees. Plan your visit with our gorilla trekking timing guide. Uganda records 1,073 bird species — more than 11% of the world's total.
More than half the world's surviving mountain gorillas live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: 459 individuals across 25 habituated families, with 9 groups open for daily trekking across 4 sectors
Kibale Forest holds over 1,500 chimpanzees in at least 12 communities, 4 of which are habituated for trekking. The Kanyanchu programme has run since 1993 with a sighting success rate above 90%
Queen Elizabeth's Ishasha sector is one of very few places where lions habitually climb trees, resting in fig trees above the Uganda kob-filled plains below
Murchison Falls squeezes the entire Victoria Nile through an 8-metre gorge before plunging 45 metres into the Devil's Cauldron — the river below supports 35,000 Uganda kob, 10,000 buffalo, and some of Africa's densest hippo populations
Kidepo Valley in Uganda's remote northeast is consistently rated one of Africa's finest parks, sheltering lions, cheetahs, and vast herds in a landscape very few visitors ever reach
Uganda records 1,073 bird species — more than 11% of all species on earth. Explore the full range on our Uganda safari packages, including dedicated birding expeditions through the Albertine Rift
The Forests & Plains We'll Take You Into
Uganda's Parks & Wild Reserves
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Mountain Gorillas · UNESCO World Heritage
Uganda shelters more than half the world's mountain gorillas, with 459 individuals across this ancient forest that has stood for over 25,000 years. Twenty-five families are habituated, nine open for daily trekking across four sectors: Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga, and Nkuringo. Cultural encounters with the Batwa, the forest's original inhabitants, add a rare human dimension.
Kibale Forest National Park
Chimpanzees · 13 Primates · 370 Birds
East Africa's primate capital holds over 1,500 chimpanzees across 12 communities, with four habituated for trekking. The Kanyanchu programme has run since 1993 with a sighting rate above 90%. Thirteen primate species share the forest alongside 370 bird species, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics found nowhere else in East Africa.
Murchison Falls NP
Victoria Nile · Big Five · Shoebill
Uganda's largest park at 3,840 km² spans the northern Albertine Rift, where the entire Victoria Nile is forced through an 8-metre gorge before plunging 45 metres. A Nile boat cruise reveals 35,000 Uganda kob, 10,000+ buffalo, 900 elephants, and giraffes exclusive to the northern plains. The Albert Delta is one of the most reliable shoebill sighting spots on the continent.
Queen Elizabeth NP
Tree-Climbing Lions · Kazinga Channel
Uganda's most biodiverse park spans 1,978 km² across the equator. The Ishasha sector in the south is famous for lions that rest in fig trees above Uganda kob-filled plains, one of very few places on earth where this behaviour occurs. The 40km Kazinga Channel connecting Lake Edward and Lake George draws extraordinary concentrations of hippo, Nile crocodile, elephant, and buffalo. Over 600 bird species have been recorded across the park.
Kidepo Valley NP
Remote · Untouched · Authentic
Tucked against Uganda's border with South Sudan and Ethiopia, Kidepo is consistently rated one of Africa's finest parks. Its vast semi-arid valley shelters lions, cheetahs, striped hyena, and large herds of buffalo and zebra in a landscape almost entirely free of other visitors. The Karamojong community adds a cultural dimension found nowhere else in Uganda.
Semuliki National Park
Congo Basin · Albertine Rift Endemics
Semuliki protects the only lowland Congo Basin forest in East Africa, a biogeographical outlier where Central African species reach their easternmost limit. Over 440 bird species have been recorded here, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics such as the African green broadbill, found nowhere else in East Africa. A completely different Uganda to the savanna circuit.
The Creatures You'll Track
Who Lives in Uganda's Wild
Mountain Gorillas
Uganda protects more than half the world's remaining mountain gorillas. Bwindi's 25 habituated families allow close, unhurried one-hour encounters, with nine groups open for daily trekking across four separate sectors of the forest.
Chimpanzees
Kibale's 1,500 chimpanzees are tracked from Kanyanchu Visitor Centre with a sighting success rate above 90%, the highest of any chimp destination in East Africa. The Chimp Habituation Experience offers a full day with a semi-habituated group for those who want to go deeper.
Tree-Climbing Lions
In Queen Elizabeth's Ishasha sector, lions routinely climb fig trees to escape heat and insects, a behaviour recorded in very few places on earth. Finding them draped across the branches above a Uganda kob herd is one of Uganda's most singular wildlife moments.
1,073 Bird Species
Uganda records 1,073 bird species, more than 11% of all species on earth and more than any other African country per square kilometre. The shoebill stork at Murchison's Albert Delta, the African green broadbill in Semuliki, and the grey crowned crane across the wetlands are standouts among them.
Read the Season Before You Book
When to Come to Uganda
Gorilla trekking is possible year-round, but dry seasons offer drier trails and better wildlife concentration. Peak season fills up fast. Permits especially.
Jan
Peak
Feb
Good
Mar
Off peak
Apr
Off peak
May
Good
Jun
Peak
Jul
Peak
Aug
Peak
Sep
Good
Oct
Off peak
Nov
Off peak
Dec
Peak
Peak Season: best wildlife & weather
Good Season: great value, greener landscapes
Off peak: possible but wetter
Bespoke African Safaris Awaits
Explore More Destinations
Uganda The Pearl of Africa.
The Pearl of Africa.
Most People Haven't Found It Yet.
Gorilla permits sell out months ahead. The best camps fill up faster than you think. Tell us when you want to go and we'll secure the permits and build the route around them.