Uganda

Gorilla Safaris & Gorilla Trekking in Uganda – the Pearl of Africa

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Uganda, the Pearl of Africa, is synonymous for many people with the endangered Mountain Gorillas that live in its remote southern forests in Bwindi.

Yet Uganda has so much more to offer - a veritable treasure trove of gems with not only gorilla trekking safaris to see the mountain gorillas but also the widest range of primates in Africa including the golden monkeys in Bwindi and the chimpanzees in Semliki Wildlife Reserve.

A Uganda safari offers a varied landscape - luxuriant and fertile with vivid tropical forests alive with birdsong, snow-capped peaks, classic savannah plains dotted with game and beautiful lakes and wetland areas. Uganda is undoubtedly an adventure destination. A Uganda safari has an edginess that sets it apart of its neighbours. Mass tourism is unknown and the people of Uganda are friendly and welcoming

Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
There can be few more moving experiences than meeting the brown-eyed gaze of the hugely endangered mountain gorilla. You must be prepared to trek for up to seven arduous hours for the reward of an encounter with a 220kg ‘silverback’ gorilla but the anticipation is matched only by the euphoria after the short audience.

Uncontrolled hunting and the accelerating human encroachment into its high-altitude rainforest habitat have brought the mountain gorilla of uganda to the brink of extinction in Africa. Due to conservation efforts, gorilla numbers are once again slowly increasing and there are now about 700 gorillas in the wild. Roughly half live in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and the remainder in the volcanic Virunga Mountains in Rwanda.

A handful of family groups of gorillas have become habituated to limited human contact but the number of gorilla tracking permits is strictly limited so you need to book your gorilla safari in Uganda well in advance.

Uganda Wildlife
As well as being home to the mountain gorillas, the Kibale, Mgahinga and Bwindi National Parks of Uganda support diverse wildlife including chimpanzees, golden monkeys and other primates. A short drive from the southern rainforests are plains, lakes and wetlands of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. These support good numbers of elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, hippo and crocodiles.

Birding Tours
Uganda boasts one of the widest range of bird species in Africa. You don’t even need to be a twitcher to get excited by the ease with which you can spot big tick species such as the unforgettable Shoebill Stork. Semliki Wildlife Reserve has an almost 100% success rate for such birding sightings.

Uganda Safaris - Best Time to Visit
There’s plenty of sunshine in Uganda but the altitude of most parts of the country means that it’s rarely too hot to be active. The best time for a Uganda safari or gorilla trekking is in the dry seasons from January to February and June to July. Although conditions are more challenging in the wet season, primate tracking is easier - as the gorillas are less active and the scenery is at its best.