Tailormade Holidays in Uganda

Tour Code: TUGA

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Sample Itineraries

Create your own Tailormade holiday to Uganda with dates and an itinerary to suit you. Click one to scroll down and view more info.

When to Go

Good Time to Go

ALL YEAR ROUND

Best Time to Go

January to March, June to October

Speak to a Uganda expert

Alison Steel

Operations Manager

Email Call 1-844-433-9473

Where to Go

Kibale National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Lake Edward
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
+5 more

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Summary

Uganda is a most beautiful country with a diverse range of habitats and an impressive and captivating array of wildlife. This is Africa’s lesser known face: perfect for travellers looking for a unique and exciting holiday. Coming face-to-face with Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is an unquestionable highlight for most visitors. It is impossible to describe such an encounter, although words such as ‘profound’ and ‘overwhelming’ are often uttered following time spent with these magnificent creatures. The superb Queen Elizabeth National Park offers a more relaxing and traditional safari experience, whilst birding enthusiasts may like to visit the Mabamba Wetlands for the magnificent Shoebill and other sought-after wetland bird species. The Kibale Forest is also a superb birding site and another top primate location with Chimpanzees amongst the many highlights. Standards of accommodation in Uganda have risen markedly in recent years and now most of the best wildlife destinations offer at least one good quality hotel or lodge. Accommodation at some of the less frequently visited national parks is still more basic, however, but staff are invariably smiling and extremely friendly and are always eager to make your stay as pleasant and memorable as possible.

Our Locations

It wouldn’t be entirely unreasonable to sum this national park up in two words – Mountain Gorillas.

Could there be a single wildlife enthusiast in the world who hasn’t hankered after the experience of tracking habituated gorillas in the lush montane forests of East Africa? Ever since Sir David Attenborough met a playful group of these apes in the forests of Rwanda in 1979, an iconic and moving encounter which was broadcast in the seminal TV series Life on Earth, countless people have wanted to follow in his footsteps. Happily, these days, it can be done with relative ease, and by far the best place in the world to do so is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Uganda.

It would, though, be unreasonable to sum up this wonderful location, nestled in the far south-west of the country, as the home of just one fantastic animal, and one unforgettable adventure. For there is a great deal more to these forests than the 18 groups of habituated megastars – not least 346 species of birds, an incredible 120 more species of mammals and about 200 colourful butterflies that flit through the glades. It might seem sacrilege to say so, but you can still enjoy an exceptional wildlife bonanza here, even without paying homage to the apes.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a classic east African game reserve which, without doubt, offers Uganda’s best wildlife-viewing. It is also especially scenic and protects a wide variety of habitats that include rolling hills and grasslands, craters and crater lakes, tropical forests, papyrus swamps and extensive lake shore. Herds of Uganda Kob are common here, plus African Elephant, African Buffalo, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Warthog and Spotted Hyena. Lions, too, are frequently seen, and have developed a penchant for tree-climbing, while Leopards are characteristically elusive. For the aficionados, though, it’s perhaps the park’s Giant Forest Hogs or the Chimpanzees of Chamburu Gorge that may be chief amongst the highlights. ‘QE’, as the park is affectionately known, also hosts a wealth of birdlife, with vultures, Tawny and Martial Eagles, Grey-crowned Crane, Little Bee-eater and a good selection of cuckoos, cisticolas, flycatchers, weavers and finches. A boat trip on the Kazinga Channel will delight the photographer, with close-up access to large numbers of Hippos, not to mention such waterbirds as Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Open-billed Stork, African Skimmer, Water Thick-knee, Long-toed Lapwing, Pied Kingfisher and the impressive Saddle-billed Stork.

Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Mweya Safari Lodge

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Katara Lodge

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Park View Safari Lodge

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Chimpanzee, Kibale Shutterstock 596513891

Kibale Forest is home to an incredible 11 species of primate including Guereza Colobus, Red Colobus, L’Hoest’s Monkey and Grey-cheeked Mangabey. However, it is the wild Chimpanzees which are the main attraction here, and a handful of families have been habituated to human presence and can be tracked with park rangers via a network of excellent and extensive forest trails. On these walks forest Elephants can sometimes be heard, while the birding is superb, if challenging, with species such as Afep Pigeon, Crowned Hornbill, Purple-headed and Chestnut-winged Starlings, Hairy-breasted Barbet and White-headed Wood-hoopoe amongst the rich variety of possibilities. However, for most visitors it is the Chimpanzees that will live longest in the memory!

Accommodation in Kibale Forest National Park

Turaco Treetops

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These wetlands, at the edge of Lake Victoria, are one of the best places in Uganda (and perhaps the whole of Africa) to see Shoebill. These largely solitary birds are distributed from south Sudan to northern Zambia, but it is in Uganda that they are most easily sighted, although nothing is ever guaranteed! Mabamba also offers a large selection of other species for the keen birder including Carruthers’ Cisticola, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Blue-headed Coucal and Lesser Jacana to name but a few.

Lake Mburo is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in the abundance and variety of wildlife. This is largely due to the great diversity of habitats it protects, from acacia woodland to rocky cliffs, forested gorges, rolling hills and grassy valleys. Lake Mburo itself is the park’s most iconic feature which, in combination with 14 other nearby lakes, forms part of a larger freshwater system linked by a vast wetland fed by the Ruizi River. Up to one fifth of the park is covered by water and so one of the best ways to explore this reserve is by boat! A boat trip onto Lake Mburo offers the opportunity to see the elusive African Finfoot, as well as a variety of papyrus specialists such Papyrus Gonolek and Blue-headed Coucal. The swamps also provide habitat for the shy Sitatunga and Lake Mburo is the only site in Uganda where both Plain’s Zebra and Impala can be found. It is also the only savannah park in the country where walking safaris are permitted, and its position just off the highway makes it an excellent stopover between Entebbe and Uganda’s western wildlife reserves.

Accommodation in Lake Mburo

Mihingo Lodge

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Murchison Falls is Uganda’s oldest and largest national park, covering nearly 4,000 square kilometres. It is named after the dramatic waterfall at its heart where the Nile plunges 40 metres down through a narrow cleft in the rocks. It is one of the best places in Uganda to find big mammals including Elephant, Hippopotamus, Lion, Leopard and the highly endangered Rothschild’s Giraffe. The park is also the only place in Uganda where Shoebills can be found apart from in the Mabamba Swamp. A cruise to the bottom of the falls is one of the best ways to view the wildlife here which includes Nile Crocodile and large pods of Hippo. Abundant birdlife – such as Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Black-headed and Long-toed Lapwings, Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, Abyssinian Roller, Silverbird, Red-throated and Blue-breasted Bee-eaters and, after dark, the spectacular Pennant-winged Nightjar – is also one of the highlights of a visit. Away from the Nile, the landscape of Murchison Falls is more akin to the savannah of East Africa than to the lush forested habitats throughout the rest of the country, and a visit to this beautiful park makes a perfect end to any Ugandan holiday.

Accommodation in Murchison Falls National Park

Twiga Safari Lodge

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Baker's Lodge

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Pakuba Safari Lodge

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Paraa Safari Lodge

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Kidepo Valley National Park constitutes an area of 1,442km² of rugged open-tree savannah, situated in a remote corner of north-eastern Uganda, close to the border with South Sudan and Kenya. This is one of the few truly ‘wild’ parks left in sub-Saharan Africa. Kidepo is home to several rare carnivore species that have disappeared from other areas of the country, including Bat-eared Fox, Striped Hyena, Aardwolf, Caracal and Cheetah. The national park is also well represented in ungulates, such as Buffalo, Klipspringer, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Bohor Reedbuck and Rothschild’s Giraffe. The avifauna in Kidepo is plentiful and the park is particularly famous for its birds of prey. Local specialities include Verreaux’s eagle, Egyptian Vulture and Pygmy Falcon.

Accommodation in Kidepo Valley National Park

Apoka Safari Lodge

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View Map

View key locations on the map.

Sample Itineraries

This itinerary includes the very best of Uganda’s wildlife, from the open grassy plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park to the awe-inspiring Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Day

Fly Entebbe and overnight

Days

2 - 3

Lake Mburo National Park

Days

4 - 6

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Days

7 - 9

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Days

10 - 11

Kibale National Park

Day

Depart Entebbe

Day

Arrive UK

13 Days (Flight Inclusive)

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Optionally Extend Your Holiday:

It is now easier than ever to combine a holiday in Uganda with other destinations in East Africa. Combine a Gorilla trek in Bwindi with a visit to Kenya's Masai Mara or the Serengeti in Tanzania for the ultimate mammal-watching holiday.

This classic itinerary includes some of Uganda’s most exciting and bird-rich locations.

Day

Fly Entebbe and overnight

Days

2 - 3

Lake Mburo National Park (search for Shoebill en route)

Days

4 - 6

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Days

7 - 8

Kibale National Park

Days

9 - 11

Murchison Falls National Park

Day

Depart Entebbe

Day

Arrive UK

13 Days (Flight Inclusive)

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Optionally Extend Your Holiday:

Spend a few nights in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to boost your chances of seeing Albertine Rift endemics.

The Essentials

Wildlife Guides

Good quality local naturalists are available at all our selected lodges and wildlife camps. However, should you require a dedicated expert naturalist throughout your Uganda wildlife adventure we will be happy to arrange for one to accompany you.

When to Visit

The equatorial climate in Uganda remains stable all year round, with higher levels of rainfall between mid-March and May, and also between late October and December, although the latter wet period is far less pronounced. Most of Uganda lies on a plateau between 900 and 1,800 metres above sea level, allowing for comfortably warm average daytime temperatures in the mid 20’s centigrade.

Getting Around

To gain access to the best wildlife areas it is necessary to travel by 4WD vehicles on largely unpaved and often bumpy roads. Some of these journeys are long (more than 5 hours), although these are usually broken by interesting wildlife and village stops.

Why Naturetrek Tailormade?

A Naturetrek Tailormade holiday allows you, with the benefit of our wildlife travel expertise and destination experience, to enjoy the perfect private wildlife holiday – one that truly matches your requirements, expectations and ambitions. We will ensure the most competitive prices, superb naturalist guides and seamless ground services.

Some of the benefits of Naturetrek Tailormade travel include:
• A bespoke itinerary which is crafted by experts and designed specifically for you
• Private guiding by the very best local naturalists
• Travel with people you know, at your own pace
• Incorporate as much culture, history or relaxation time as you wish
• Choose dates to suit you
• Select your preferred style of accommodation
• Travel with families and children of any age

Furthermore, our Tailormade team are always on hand to help and guide you along the way, with friendly advice, first-hand knowledge and inside information specific to your destination of choice. So if you have any queries about your holiday, we will be delighted to answer them. Please just give us a call!