A Uganda Safari!
Uganda is truly a destination for everyone, from the interested traveler to the specialist safari enthusiast and from the young to the senior (yes, even the physically challenged can gorilla trek – read on!). It is a country of vast diversity, offering the highest mountain range in Africa, the western corridor of the magnificent Great African Rift Valley, the mighty river Nile, the second largest fresh water lake in the world and the famous and remote Murchison Falls. Its people are renowned as being the friendliest and most charming on the whole continent, and make one and all feel welcomed and relaxed from arrival to departure.
It is easy to travel to Uganda as there are several major airlines flying direct to Entebbe from Europe and connecting from other African countries. Visas are quickly and easily obtained upon arrival. Gorilla permits do often sell out far in advance during peak travel months (December, January, February and June, July, August). Excellent months for trekking are the shoulder-season months of September/October and April/May. Low season rates (link to low season permit info here) can be available for permits, this is changeable so please check with CAS at the time of booking. A litter is available at Buhoma at Gorilla Forest Camp making the gorillas totally accessible to almost anyone with a physical handicap.
Uganda is possibly the most diverse natural history country in Africa. Even though it is a land locked country, it is one of the top birding destinations in Africa, not only for the ornithologist, but for the average birder, too. Lush, tropical rain forests are also a prominent feature in Uganda’s ecosystems and are said to have the most diverse and largest population of diurnal and nocturnal primates in the world, including the rare and endangered mountain gorillas. Thankfully the most recent mountain gorilla census in Uganda has shown an increase in the mountain gorilla population (link).
Uganda does not disappoint when it comes to offering the rolling savannas of travelers’ African dreams and a big game experience! Home to four of the ‘Big Five’ (rhino are found only in a private sanctuary, and have not yet been released into National Parks) and a wealth of other game species, including sitatunga, giant forest hog, topi, oribi, giraffe, zebra and hartebeest, the National Parks in Uganda are primed for safari adventure and discovery. One of the biggest attractions of this diverse African country is that it is still relatively new in the tourism route, providing travelers with the opportunity to observe and enjoy the delights of a safari with very little distraction from other vehicles and tourists. Imagine providing your travelers with this opportunity: watching a leopard clean its cub as the sun rise over the expansive savanna and having the feeling that it is just them for miles around!
Forget the concept of climbing into a vehicle everyday for game drives; Uganda’s parks and their flora and fauna can be viewed from the water and the relaxed environment of a boat. There is a large variety of different boating trips available, ranging in length from 1 hour to a full day. Forest walking and hiking to see the great diversity of primates, including chimpanzees, and birds can be made into a large part of any safari, depending on client interests. There is also the opportunity to explore one of the parks by foot or horseback, a truly remarkable way to observe the wildlife up close and gives a lovely feeling of being ‘one with nature’.
Uganda has first class, 5 star hotels, lodges and camps, some in very remote regions, offering a true sense of African wilderness. From large to intimate, from tented camps to log cabins and from African bush to rain forest, the lodges and camps in Uganda are as varied at the national parks in which they are situated. These comfortable accommodations all serve delicious international cuisine and offer the perfect locations to sit back and relax with a refreshing drink whilst watching the sunset and reliving moments from your African adventure. Some of our favorite camps and lodges include Apoka Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Kyaninga Lodge, Ndali Lodge, Kyambura Game Lodge, Mweya Lodge, Jacana Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Gorilla Forest Camp, Mahogany Springs Lodge, Clouds Lodge, Mihingo Lodge and more.