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Mist rising over rainforest ridges above tea fields
The Albertine Rift and the Victoria Nile

Uganda Safari Tours

11 itineraries

Longer roads, and the widest spread of primates in the region

Uganda holds more of nearly everything: mountain gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale, the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, the Nile forced through a rock cleft at Murchison Falls, and rhino back on the ground at Ziwa. The trade is distance. Entebbe to Bwindi is eight to nine hours by road, so a Uganda trip needs either the days or the light aircraft. We plan these routes from Kigali, which sits closer to Bwindi than Kampala does, and we will tell you plainly when a week is not enough for the list you have sent us.

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11 itineraries match

What makes our Uganda trips different?

  • We drive these roads, we do not resell them Every Uganda route on this page was put together from Kigali and driven end to end. Bwindi is closer to our office than it is to Entebbe, and the itineraries are built around that fact rather than around a brochure map.
  • The permit picks the lodge, not the other way round Bwindi has four trekking sectors and they are hours apart on mountain road. We confirm your gorilla permit and its sector first, then book a lodge you can actually reach before dark.
  • Honest arithmetic on the drive We will price the domestic flight next to the road transfer and tell you which one your itinerary needs. On a short trip the flight buys back two days; on a long one it rarely earns its keep.
  • A permit price we do not mark up Uganda’s gorilla permit is USD 800 for a foreign non-resident, meaningfully below Rwanda’s, and it appears at that figure on your quote.
  • On the ground on both sides of the border Rwanda Development Board licensed, an RTTA member, and running Uganda routes since 2007, with support on the phone whichever country you are standing in.
Talk to a Uganda specialist
Mountain gorilla family group resting in undergrowth
Before you book

Everything you need to know

Permits, sectors, driving times and entry rules — the Uganda questions that come up first.

How much cheaper is a Uganda gorilla permit than a Rwandan one?

A Uganda gorilla permit is USD 800 for a foreign non-resident against USD 1,500 in Rwanda, so the saving is real. It is not the whole picture, though: Bwindi is eight to nine hours from Entebbe, so the money saved on the permit is partly spent again on the extra nights or the domestic flight needed to reach it.

Which part of Bwindi will I be trekking in?

Bwindi is trekked from four sectors, Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo, and they are hours apart on mountain road. Your permit is tied to one of them, so the sector decides which lodge you sleep in. We confirm the permit before booking any accommodation, never the reverse.

How many days does a Uganda trip need?

More than Rwanda. A three-day gorilla trip works from Kigali but not from Entebbe. Seven to ten days is where Uganda starts to make sense, which is enough for Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth and the Kibale chimpanzees in one loop without spending every second day in the vehicle.

Is it worth flying between the parks instead of driving?

Often, yes. Scheduled light aircraft link Entebbe with the airstrips near Bwindi and with Kasese for Queen Elizabeth. It costs more per person but can return two full days to a ten-day trip. On a longer, slower itinerary the road usually wins.

When is the best time to visit Uganda?

December to February and June to August are the drier windows. Bwindi is rainforest and can rain in any month, and the trails there are steep and slick for a day or two after it does, whatever the season. The savannah parks are more clearly seasonal than the forests.

What wildlife should I realistically expect in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls?

Elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob and hippo are seen on most game drives in both parks. The tree-climbing lions at Ishasha and leopard anywhere are not guaranteed on a single visit and nobody should tell you otherwise. The boat trip to the base of Murchison Falls is the more dependable highlight.

What are the visa and yellow fever rules for Uganda?

Uganda issues an e-visa applied for in advance. If Uganda is part of a Rwanda or Kenya trip, the East Africa Tourist Visa at USD 100 covers all three countries for 90 days, applied for through your first country of entry. Uganda requires a yellow fever certificate from every traveller aged nine months and over regardless of where they have come from, and it is checked at the border.

Can we bring children?

Not on a gorilla or chimpanzee trek, where the minimum age is 15. Below that, Murchison Falls, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Queen Elizabeth make a good family route, the driving between them is manageable and the boat trips break up the days well.