Uganda Safari

In Western Uganda lies the magnificent Queen Elizabeth National Park (QE), with the ice-covered peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains as a backdrop. It is rich in wildlife, including the tree lions at Ishasha, and is a haven for bird-watchers. Chimpanzees can be seen in the steeply forested sides of the Kyambura Gorge, near Queen Elizabeth National Park; and the Kibale Forest. Further south, in the chain of eight blue Virunga volcanoes strung out on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, at the heart of Africa, lives the mountain gorilla. The combination of volcanoes, volcanic lakes and steeply terraced hillsides make this a dramatic area. The remaining mountain gorillas live further north in the Bwindi forest in Uganda.


Scheduled Uganda Safaris
Scheduled safaris depart on set dates, and follow a set itinerary. A maximum of five clients are on each scheduled safari.
Read more about our scheduled Safaris

Tailormade Uganda Safaris
Volcanoes' tailor-made safaris are created specifically to suit client interests and are run privately for clients who decide where, when and what they want to do. A list of suggested itineraries is given below to give you inspiration and a flavor of what is possible.
Read more about our tailormade Safaris



Introduction to Uganda
By African standards, Uganda is a postage stamp-size country, at the heart of the continent, sandwiched between Kenya, Rwanda, Congo, Sudan and Tanzania. It is roughly the size of Great Britain or the State of Oregon in the USA. Uganda's most alluring features are its forests, lakes and mountains.
Most of the country is 1,000 m above sea level and there are three mountainous areas - the Rwenzoris, Mount Elgon and the Virunga volcanoes.

Wildlife
Wildlife has steadily increased and many species of game can be seen. Game viewing is free of the mass tourism in some countries. Primates, especially the mountain gorilla and chimpanzees are a special attraction together with over a thousand birds making a Wildlife Safari to Uganda something not to miss.

The Country
Most of Uganda is well-watered and fertile. Although it lies on the Equator the climate is tempered by its altitude. The Nile starts its long journey to the Mediterranean from Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, and traverses Murchison Falls National Park. The population is about nineteen million, largely Christian, but with sizeable Muslim and Animist communities.

Language in Uganda
The central area is largely Bantu-speaking with the Baganda as the largest group. The Northern tribes are Nilotic in origin; the north is also the home of the nomadic Karamajong and the remote mountain tribe - the Ik. There are pygmy communities (the Batwa) in some forest areas. More than 30 languages are spoken - with English, Luganda and Swahili being the most widely used.

Ugandan History
Lord Lugard established a British East African Company base in 1890 in Kampala and shortly afterwards Uganda became a British Protectorate, centered around four old African Kingdoms. The Uganda Railway linking the interior to the coast reached Kisumu (in Kenya) on Lake Victoria in 1901 and Kampala in 1915. The system of indirect rule gave Uganda greater autonomy than elsewhere in British-ruled Africa. At independence in 1962, Uganda was a prosperous and peaceful country. It went through a turbulent period after Amin seized control in 1971 and expelled the Asians. In 1986 the National Resistance Movement, lead by Yoweri Museveni, took control of the country. Today, the country is progressive, peaceful and inviting. The old kingdoms, abolished in the 1960s, were restored in 1993 and the monarchs have now re-emerged as symbols of traditional society. The 36th Kabaka of the Baganda, Ronald Mutebi, was crowned in 1993 and married in 1999, to great public rejoicing.

Main Attractions

Gorillas
The gorilla lives in four parks in Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. In Uganda they are seen in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park. Bwindi in Uganda has four habituated families with 32 permits available daily. The gorillas  there live in thick tropical forest and tracking is more challenging as the hillsides are steeper and it can take 3-10 hours. Three of the families (Mubare, Habinyanja, and Rushegura) are accessed from Buhoma in the north, staying at Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge. You can also go for nature walks to see birds, monkeys and orchids. The fourth family, in Nkuringo in Southern Bwindi, is accessed from Kisoro, staying at Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge. Access to this group is on a very steep trail and tracking can take much of the day. This gorilla family is accessed from Mgahinga and Kisoro to the south of Bwindi and not from Buhoma in the north from where the main three gorilla Bwindi groups are accessed. The tracking base is about two hours drive from Volcanoes Mount Gahinga Lodge with its nine bandas and the drive is spectacular. The habituated gorilla family that used to reside at Mgahinga is no longer resident there full time and viewing is currently not being offered. This group is likely to remain unstable unless more females join the group. Mgahinga is also a great place to appreciate the unique Virunga volcanoes, track the golden monkeys or go birding. Click here to read more about our Safaris


Chimpanzees
One of man’s closest relations, chimpanzees are found in a number of forests in Uganda - especially Kyambura and Kibale in the west and Budongo and Kanyiyo Pabidi near Murchison Falls. Bwindi is one of the few forests where gorillas and chimps co-exist but are rarely seen as they live lower down when both species are present. The Ugandan and Rwandan variety (Pan Troglodytes Schweinfurthi) is long-haired and lives in those forests where there is a rich, all year round food supply. more about chimpanzees.
Click here to read more about our Safaris


Entebbe and Ngamba
Entebbe became a colonial centre in the 19th century, and was the capital until 1962. With its botanical gardens and colonial buildings, it is a charming sleepy place. Activities here include golf, tennis, sailing and swimming as well visiting the Entebbe Wildlife Centre. Entebbe Airport, probably the friendliest in Africa, is some 40 km south of Kampala on the shores of Lake Victoria. From Entebbe there are regular trips to Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The sanctuary, on a beautiful forested island, is home to chimpanzees illegally removed from the wild and confiscated by the authorities; a raised platform enables close viewing and makes feeding time an exciting activity to watch. The tour lasts about half a day, travelling either by a modified traditional Ssese canoe or a faster motorboat. An overnight stay, at a simple mobile camp, can be arranged. The entrance fees paid goes towards looking after the chimpanzees.


Kibale Forest
Kibale Forest has thirteen species of primates - among the highest number recorded in an African forest - including the chimpanzee, the vervet monkey and the red colobus. Tracking the noisy chimpanzee families racing through this verdant forest is a thrilling experience. Together with Bigodi Wetland nearby, many forest and swamp birds can be seen.


Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park (QE), in the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley, is centered around Lake Edward and Lake George. The launch trip along the Kazinga Channel is especially good for viewing hippo, buffalo, elephant and a vast array of birds. Around Ishasha, go on the hunt for the famous tree-climbing lions which lounge nonchalantly on old fig trees. The beautiful steeply forested Kyambura Gorge nearby is home not only to chimpanzees but also the red-tailed monkey, black and white colobus and many bird species.


Sources of the Nile
Much of the nineteenth century was dominated by the search for the Source of the River Nile. Many of the great explorers of the age - Baker, Burton, Grant, Livingstone, Stanley, Speke, von Götten, Kandt and Stuhlmann - traversed the continent to understand the connection between the different rivers and lakes in Africa’s central highlands. In 1862, Speke deduced that the river on the north shore of Lake Victoria was the White Nile on its way to Egypt. In reality the Source includes a number of lakes and rivers in Uganda and Rwanda as well as the Virungas and Rwenzoris.


Volcanic Lakes
The five volcanic lakes; Kivu, Bulera, Ruhondo, Bunyonyi and Mutanda, on the borders of Rwanda and Uganda have their own special attractions. Lake Kivu, on the Rwanda/Congo border, the largest, is like a giant inland sea with some interesting lakeside towns. Kibuye, two hours from Kigali, is a relaxing retreat for swimming, canoeing and water-skiing. Gisenyi, a famous resort in the past, now has a sleepy forgotten air with some fine but neglected buildings from the Belgian era. The twin lakes of Bulera and Ruhondo are attractive places to visit after gorilla tracking in PNV in Rwanda. The emerald green Mutanda, in Uganda, with its distinctive hump-back islands, seen in the distance from Mgahinga, has a pristine beauty. Toyo Island, Volcanoes’ private island in the lake, wild and unspoiled, is reached by dug-out canoe. The finger-like Bunyonyi literally "a place of little birds”, lies among steeply terraced hillsides near the hill town of Kabale; it is an ideal stopping point on the way to Bwindi and Mgahinga.


Budongo
Budongo and Kanyiyo Pabidi, near Murchison Falls, contain one of the most extensive mahogany forests in East Africa, and the region’s largest chimpanzee population - about 900 animals. Chimp tracking is available either at Busingiro, in the south of Budongo, or at Kanyiyo Pabidi on the road to Murchison. The birdlife in the forest is prolific - about 330 species. The strange Bunyoro rabbit can also sometimes be seen at night. There is a church nearby which was built by Polish refugees in the war. Kabalega, the powerful king of Bunyoro at the turn of the 19th century, is buried at the Mparo Tombs near Hoima.


Kampala
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, is spread over a number of green hills and takes its name from Kasozi k'impala, "the hill of antelopes". The city grew around the court of the Kabaka of Buganda with British officials and Indian merchants settling on adjoining hills. It is a charming green city, with its many gardens and attractive views of the surrounding countryside and Lake Victoria. There is a wide range of hotels and restaurants. The Kasubi Tombs - the traditional royal tombs of the Kabakas of Buganda - are a fine example of Ganda architecture. Do not miss the colourful Nakasero fruit and vegetable market, the general goods market and the crafts market. There are a number of interesting buildings in the city, including the buildings that housed the colonial administration and the houses of the Indian merchants, the Parliament, the museum and buildings of different religious faiths and the Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine. Barkcloth, basketware, pottery, gourds, kikoi cloth, carving, traditional weapons and musical instruments are some of the souvenirs available for purchase.


Murchison
The meandering River Nile and the dramatic Murchison Falls make this National Park, the biggest in Uganda, a stunning habitat for wildlife. Crocodiles, hippos, elephants and birds including the rare shoebill stork, bask on the banks of the Nile. Chimpanzees can be tracked in Budongo and Kanyiyo Pabidi nearby.


Rock Paintings
There are two sets of rock paintings in Eastern Uganda. The Nyero rock paintings, near Kumi, among the most important in East Africa, are thought to be about 400 years old and are found in three shelters situated close together. The Kakoro rock paintings, near Mbale, are located on a koppie and, although less spectacular, are easier to reach. There is also an unusual rock gong near the paintings. Near Tororo there is an imprint of a man’s foot thought to be several hundred years old.


Rwenzoris
the Mountains of the Moon - as named by the Hellenic astronomer Ptolemy have a legendary beauty. The range has six peaks, capped with ice and snow and has three glaciers. The highest peak, Margherita, rises to 5109m, the third highest in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya. The luxuriant flora and bird life are unique. A hike through the central Rwenzoris takes about five days; the peaks are accessible only to experienced climbers. The best time to climb is from June to August, and December to February.


Mount Elgon and Sipi Falls
Mount Elgon, known as ‘Masaba’ by the local people, is the shell of a volcano that is thought to have had its last major eruption about 10 million years ago. The highest peak, Wagagai, is 4,321m above sea level, making it the forth-highest mountain in East Africa. With the spectacular Sipi falls, hot springs and the extraordinary caldera, about 8 kms across, Elgon is one of East Africa’s great mountains. The beautifully wooded slopes of Mount Elgon are an enchanting place to hike and climb and its smaller scale and milder altitude make it a less strenuous alternative to the Rwenzoris.

Click here to read more about our Safaris