Uganda’s equatorial climate makes it ideal to visit all year round.

The dry season months of December to February and June to August is great for wildlife viewing, gorilla trekking, chimpanzee tracking and mountain climbing as the trails are easier to navigate and the animals congregate at water points.

While the dry season is ideal for most people – especially those interested in seeing lots of wildlife, the wet season months are lush and brimming with a new vibrancy of life. This makes it great for bird watching, photography or just anyone who love to get embraced in nature’s fullness.

Take a look at our guide on when the best time to visit Uganda is, and understand the various aspects in terms of weather, activities, crowds – so that your ideal time best matches your style.

Uganda is a beautiful country with a wide diversity of things to see and do for a safari holiday. The most popular tourist activities are gorilla trekking (seeing mountain gorillas in the wild natural habitat), chimpanzee tracking, savannah wildlife safaris, hiking & mountain climbing and cultural experiences.

Uganda is home to Africa’s biggest lake (Lake Victoria), The source of the Nile, The mystical Rwenzori mountains (toughest African mountains to climb), Natural rain forests (with chimps, gorillas and other primates), savannah parks (with lions, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, hippos, elephants) & much more.

Beyond the natural beauty of lakes, rivers, mountains, forests and savannahs, Uganda has a rich and diverse mix of cultures – expressed in the food, urban culture, nightlife, music, dance, art, fashion, religion and history.

While this can seem like a lot, our experience in helping many of our guests from all parts of the world to experience it will help create for you an itinerary that strikes the exact balance which works for you. Simply reach out to us (Exclusive African Safaris – the Uganda Safari Experts) and we’ll make your safari dreams come true.

Inasmuch as gorillas are wild animals and we can’t give a 100% guarantee, we can confidently say you will have 99.9% chance of seeing gorillas when you come on a safari with us.

Gorilla families are monitored everyday and the trackers and guides are always aware of their movements, this is why we can give such a confident guarantee.

By the time you go to the park offices for your briefing early in the morning, the trackers are already in the forest following the respective gorillas families from when they were last seen. By the time you start your hike into the forest, the trackers have told the guides/rangers which route to take and soon enough, you will find the gorillas.

The only way you would miss seeing gorillas is if you don’t have a gorilla permit because they are sold out, or you misread the dates and tracking sectors. We make sure these errors don’t happen when you are working with us because we look over each and every detail for you.

As long as you have your permit, are older than 15 years, free of communicable diseases, you should feel certain in your chances to see gorillas when you come to visit Uganda for a gorilla trekking safari with us.

What you pack for a holiday to Uganda will depend on 3 main points – when you are visiting, what you will do and how long your visit will be.

Except for the extremes of climbing to the snow capped peaks of mountains, much of Uganda has warm and pleasant weather where the sun is out everyday and the temperatures are comfortable.

Packing your essentials, your regular medication, and a light jacket or sweater for rain is generally advised. However, we advise that you pack according to the needs and context of your trip since this will help you avoid missing out on important items, and some times packing what you won’t need or use.

Take a look at our general advise about what should be on your Packing List for Uganda for gorilla trekking tours, but keep in mind that not all trips will need the same things.

Getting your tourist visa to Uganda is a simple and streamlined process. You can get your visa online, by visiting the immigration portal at www.visas.immigration.go.ug.

All you have to do is provide you information, and some supporting documents. Here is what you should have prepared;

• Yellow fever vaccination certificate
• Passport bio-date with at least 6 months of validity
• Your return ticket
• Recent passport-size photo
• Travel itinerary (detailed tour plan)

The advantage with an online portal is you can apply for your visa at any time, from any place as long as you have an internet connection – and in 3 working  days, you will have your visa approved emailed to you.

Alternatively, some people choose to prepare everything and get the visa on arrival, but going through the process after a long flight can be avoided and we advise our guests to have the visa ahead of time.

Here is our detailed article that will go deeper into the process of apply for a Uganda Tourist Visa.

There are various ways one can visit Uganda for chance to see mountain gorillas in the wild. This means that the cost of the trip is always going to be different because of many factors.

The only constant price for seeing gorillas is the cost of the gorilla trekking permit – which is 800 USD per person. This however has to be added to other items like international flights, car hire & driver fees, accommodation, meals, visas, among many other factors.

Short trips of 3 or 4 days are usually cheaper and strictly focused on gorillas, but longer safaris also include activities like wildlife viewing where guests can see lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, leopards, rhinos, hippos among many others.

If you want us to design a safari that will stick to your budget, reach out for a tailor-made safari package that we shall base on your budget and other preferences.

With enough time to plan, you will be able to get the best value for your money. Take a look at some of our gorilla trekking safaris for some inspiration and to have a better grounding of how various trips flow from start to finish.

Yes, we can design a safari to specifically meet all your wishes.

You can have a look at some of our existing packages and choose one that most appeals to you, and ask us to adjust it for your personal preferences, budget and schedule. To do it this way, just take a look at any of our Safari Packages and start there.

Alternatively, we can start from a blank page and design everything from scratch. You just have to let us know of your wishes, budget and schedule after which we work collaboratively to craft and perfect the safari holiday that you imagined. To do it this way, just send us some basic information via the form on the Personalized Safaris page.