What to do in Uganda besides gorilla trekking?: Gorilla trekking is an activity that involves hiking in dense, tropical rainforests to witness endangered gorillas in their natural habitat. Gorilla trekking is the highlight of any trip for almost all individuals who are on safari in Uganda, and this activity is best done at destinations such as Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, which are known for hosting half of the world’s remaining large populations of mountain gorillas. The best time to go for gorilla trekking is during the dry season, which runs from June to August and then from December to February. During this period of time, the weather conditions are characterized by little or no rain, which makes it the perfect time because there are fewer rainfalls received and the ground is always dry, which makes it ideal for tourists during hiking and also offers them the opportunity to capture astonishing views of these fascinating endangered mountain gorillas. Gorilla trekking always involves tourists moving through different forested jungles of the park with the main purpose of tracking where the mountain gorilla species are located, whereby they are accompanied by a park guide or ranger due to the fact that they are familiar with all the parts of the park and they know the tricks to apply in order to trace the gorillas so easily. Besides gorilla trekking, both Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks have other interesting activities you can participate in, such as birding in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga National Park. The cost of a Uganda gorilla trekking permit is $800 per person per trek for foreign non-residents, $700 for foreign residents, and 300,000 shillings for East African citizens.
What to do in Uganda besides gorilla trekking?
Birding safaris in Uganda
Uganda is a bird watcher’s paradise, rich with diverse habitats and abundant bird species, making it a must-visit destination for anyone interested in bird watching. Uganda offers a unique and unforgettable bird-watching experience that will leave you in wonder of the country’s natural beauty. Uganda has a lot of birding spots scattered all over the country, such as the national park, swamps, forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains, among others, making it an excellent birding destination with a variety of inhabitants. While on a gird-watching safari in Uganda, you will be amazed by different bird species as well as those that are endemic to Uganda’s Albertine Rift, such as the blue swallow, pallid harrier, papyrus gonolek, and swamp flycatcher; the pygmy goose; white-winged warbler; lesser jacana; Vieillot’s weaver; palm-nut vulture; grosbeak weaver; kingfisher; black-headed weaver; Clarke’s weaver; Carruthers’s cisticola; and northern brown-throated weaver. Brown-throated Weaver, Papyrus, Gonolek, Albertine Owlet, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, and Rockefeller’s Sunbird White-Winged. Rwenzori Turaco, among others.
Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda
Chimpanzee trekking is one of the famous activities offered to visitors during a Uganda safari. Chimpanzee tracking in Uganda is mostly done in Kibale National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Nyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Semliki National Park, among others. Kibale National Park is the highlight of Uganda chimpanzee tracking. The park offers opportunities to visitors who seek to have a close encounter with fascinating creatures in their habituated families. Uganda Safaris offers guided chimpanzee trekking safari experiences to visitors, where tourists get a guided walk to the dense rainforest in search of these fascinating creatures. These parks are home to several habituated chimpanzee groups where chimpanzee trekking experiences are conducted daily. During the trekking process, you will also get to meet with other species, such as primate species, wildlife species, and other bird species that make the forest their home. Once these fascinating endangered chimpanzees are encountered, you will be allowed to interact with them for only 1 hour, observing chimpanzees as they forage for food, play with each other, and interact within their social groups. When planning to have this fascinating safari experience in Uganda, you will be required to book a permit that authorizes you to carry out this exciting adventure at the cost of US$ 250 per person.
Hiking to Mount Rwenzori.
Hiking to Mount Rwenzori is another must-do activity while on a safari in Uganda. This remarkable mountain is located in the western region of the country, and it is ranked as Africa’s third highest peak and Uganda’s tallest peak. It stands at an elevated area of about 5,109 meters above sea level and covers about 100,000 hectares of land. Hiking to the summit of this remarkable mountain takes about 8 to 9 days, and while on this hike, tourists get the opportunity to see many attractive and stunning features, such as stunning waterfalls, fast-flowing rivers, layered vegetation, and many others.
Whitewater Rafting on the Nile
Uganda, the only safari destination in Africa, has the best rafting experiences at the start of the mighty Nile River in Jinja. Jinja alone is famous with tourists for its adrenaline-filled adventures enlisted on the best safari experiences in Uganda list. Visitors here will experience some of the world’s finest grade 5 whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, horseback riding, and quad biking adventure activities. Whitewater rafting in Uganda is considered one of the best one-day safari experiences, especially if you are an active adventurer and want to know how Ugandan cultures intermix with contemporary East and Western cultures. It is an excellent addition to Uganda’s safari experience.
Launch trips on the Uganda safari
The launch trip on the River Nile in Murchison Falls National Park is the highlight of this park as you sail. Look over for riverside wildlife, especially the wild animals that love having a bath from the banks, and others quench their thirst. You may spot animals like herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, hartebeests, giraffes, serried crocodiles, a school of hippopotami, and others. As you draw closer to Murchison Falls, you feel a change in boat turbulence and a foamy surface over the water from the strong falls. Enjoy the cloudy appearance of the river Nile water that squeezes through a narrow bend about 6 meters wide, bursts out strongly to cascade down the 43-meter-high cliff, and continues with its course.
Game drives in Uganda
Uganda offers incredible wildlife-watching game-drive experiences with good privacy in less crowded safari parks. Uganda is home to the famous African big animals, including lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalo, zebras, and many antelope species. Wildlife viewing is one of the best safari experiences in Uganda because there are fewer tourists within the national parks. Uganda has four famous national parks that offer the finest safari game drives that cannot be experienced anywhere else in Africa. Such national parks include Lake Mburu, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, and Kidepo Valley National Park. Lake Mburo, the smallest national park, offers exceptional safari experiences, including walking safaris, boat trips, and horseback riding safaris that get you within arm’s distance of big animals. Queen Elizabeth National Park, very famous to most tourists, offers the best game viewing and boat safari experiences that get close to big animals like lions, buffalo, hippos, elephants, and leopards, as well as small animals like antelope and warthogs.
Sport fishing on a Uganda safari
You can be part of the sport of fishing anglers on a Uganda safari to catch some of the amazing fish species in the waters of this pearl of Africa; you need to acquire a fishing permit, boat, and boat captain in time. Carry your fishing equipment and lures so that you can enjoy the entire experience. Some fish species you may catch include cutfish, lungfish, tilapia, Nile perch, and others. You can do sport fishing in Uganda on the River Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Victoria, and others.
