In the heart of equatorial Africa, where the Nile begins its legendary journey northward and ancient forests shelter half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, Uganda emerges as a destination of extraordinary, intimate wilderness. We invite you to be changed by it.
Best Time to Visit
Jun–Sep & Dec–Feb
Typical Duration
8–12 Days
Key Wildlife
Mountain Gorilla · Chimpanzee · Elephant · Lion
Travel Style
Trekking · Forest Lodge · Fly-In
Uganda is Africa's most intimate wildlife destination. Half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, the largest chimpanzee population in East Africa, and tree-climbing lions — all in a country the size of the United Kingdom.
What Sets Uganda Apart
Half the World's Mountain Gorillas
Bwindi and Mgahinga together shelter over 54% of the global mountain gorilla population — making Uganda the single most important gorilla conservation site on earth.
13 Primate Species in Kibale Alone
Kibale National Park holds the highest concentration of primates in Africa — 13 species including chimpanzees, olive baboons, L'Hoest's monkeys, and the black-and-white colobus.
1,066 Recorded Bird Species
More bird species than the entire North American continent, including the prehistoric shoebill, the rare African green broadbill, and 150 species found nowhere else in East Africa.
Year-Round Safari Destination
Unlike seasonal East African destinations, Uganda offers productive wildlife encounters across all months — gorilla trekking, chimp tracking, and savannah game drives are available year-round.
Uganda in Numbers
460+
mountain gorillas in Uganda
1,000+
bird species recorded
10
national parks
Every season reveals a different face of Uganda. Our specialists match your timing to the wildlife events and landscapes that matter most to you.
Mountain Gorilla · Chimpanzee · Savannah Big Five
The main trekking season. Firmer trails in Bwindi, clear forest visibility in Kibale, and excellent savannah game viewing in Murchison and Queen Elizabeth. Gorilla permit demand is highest — book 6+ months ahead.
Mountain Gorilla · Chimpanzee · Migratory Birds
The second peak trekking window. Lower visitor numbers than June–September, with equally good conditions for gorilla and chimp trekking. Christmas and New Year in the forest is a profoundly special experience.
Migratory Birds · Forest Newborns · Lush Bwindi
Wet season brings extraordinary birdlife and vivid green forest. Gorilla trekking is still possible, though trails are muddier. Lodge rates are significantly lower — excellent value for the adventurous traveller.
Our Specialist
The moment a mountain gorilla makes eye contact with you in the forest, everything else falls away. Uganda delivers that encounter in a way that no other country can — intimate, unhurried, and deeply personal.
David Ochieng
Uganda & Rwanda Specialist, Still Wild Safaris
Each park is a completely different world. We design itineraries that show you the full spectrum.
01Central Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's serene lakeside gateway on the shores of Lake Victoria — home to the international airport, a wildlife education centre, and Ngamba Island's rescued chimpanzees, this is where almost every Uganda safari quietly begins and ends.
Top Wildlife
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) · Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Best Time
June–September & December–February
02Central Uganda, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's vibrant capital, built across seven hills on the shores of Lake Victoria — a sprawling, energetic city of royal tombs, buzzing markets and vibrant culture that rewards every traveller who slows down long enough to explore it.
Top Wildlife
Kasubi Tombs · Uganda Museum
Best Time
June–September & December–February
03Southwestern Uganda
Home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site protects 331 km² of ancient Albertine Rift rainforest — one of the most extraordinary wildlife destinations on the planet, where a face-to-face encounter with a wild gorilla family changes you forever.
Top Wildlife
Mountain Gorilla Trekking · Gorilla Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
04Western Uganda
Uganda's most visited and ecologically complex park — tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, the wildlife-dense Kazinga Channel, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, and over 600 bird species across 1,978 km² of Albertine Rift wilderness.
Top Wildlife
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise · Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha
Best Time
June–September & December–February
05Northwestern Uganda
Uganda's largest national park — where the entire volume of the Victoria Nile is forced through a 7-metre gorge in the world's most powerful waterfall, then fans into a wildlife-rich delta on Lake Albert. Lions, Rothschild's giraffes, elephants, and shoebill storks across 3,840 km².
Top Wildlife
Murchison Falls Nile Boat Cruise · Rothschild's Giraffe & North Bank Game Drives
Best Time
December–February & June–September
06Western Uganda
The primate capital of the world — 13 species in a single park, including over 1,500 chimpanzees in some of the most accessible and best-studied communities in Africa. Kibale is Uganda's premier chimpanzee trekking destination.
Top Wildlife
Chimpanzee Trekking · Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
07Western Uganda
Uganda's walking safari capital — the only national park in the country offering walking, cycling, and horse-riding safaris through open African savannah. Zebras, impalas, hippos, and leopards on night drives, perfectly positioned between Kampala and Bwindi.
Top Wildlife
Walking Safari · Burchell's Zebra & Birdwatching
Best Time
Year-round
08Southwestern Uganda
A small park dominated by three Virunga volcanoes, home to mountain gorillas and the only park in Uganda where you can track golden monkeys.
Top Wildlife
The Nyakagezi Gorilla Family · Habituated Golden Monkeys
Best Time
June–August & December–February
09Northeastern Uganda (Karamoja Region)
Uganda's most remote and most rewarding safari destination — 1,442 km² of dramatic semi-arid savannah in the far northeast, with cheetahs, wild dogs, lions, and Karamojong warrior culture in a park that receives very few visitors.
Top Wildlife
Narus Valley Game Drives · Cheetah Tracking & Species Unique to Kidepo
Best Time
June–September & December–February
10Western Uganda (Bundibugyo District)
Uganda's most underrated national park — ancient Congo Basin rainforest, boiling Sempaya Hot Springs, and 441 bird species including 40 Congo Basin endemics found nowhere else in East Africa. The most important forest birding destination in Uganda.
Top Wildlife
Congo Basin Birding — 40 Endemics · Sempaya Hot Springs
Best Time
June–August & December–January
01Central Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's serene lakeside gateway on the shores of Lake Victoria — home to the international airport, a wildlife education centre, and Ngamba Island's rescued chimpanzees, this is where almost every Uganda safari quietly begins and ends.
Top Wildlife
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) · Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Best Time
June–September & December–February
02Central Uganda, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's vibrant capital, built across seven hills on the shores of Lake Victoria — a sprawling, energetic city of royal tombs, buzzing markets and vibrant culture that rewards every traveller who slows down long enough to explore it.
Top Wildlife
Kasubi Tombs · Uganda Museum
Best Time
June–September & December–February
03Southwestern Uganda
Home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site protects 331 km² of ancient Albertine Rift rainforest — one of the most extraordinary wildlife destinations on the planet, where a face-to-face encounter with a wild gorilla family changes you forever.
Top Wildlife
Mountain Gorilla Trekking · Gorilla Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
04Western Uganda
Uganda's most visited and ecologically complex park — tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, the wildlife-dense Kazinga Channel, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, and over 600 bird species across 1,978 km² of Albertine Rift wilderness.
Top Wildlife
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise · Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha
Best Time
June–September & December–February
05Northwestern Uganda
Uganda's largest national park — where the entire volume of the Victoria Nile is forced through a 7-metre gorge in the world's most powerful waterfall, then fans into a wildlife-rich delta on Lake Albert. Lions, Rothschild's giraffes, elephants, and shoebill storks across 3,840 km².
Top Wildlife
Murchison Falls Nile Boat Cruise · Rothschild's Giraffe & North Bank Game Drives
Best Time
December–February & June–September
06Western Uganda
The primate capital of the world — 13 species in a single park, including over 1,500 chimpanzees in some of the most accessible and best-studied communities in Africa. Kibale is Uganda's premier chimpanzee trekking destination.
Top Wildlife
Chimpanzee Trekking · Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
07Western Uganda
Uganda's walking safari capital — the only national park in the country offering walking, cycling, and horse-riding safaris through open African savannah. Zebras, impalas, hippos, and leopards on night drives, perfectly positioned between Kampala and Bwindi.
Top Wildlife
Walking Safari · Burchell's Zebra & Birdwatching
Best Time
Year-round
08Southwestern Uganda
A small park dominated by three Virunga volcanoes, home to mountain gorillas and the only park in Uganda where you can track golden monkeys.
Top Wildlife
The Nyakagezi Gorilla Family · Habituated Golden Monkeys
Best Time
June–August & December–February
09Northeastern Uganda (Karamoja Region)
Uganda's most remote and most rewarding safari destination — 1,442 km² of dramatic semi-arid savannah in the far northeast, with cheetahs, wild dogs, lions, and Karamojong warrior culture in a park that receives very few visitors.
Top Wildlife
Narus Valley Game Drives · Cheetah Tracking & Species Unique to Kidepo
Best Time
June–September & December–February
10Western Uganda (Bundibugyo District)
Uganda's most underrated national park — ancient Congo Basin rainforest, boiling Sempaya Hot Springs, and 441 bird species including 40 Congo Basin endemics found nowhere else in East Africa. The most important forest birding destination in Uganda.
Top Wildlife
Congo Basin Birding — 40 Endemics · Sempaya Hot Springs
Best Time
June–August & December–January
01Central Uganda, on the shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's serene lakeside gateway on the shores of Lake Victoria — home to the international airport, a wildlife education centre, and Ngamba Island's rescued chimpanzees, this is where almost every Uganda safari quietly begins and ends.
Top Wildlife
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) · Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Best Time
June–September & December–February
02Central Uganda, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria
Uganda's vibrant capital, built across seven hills on the shores of Lake Victoria — a sprawling, energetic city of royal tombs, buzzing markets and vibrant culture that rewards every traveller who slows down long enough to explore it.
Top Wildlife
Kasubi Tombs · Uganda Museum
Best Time
June–September & December–February
03Southwestern Uganda
Home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site protects 331 km² of ancient Albertine Rift rainforest — one of the most extraordinary wildlife destinations on the planet, where a face-to-face encounter with a wild gorilla family changes you forever.
Top Wildlife
Mountain Gorilla Trekking · Gorilla Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
04Western Uganda
Uganda's most visited and ecologically complex park — tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, the wildlife-dense Kazinga Channel, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, and over 600 bird species across 1,978 km² of Albertine Rift wilderness.
Top Wildlife
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise · Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha
Best Time
June–September & December–February
05Northwestern Uganda
Uganda's largest national park — where the entire volume of the Victoria Nile is forced through a 7-metre gorge in the world's most powerful waterfall, then fans into a wildlife-rich delta on Lake Albert. Lions, Rothschild's giraffes, elephants, and shoebill storks across 3,840 km².
Top Wildlife
Murchison Falls Nile Boat Cruise · Rothschild's Giraffe & North Bank Game Drives
Best Time
December–February & June–September
06Western Uganda
The primate capital of the world — 13 species in a single park, including over 1,500 chimpanzees in some of the most accessible and best-studied communities in Africa. Kibale is Uganda's premier chimpanzee trekking destination.
Top Wildlife
Chimpanzee Trekking · Chimpanzee Habituation Experience
Best Time
June–September & December–February
07Western Uganda
Uganda's walking safari capital — the only national park in the country offering walking, cycling, and horse-riding safaris through open African savannah. Zebras, impalas, hippos, and leopards on night drives, perfectly positioned between Kampala and Bwindi.
Top Wildlife
Walking Safari · Burchell's Zebra & Birdwatching
Best Time
Year-round
08Southwestern Uganda
A small park dominated by three Virunga volcanoes, home to mountain gorillas and the only park in Uganda where you can track golden monkeys.
Top Wildlife
The Nyakagezi Gorilla Family · Habituated Golden Monkeys
Best Time
June–August & December–February
09Northeastern Uganda (Karamoja Region)
Uganda's most remote and most rewarding safari destination — 1,442 km² of dramatic semi-arid savannah in the far northeast, with cheetahs, wild dogs, lions, and Karamojong warrior culture in a park that receives very few visitors.
Top Wildlife
Narus Valley Game Drives · Cheetah Tracking & Species Unique to Kidepo
Best Time
June–September & December–February
10Western Uganda (Bundibugyo District)
Uganda's most underrated national park — ancient Congo Basin rainforest, boiling Sempaya Hot Springs, and 441 bird species including 40 Congo Basin endemics found nowhere else in East Africa. The most important forest birding destination in Uganda.
Top Wildlife
Congo Basin Birding — 40 Endemics · Sempaya Hot Springs
Best Time
June–August & December–January
Safari Collections
2 Days / 1 Night · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
5 Days / 4 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · UGANDA
8 Days / 7 Nights · UGANDA
10 Days / 9 Nights · UGANDA
9 Days / 8 Nights · UGANDA
11 Days / 10 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
12 Days / 11 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
2 Days / 1 Night · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
5 Days / 4 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · UGANDA
8 Days / 7 Nights · UGANDA
10 Days / 9 Nights · UGANDA
9 Days / 8 Nights · UGANDA
11 Days / 10 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
12 Days / 11 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
2 Days / 1 Night · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
5 Days / 4 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · UGANDA
3 Days / 2 Nights · RWANDA · UGANDA
4 Days / 3 Nights · UGANDA
8 Days / 7 Nights · UGANDA
10 Days / 9 Nights · UGANDA
9 Days / 8 Nights · UGANDA
11 Days / 10 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
12 Days / 11 Nights · UGANDA
7 Days / 6 Nights · UGANDA
Exclusive Access
Immersive experiences and insider access reserved exclusively for our guests.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, SW Uganda
A private pre-trek session with the Uganda Wildlife Authority's gorilla monitoring team. Learn exactly how your permit fee funds gorilla protection, meet the research staff who track these families daily, and understand which family you will visit that morning and what to expect from their current behaviour.
Kibale National Park, W Uganda
Enter Kibale's chimpanzee zone before the park opens to general visitors. Watch a habituated troupe rise from their night nests, begin grooming, and commence morning foraging — with no other guests present, in complete silence, accompanied by a specialist primatologist.
Murchison Falls National Park, NW Uganda
A private charter directly over the seven-metre gorge where the entire River Nile is compressed into one extraordinary point of power and spray. The helicopter then lands at a remote game-viewing site inaccessible by road, where a champagne sundowner awaits with your private ranger.
Where you'll stay
Hand-selected for exclusivity, sustainability, and uncompromising service.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Buhoma)
Eight stone cottages on the forest rim with panoramic canopy views and direct access to the gorilla trekking assembly point — the most established luxury address in Bwindi.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Nkuringo)
Uganda's highest-altitude gorilla lodge, with heated plunge pools, private butler service, and the most dramatic viewpoint in the entire Bwindi region.
Kidepo Valley National Park
The most exclusive address in Uganda's most remote park. Private game drives across Kidepo's semi-arid savannah with zero other tourist vehicles in sight.
Kibale National Park
Set within the park boundary for direct forest access — private guided night walks and the dawn chimpanzee experience are available exclusively to lodge guests.
Murchison Falls National Park
Eight East African-style cottages on the northern bank of the Nile with resident hippo pools, private river decks, and the falls thundering upstream.
Uganda's gorilla population has grown from 620 to over 1,000 individuals in two decades — a conservation success directly funded by gorilla trekking permits. Every Still Wild Uganda journey contributes to this extraordinary recovery.
1,000+
mountain gorillas now living
$800
gorilla permit fee funds conservation
45%
permit revenue to local communities
Conservation Partners
Everything you need to know before you travel to Uganda. Can't find your answer? Our specialists are available for a private consultation.
Uganda Wildlife Authority gorilla permits cost USD 800 per person per trek and must be booked in advance. We secure permits as part of your itinerary planning — availability is limited, especially June–September, so we recommend booking 6–12 months ahead.
Treks range from 1 to 8 hours depending on gorilla family location that day. Bwindi is steep and can be muddy — good fitness and waterproof hiking boots are essential. Porters are available and strongly recommended.
Yes — this is the classic Uganda itinerary. Gorilla trekking in Bwindi, chimp tracking in Kibale, and a savannah safari in Murchison Falls or Queen Elizabeth can be combined in 10–12 days using light aircraft between parks.
Uganda is one of East Africa's safest and most welcoming destinations. We monitor FCO and US State Department travel advisories continuously and will advise you if anything changes ahead of your departure.
Speak to a Specialist
Connect with our dedicated specialists to transform your vision into a meticulously planned, life-altering reality.
First-hand knowledge of every lodge, every trail, and every hidden gem we recommend. They are your personal curators, ensuring a seamless, worry-free experience from the first conversation to your return home.
Hours: MON–FRI 8AM–6PM EAT · SAT 9AM–5PM EAT
