Destinations - Uganda
Uganda. Forest, water and the deepest green.
Bwindi's misty rainforest and a quiet hour with a mountain gorilla family, the chimpanzees of Kibale, the tree-climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth and the power of the Nile at Murchison Falls - Uganda is wild, green and intimate.
Explore
Follow your curiosity.
↗Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
A misted montane rainforest in Uganda’s south-west, home to roughly half the world’s mountain gorillas. A trek here is a physical walk through steep, wet forest that ends with a permitted ho…
↗Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Where the Albertine Rift escarpment drops into savannah, volcanic lakes and the wetland channels of the Kazinga — one of Uganda’s most varied landscapes, and the park where lions have learne…
↗Uganda
Murchison Falls National Park
Where the Victoria Nile is compressed through a narrow cleft before broadening into savannah below — boat safaris beneath the falls, game drives on the northern bank, and one of Uganda’s mos…
↗Uganda
Kibale Forest
A western Ugandan rainforest holding the highest density of primates of any African forest, and a habituated chimpanzee community tracked on foot at dawn — the primate-focused counterpart to…
↗Uganda
Kidepo Valley National Park
A remote north-eastern park of open valleys, dramatic escarpment and lower-density travel — for travellers who want a Uganda far from the forest circuit, and who are willing to earn the dist…
Why Uganda
Where rainforest meets the Nile.
Uganda is a country of forest and water. It holds roughly half the world's mountain gorillas in the montane rainforest of Bwindi and Mgahinga, the continent's most accessible chimpanzees in Kibale, and the Victoria Nile at Murchison Falls - the entire river forced through a seven-metre cleft. It is intimate and unhurried, and it rewards travellers who want to go a little deeper and steeper.
Uganda destination index
Where to go in Uganda.
Five destinations, each with its own character — start here and follow where your curiosity leads.
Montane rainforest and a permitted hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family — one of wildlife travel's most moving encounters.
Regional orientation
Four forest and water regions.
Uganda's character is rainforest, rift valley and the Nile.
Bwindi and Mgahinga
Montane rainforest and the mountain gorilla families of the south-west.
Kibale Forest
East Africa's most accessible chimpanzee tracking.
Queen Elizabeth NP
Savannah meets rainforest - and the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha.
Murchison Falls
The Victoria Nile forced through a narrow cleft - boat safaris below the falls.
Key places - Bwindi and Mgahinga
The mountain gorilla forest.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga hold habituated mountain gorilla families. A trek here is a physical walk through steep, wet rainforest that ends with a permitted hour beside a family - a quiet, considered encounter that is widely regarded as one of wildlife travel's most moving experiences. Permits are required and limited; we handle procurement and advise on current pricing and availability. See the Bwindi destination page for the full picture.
Key places - Kibale and Queen Elizabeth
Chimpanzees, then the tree-climbing lions.
Kibale Forest holds the highest density of primates of any African forest, including a habituated chimpanzee community. To the south, Queen Elizabeth National Park blends savannah and rainforest - and the Ishasha sector is one of very few places where lions rest in fig trees. The two combine naturally into one journey. See the Kibale and Queen Elizabeth destination pages for more.
Key places - Murchison Falls
The Nile, forced through stone.
At Murchison Falls the Victoria Nile is compressed through a narrow cleft, with a roar carried kilometres downstream. Below the falls, boat safaris pass hippo pods, Nile crocodiles and the rare shoebill stork in the papyrus. It is elemental Uganda - and a powerful contrast to the quiet of the forest.
Signature experiences
What a Uganda journey can hold.
Gorilla trekking
A permitted hour with a habituated mountain gorilla family.
Chimpanzee tracking
Habituated chimp communities in Kibale and Kyambura.
Nile boat safari
Hippos, crocodiles and shoebill in the papyrus below Murchison Falls.
Tree-climbing lions
The Ishasha sector lions that rest in fig trees.
When to travel
Rainforest keeps its own time.
Two dry windows suit trekking best - but the forest is wet year-round.
June to September
Dry trekking season
The driest months for gorilla and chimp trekking - though rain is possible year-round in rainforest.
December to February
Short dry window
A second, shorter dry period; good for forest trekking and savannah game drives.
March to May, October to November
Green rains
Rains green the forest; fewer trekkers and lower lodge rates, with wetter conditions.
Rain is possible in Ugandan rainforest at any time of year. Gorilla and chimpanzee permits are required, limited and subject to availability and current pricing set by the authorities - we manage procurement and advise on timing.
Who Uganda may suit
A country for the curious and the patient.
Primate travellers
Those whose priority is gorillas and chimpanzees.
Adventurous travellers
Travellers who enjoy steep, wet forest and a sense of going deeper.
Photographers
Intimate, low-light forest encounters and dramatic Nile landscapes.
Slow travellers
Those who want one rich forest region rather than a rushed circuit.
Responsible travel
Tourism that helps protect great apes.
Mountain gorilla conservation is one of Africa's clearest success stories, and permit revenue is central to it. We support low-impact trekking, community benefit sharing around Bwindi, and forest habitat protection. A Uganda journey contributes directly to keeping these families wild and protected.
Journey combinations
Gorillas, chimps and the Nile - or cross to Rwanda.
Uganda combines within itself and with Rwanda's Virungas.
Related journeys
Pair Uganda with these.
Gorilla trekking and classic safari.
Plan with us
Tell us what draws you into the forest.
Gorillas, chimpanzees, the Nile - or a quiet circuit through them all. Share your dates and what moves you, and we will shape a Uganda journey around you.
Your Uganda journey begins with a conversation.
Continue your journey
There is more to discover.
↗Journeys
Safari Experiences
Wildlife journeys across Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda — built around your pace, your season and the moments you are hoping for, never a fixed package.
↗Journeys
Great Migration
Follow one of nature's most extraordinary movements through the Serengeti and beyond — where millions of wildebeest, zebra and other grazers move in response to rain, grass and instinct, and…
↗Journeys
Kilimanjaro
A trek to 5,895 metres is not a race to the top — it is a journey through every climate zone, made safe by acclimatisation and a team that walks with you.