Uganda Fact File

Getting there

British Airways fly three times a week to Entebbe which is only a couple of hours ahead of GMT.  Most of the scenic game viewing and gorilla watching areas are 8 hours by road in the West of the country

Seasons

Uganda’s main rainy seasons are April to June and November though it can rain at any time in the tropical rain forests where the mountain gorillas live.  The rest of the year is predominantly dry in the West and Northwest.  Uganda sits on the Equator and temperatures are warm and sometimes humid in the West, though rather cooler at higher altitudes.

Is Uganda for you?

Your Ugandan safari will be by private enclosed 4 wheel drive vehicle with your own private guide and will usually be around 10 days.  It will involve a lot of distance along roads which are often in poor condition.  So if you want a relaxing fly in safari Uganda is not for you.  Also, the numbers of animals are not as great as in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania, so if your priority is to see lots of big game those countries may suit you better and it is probably not the place for a first time safari.  However, if you want to see the magnificent mountain gorillas, if you love birds and if you have the patience to be taken at a leisurely pace through spectacular scenery allowing a local guide to show you his country you will be richly rewarded by your time in Uganda.  Uganda sees relatively few tourists and some safari lodges like Mweya Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park seem charmingly stuck in a bygone era.  If you only want to see mountain gorillas and are less interested in other parts of Uganda, the gorillas of Rwanda are more easily accessible.

Combining Uganda

Uganda is an hour’s flight from Nairobi so it can easily be combined with safaris in the Masai Mara other Kenyan safari areas and with Northern Tanzania.   From Nairobi you are 90 minutes from Zanzibar and Lamu and a few hours flight from Mauritius and the Seychelles.