Uganda and Rwanda overview and best spots

• Uganda is a truly “authentic” safari destination - definitely less sophisticated and not in the same “big game” league as Tanzania or Kenya, it's far less developed and as genuine as Africa gets. Uganda’s gorillas, chimps, birds and the wider range of special-interest attractions (from butterflies to orchids) makes it a perfect match for first timers and seasoned African visitors alike.

• Rwanda, the "Land of a Thousand Hills" is Uganda's small southern neighbor.  Specifically attractive for its dramatic  landscapes, deep forests and population of rare silverback gorillas.

• If gorillas and other deep forest dwelling creatures are the main interest the visit either or for a full picture we recommend a trip to include both.

• The locals are warm, friendly and uncomplicated.  The climate and land is rich and fertile. It's the kind of place in which you place a stick in the ground and return in the afternoon to find that a tree has grown in it's place!

• Uganda and Rwanda are far more suited to budding or serious naturalists, keen birders and so on - there's far more diversity here than we have elsewhere in southern and East Africa!

• Our top votes: Paul and Jane Goldring's operations in Uganda, Praveen Moman's and Uusuf Mulima's Volcanoes Safaris.

• Lemons: none

• find out more on our main Zambezi site about Uganda and Rwanda, review our smartest safaris, pick up the latest news

...Uganda web album  

Best spots in Uganda

•    Bwindi Impenetrable Forest  
  • ancient lowland forest with rare Afromontane vegetation on the peaks; this was one of the few “refugia” that survived the last ice age
  • home to 320 gorillas in 15 troops; Bwindi has 4 habituated families, 3 of which are tracked from Buhoma in the north and 1 from Nkuringo in the south 
  • has 350 birds; 310 butterfly species; 120 mammals including 11 primates; 200 tree species; around 30 forest elephants in the south
  • Best lodges: Buhoma, Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge, Gorilla Forest Camp, Kimbla-Mantana

   

•    Queen Elizabeth National Park  
  • Queen Elizabeth National Park is fairly small  but it holds a lot of diversity and should really be looked at in distinct chunks to get a proper appreciation for what it has on offer. The Park itself is part of a much larger conservation area including the Ruwenzoris, Kibale, Virunga National Park and Kigezi/Chambura.
  • includes 57 vegetation types but mostly open savannah with acacia and euphorbia also includes extensive wetlands and a huge tract of tropical forest; supports 612 bird species (only Virunga NP has more in Africa) including 54 raptors; home to 95 mammal species including around 2,500 elephants, 20 different predators with 200 lions (40 tree-climbing lions in Ishasha); supports 10 primate species including chimps in Chambura Gorge and Maramagambo Forest; good for Uganda kob, large herds of buffalo, giant forest hog, waterbuck, topi, hyena, and crocodile. Leopards are seen quite regularly.  Get it right and this is the place for shoebill!
  • Places to explore include the Kazinga Channel between Lake George in the east to Lake Edward in the west; the Kasenyi plains; the Explosion Craters; Chambura Wildlife Reserve (usually spelt Kyambura) can be good for chimps; Maramagambo Forest and Kigezi Wildlife Reserve.  Don't miss the Ishasha plains and Ishasha River on the DRC border.
  • Best lodges: Jacana and Ishasha Wilderness camp

   

•   Kibale Forest National Park
  • Fort Portal is really the springboard for excursions to Kibale Forest and the Semliki Valley.
  • Kibale is completely under-rated.  Some excellent guides, it's inexpensive and the diversity in this small park is outstanding!
  • dominant vegetation type is rainforest, also includes grassland and swamp; around 350 trees identified, loads of orchids and epiphytic ferns; especially good for its chimpanzees (around 1,450 individuals in total with around 80 habituated, the largest single population in Uganda); also very good for birds including 335 species; Kibale has around 144 butterfly species (including Africa’s largest and rarest, the Giant Swallowtail); 60 mammals including 13 primates; forest elephants are around in the wet season but rarely seen.
  • Best lodges: Ndali and Kibale Primate Lodge

•    Lake Mburo National Park  
  • Small park between Entebbe/Kampala and Bwindi; diverse habitats with forest, savanna, acacia woodland, rocky kopjes, seasonal and permanent swamps five lakes in the park (part of a bigger cluster of 14 lakes in total); supports 315 birds and 68 mammals; very good for eland, burchell’s zebra, impala etc; has buffalo but no lion or elephants; a very good walking area with good UWA guides.
  • Not the most outstanding park but definitely one of Uganda's best lodges - visit the Schenk's at Mihingo Lodge!

Best spots in Rwanda

•    Virunga Volcano National Park
  • Usually known by its French name “Parc National des Volcans” (PNV) - this is the Rwandese side of the Virunga volcanoes.  This is Rwanda's home of gorilla-trekking with 7 habituated groups
  • Includes six extinct and three active volcanoes including Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo within the Virunga range. 
  • This is where "Gorillas in the Mist" was filmed, he area in which primatologist Dian Fossey carried out much of her research. The Dian Fossey Centre now serves as an educational centre.
  • Best lodges: Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge and Virunga Lodge

   

•    Nyungwe National Park  
  • Protects the largest singe track of montane forest in East and Central Africa.
  • Home to 13 species of primates, chimpanzees, Ruwenzori Colobus and l’Hoest’s monkeys can be found; home to over 300 species of birds

   

•   Akagera National Park
  • Swamps and lakes characterise the Akagera River which lies on the border with Tanzania - very different from the rest of Rwanda.
  • The marshes hold dense concentrations of waterbirds including the endangered and exquisite papyrus gonolek. This is also a known site for the sought after shoebill stork. Big game and plains game is fair in Akagera.

Best time of year

•    ...for gorillas anytime - expect to get wet anyway! 
•    ...usually driest June to August, so should be easier tracking 
•    ...usually wettest March to May, so could be more difficult tracking - also usually the quietest so a good time to visit!
•    ...usually busiest June to October, so book well in advance for permits  

See separate online notes on planning a gorilla safari

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