Why Uganda is a popular safari destination

Why Uganda is a popular safari destination: Uganda is home to some of the most popular tourism destinations in Africa. It has over 12 national parks located in different parts of the country, and these host lots of attractions, among which include the wild animals, mountains, water bodies, and unique vegetation covers. The attractions of Uganda have made the country a popular safari destination.

From the mountain gorillas to the chimpanzees, big five mammals, and mountains, Uganda surely is a good safari destination that every traveler needs to visit. The country can be visited all year round, and to have the best time during a safari, one needs to let a local tour operator organise it for them. The country has many tour operators, while hosting one you need to make sure they are registered by the Uganda Tourism Board with Google reviews from tourists who have used it before.

Things that make Uganda a popular safari destination

A home to mountain gorillas

Uganda is one of the few countries that hosts endangered mountain gorillas. These mountain gorillas are said to be the second closest relatives to human beings, with over 98% DNA shared with human beings. In Uganda, the mountain gorillas can be found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga National Park.

Uganda hosts the highest population of mountain gorillas in the whole world, with more than half of the world’s population found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Visiting Uganda to see mountain gorillas gives you options of which park to see the mountain gorillas and a variety of gorilla families to visit.

More than 20 mountain gorilla families can be visited in Uganda, with one being in Mgahinga National Park and the rest in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest has mountain gorilla trekking which comes with 1 hour around the mountain gorillas, as well as habituation which comes with 4 hours of making the apes get used to human presence around them.

With a valid gorilla trekking or habituation permit, trekkers are taken to the jungle with the help of armed ranger guides, where they search for the mountain gorillas. and once located, they get to have 1 hour with the fully habituated mountain gorillas and 4 hours with the semi-habituated mountain gorillas.

Chimpanzees

The closest relatives to human beings can be met in Uganda. There are several habitats where tourists can meet these species of primates, and among these include Kibale Forest National Park, which has the highest population, Budongo Forest, Gorge, Kalinzu Forest, Bugoma Forest, and the Entebbe Zoo, to mention but a few.

The best place to see these chimps is Kibale Forest National Park because of the high population of he chimps that live within the forest. Tourists who participate in chimpanzee trekking get to spend 1 hour around the members which comes with an opportunity of learning about their habits and watch the members carry out daily activities.

Chimpanzee trekking is done by all persons above the age of 15 years, and they must have a valid trekking permit. The permits are sold by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and all tourists must use registered tour operators to purchase these permits. On the day of trekking, they will check the permits before allowing any tourists to go to the jungle and trek with chimpanzees.

The search for chimpanzees in any tourism destination in Uganda is done with the help of armed ranger guides. The search for the chimpanzees and also make sure trekkers are safe throughout the whole activity. Once spotted, trekkers get to have 1 hour with them which comes with learning about their habits and taking photos.

Mountains

Uganda has several mountains that are attractions to hikers from across the globe. Among these are the snow-capped Mountain Rwenzori which is the third tallest in Africa. Other popular mountains of Uganda are Mount Elgon located in Mount Elgon National Park, and Mount Gahinga located in Mgahinga National Park.

Hiking any of the mountains in Uganda is one of the things tourists need to be part of on their safari in this country. Hiking can be done for a number of days, depending on a hiker’s request, as they usually start from 1 day.  Mount Rwenzori is the most popular mountain in Uganda, taking 8 days to reach the Margherita Peak.

The big five mammals

Uganda is one of the countries where tourists can spot all the big mammals of the world. These are climbing lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and rhinos. Looking for a reason to visit Uganda, the country has got the big five mammals. Rhinoceroses can be spotted in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which as been gazetted to protect these endangered animals of the country.

Lions, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants can be spotted in Uganda’s savannah parks like Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls park, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo National Park. To see these animals, you need to take part in game drive activities and look for them around the park. This comes with another opportunity to see other park animals and attractions.

The golden monkeys

Uganda is one of the lucky places to be hosting endangered golden monkeys, and these do live in the Mgahinga National Park. Tourists who wish to visit these species of primates in the world have Uganda as one of the places to visit. A gorilla safari to Mgahinga National Park can be combined with golden monkey trekking or habituation.

Searching the golden monkeys of Mgahinga National Park starts early morning with a briefing just like gorilla trekking. Trekkers are grouped, and armed ranger guides lead them in the jungle where they search for these golden monkeys. They like staying in the bamboo trees, and once spotted, trekkers will be able to watch them jump from one tree branch to another, breastfeed, mating, hunting, and much more.

Home to the source of the Nile

River Nile, the longest river in the world, has it’s starting point in Uganda. On a safari to Uganda, tourists can take a trip to Jinja, where the source of the Nile is. A short boat cruise will take you to the source of the Nile with a local guide telling you stories about the mighty river.

Tourists can still find the River Nile in Murchison Falls, and here it bisects the park into two parts. Tourists can take a boat cruise on this river, and this shall come with an opportunity of spotting aquatic animals like the hippos, crocodiles, and water birds. The River Nile forms the Murchison Falls inside the park, which tourists can see from the bottom of the falls on a boat cruise or from the top of the falls after a short walk.

Birds of Uganda

Uganda is a bird lover’s haven because the country has over 1080 bird species. From Mabamba swamp, a home to the shoe bill, to several national parks across the country. With the right birding equipment and a good local birding guide, one is able to spot several bird species if they walk around different birding areas.

Grauer’s broadbill, puvel’s illadopss, African fin foot, papyrus gonolek, great blue turaco, shoe bill stork, African fish eagle, green-breasted pitta, abyssinian ground hornbill, long crested eagle, bar-tailed trogon, regal sun bird, doherty’s bushshrike, Rwenzori batis, yellow-eyed black flycatcher, black bee-eater, and Kivu ground thrush, among others.

Best time to visit Uganda

Uganda can be visited all throughout the year however, the driest months of the year are the best for a visit. June to September and December to February are the best times as they have little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Activities won’t be affected by the weather, and so tourists will have all the time to carry out these activities.

Tourists who travel during the rainy season can still travel, and they will benefit from the discounted tour packages. Tourists should, however, know that these months from March to May and October to November are characterized by plenty of rainfall and little sunshine. This affects the activities most of the time as the trekking trails, and game tracks become muddy and slippery.