Top safari activities to do in Uganda 2025/2026.
Uganda’s top safari activities for 2025/2026 One of the greatest places to go on safari is Uganda, also referred to as the Pearl of Africa. There are many safari activities available there, including primate trekking, wildlife viewing, bird watching, cultural tours, mountain climbing, and adventure sports like bungee jumping, white water rafting, horseback riding, quad biking, and sport fishing.
The ten national parks in Uganda are Murchison Falls, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Rwenzori Mountain National Park, Mount Elgon National Park, Semuliki National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. All of these can be visited during a safari.
Uganda’s top safari activities for 2025/2026
Trekking with gorillas
One of the most popular safari activities in Uganda is gorilla trekking, which entails visitors walking through the tropical rainforest in search of habituated mountain gorillas and spending an hour with them in their natural environment. In Uganda, gorilla trekking is conducted in the southwestern regions of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The gorilla trekking permit, which costs 800 USD per person for foreign non-residents, 700 USD per person for foreign residents, and 300,000 UGX per person for East African citizens, must be purchased before any traveler can engage in gorilla trekking activities.
Trekking chimpanzees
After gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking is the most popular activity in Uganda. It entails travelers entering the tropical jungle to look for chimpanzees and spending an hour with them in their natural habitat. In Uganda, chimpanzee trekking takes place in the Budongo woodland in Murchison Falls National Park, the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kalinzu woodland, and Kibale Forest National Park, also referred to as the primate capital.
In Kibale Forest National Park, visitors who wish to engage in chimpanzee trekking must obtain chimpanzee trekking permits, which cost 200 USD per person for non-resident foreigners, 150 USD per person for locals, and 150,000 UGX per person for East African nationals. The cost of chimpanzee trekking permits in Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest is 30,000 UGX per person for East African citizens, 40 USD per person for foreign residents, and 50 USD per person for foreign non-residents.
Wildlife viewing and game drives
During an exciting game drive, guests can explore the national parks in a cozy pop-up safari truck accompanied by a qualified driver guide. In Uganda, game drives are conducted in the savannah national parks of Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, and Murchison Falls. Lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, hyenas, cheetahs, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bush bucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, elands, impalas, topi, reedbucks, and huge forest pigs are just a few of the creatures you can see on the game drives.
Trekking with golden monkeys
Trekking with golden monkeys is an exciting and athletic activity you can do while on safari in Uganda. Golden monkey trekking is only permitted in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, and it begins at the park headquarters early in the morning with a training on the guidelines. Golden monkey trekking licenses, which cost $100 USD per person for foreign non-residents, $80 USD per person for foreign non-residents, and 60,000 UGX per person for East African natives, must also be obtained by those who wish to engage in the activity.
Hiking in the mountains
Hiking Mount Rwenzori National Park, which boasts the third-highest mountain range, Mount Elgon, which has a sizable caldera at its summit, and the three volcanic mountains of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park—Mt. Muhabura, Mount Gahinga, and Mount Sabinyo—are just a few of the mountain climbing destinations in Uganda.
Cruise by boat
Given that Uganda is home to numerous lakes and rivers, taking a boat tour is yet another fantastic safari experience. In Uganda, one can take a boat cruise on a variety of bodies of water, such as Kazinga in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Victoria, Lake Mburo, the Source of the Nile, the Nile Delta, the bottom of the falls, and Lake Bunyonyi, among others. You will be able to take in the stunning scenery while on the boat cruise, as well as wildlife such as hornbills, kingfishers, cormorants, fish eagles, buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, and giraffes along the shores, as well as animals like hippos and Nile crocodiles in the water.
Observing birds
Uganda is one of the best places to go birdwatching because it is home to more than 1,080 different species of birds, including savannah, woodland, lake, and Albertine Rift unique birds. Mabamba swamp, Budongo forest, Bigodi wetland, Mabira forest reserve, Semuliki national park, Murchison falls national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park, Mgahinga gorilla national park, Kibale forest national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Mburo national park, Bokora Matheniko wildlife reserve, Rwenzori mountain national park, Lutembe bay wetland, and Mpanga forest reserve are just a few of the various birdwatching destinations in Uganda that aviators should visit while on a birding safari.
Experience with culture
In Uganda, taking a cultural tour is an engaging way for visitors to engage with the local population. There are roughly 54 tribes in Uganda, and the Batwa, Karamajong, IK, and Bakiga people are among the most visited civilizations throughout the cultural experience. In addition to learning about the locals’ culture, traditions, and way of life, the cultural tour will allow you to visit their traditional homes, sample their cuisine, learn how to create traditional beer from bananas, hear their age-old tales, and take in their traditional performances.
Sport fishing, white water rafting, horseback riding, kayaking, bungee jumping, tubing, quad biking, and mountain bike/cycling are just a few of the exciting safari activities that Uganda has to offer.
The ideal time to travel to Uganda
Although safaris in Uganda can be done at any time of year, the best time to go is during the dry season, also known as the peak season, which lasts from June to February. This is because the national parks receive less or no rainfall during this time, making it easier to trek and mountain hike because access roads, gorilla and chimpanzee trekking, and hiking trails will be dry and passable. The savannah national parks’ foliage will be sparse during the dry season, allowing you to obtain a clear view of various wildlife species.
Because March through May and October through November are the greatest times to see a wide variety of migratory and colorful bird species, Uganda can also be visited during the low/rainy season.
