Few wildlife experiences are as spectacular as wild mountain gorillas, and Uganda is one of only three countries where you can view them.
There are few wildlife experiences in the world as spectacular or moving as being in the presence of wild mountain gorillas. With barely a few hundred still in existence and all of those in a small, mountainous triangle of Central Africa, taking a walk among them is one of the greatest wildlife thrills on our planet—I know, ‘cause as regular readers might know, I’ve done it!
Yet while gorilla viewing may be the main reason most people venture to Uganda—and for sure it’s a bucket-list topper—I believe Uganda is one of the most underrated travel destinations on the continent.
This/feature photo: a mountain gorilla with her baby in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda. (Credit: Andrey Gudkov/iStock)
From Entebbe—the country’s arterial gateway just outside the capital of Kampala—you head to the Nakasongola District for a rare opportunity to track Uganda’s only wild white rhinos. (As anyone who’s ever come close on foot to wild rhinos will tell you, it’s a thrilling experience!) Then continue to Murchison Falls, one of Africa’s most beautiful cascades and a place of fantastic history and wildlife. You will explore the national park by vehicle and the Nile by boat, all in search of crocodiles, birdlife and maybe elephants and lions.
Later you head to Kibale Forest in search of chimpanzees, and take a game drive and boat trip in Queen Elizabeth National Park. And spend a day trekking to see the mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home to perhaps half of all mountain gorillas on Earth. Then visit Lake Mburo, before heading to Kampala, where you look for any of the more than 300 bird species that call the Mabamba Bay Swamp home, including the coveted shoebill stork. You finish this robust trip with a city tour of the vibrant and bustling Ugandan capital.
- By Simon Vaughan, Senior Editor, Outpost
Trip Info, Update 2022: contact Churchill Safaris’ Edmonton-based office (phone below) for more info on this trip, or for similar trip options.
CHURCHILL TAILORED SAFARIS
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Phone: 403.507.3724 (Canada)
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SM: Twitter, FB
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Accommodation: Hotels, lodges, tented camps.
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Price: contact operator (link below) for current pricing.
To learn more about this and other trips to Uganda on offer from Churchill Tailored Safaris, click here.
A few guidelines on trip descriptions: All descriptions/itineraries are sourced from trip/tour operator, and Outpost assumes no liability. Prices are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated, are often “starting from” the one listed, and don’t necessarily reflect final/total cost (that is, taxes, in-country or extra fees might be added). And, prices indicated here do NOT include airfare, unless it says so. Date changes are always possible and sometimes even inescapable. So, always get in touch with an operator directly; sometimes they’ll let you know about a special offer not listed here so a price may actually be less than listed here.
