Uganda is green, hilly and a good deal wetter than Kenya or Tanzania. The draw is primates: mountain gorillas in Bwindi, chimpanzees in Kibale, and a dozen other monkey species you will see from the road without trying.
It is a driving country. The parks are joined by long days on a mix of tarmac and murram, and Kampala traffic eats hours out of a schedule. Internal flights exist, and are worth the money for Bwindi if your time is short.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Dec-Feb | Drier and warmer. Forest trails are firmer, which matters a lot when you are climbing after gorillas. Busy over Christmas and New Year. |
| Mar-May | The heavier rains. Forest tracks turn to mud and the climbs become hard work. Fewer people, lower rates, and the gorillas have not gone anywhere. |
| Jun-Sep | The main dry season and the peak for trekking. Permits for these months are the first to go. |
| Oct-Nov | Short rains, usually an afternoon downpour rather than a whole wet day. Good value and quiet. |
Before you go
- A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter Uganda, for every traveller. Get the jab at least ten days before you fly. Visas are applied for online in advance.
- Gorilla and chimpanzee permits are strictly limited in number and are the fixed point around which the rest of the itinerary is built. Book them months ahead for June to September and December — six months out is not too early — and book your flights afterwards, not before.
- You must be 15 or over to trek gorillas. Anyone with a cold or flu will be turned back at the briefing, because gorillas catch human respiratory infections and die of them.
- Bring boots you are willing to ruin, long trousers, gardening gloves for grabbing vegetation, and a waterproof. Porters wait at every trailhead, cost little, and are worth hiring whether or not you think you need one.
Everything on this page is ordinary content. Rewrite it in your own voice, add the places you actually run trips to, and delete the rest.
