Western Uganda
Mountain gorillas and beyond
Experience Uganda’s incredible wildlife, starting with a safari at Murchison Falls on the shores of Lake Albert. From here begin your journey south, stopping off at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Continue south in search of chimps in Kibale Forest and then venture east to see hippos and elephants in the Kazinga Channel. From here head back to the western border and Queen Elizabeth National Park where you can spot the rare tree-climbing lions of Ishasha. Finish your wildlife-packed adventure by heading to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or the smaller Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
Key information
Destinations | Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Kibale Forest National Park, Kazinga Channel |
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Activity | Active, Nature & Wildlife, Responsible Travel |
Physical Level | Easy |
Season | January - December |
Suggested itinerary
Safari in Murchison Falls National Park
Day 1 in Murchison Falls National Park
Uganda’s most popular and largest nature reserve, Murchison Falls National Park’s beautiful location and impressive animal populations (the park is home to over 15,000 elephants) makes it a wonderful stop for any traveller hoping to glimpse Uganda’s rich wildlife. Straddling the Victoria Nile, the park contains numerous rapids and waterfalls, including the powerful Murchison Falls. Visitors can get up-close to the falls, before enjoying a world-class safari on the shores of Lake Albert.
Of particular note just to the south of Murchison Falls is Budongo Forest. Home to six habituated chimpanzee groups totalling around 700 primates in total, Budongo offers chimpanzee treks year round.
The forest is an attraction in itself, owing to its huge mahogany trees and incredible biodiversity, with blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and olive baboons all viewable on a trek. Its location — an easy stop-off point on the road from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park — makes Budongo a popular place for chimpanzee trekking, although its smaller population of primates means your less likely to see the animals than in Kibale.
Get up-close to a white rhino in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Day 2 in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
A collaborative effort between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Rhino Fund Uganda, this private, non-profit animal sanctuary offers a secure home and breeding programme for the only wild rhinos left in Uganda. Committed to restoring Uganda’s rhinoceros population — including breeding and re-introducing the rhinos to national parks — the sanctuary is open to the public, who can visit and learn about the 22 southern white rhinos currently residing there.
Go chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest
Day 3–4 in Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale Forest National Park, located outside the colonial town of Fort Portal, is a dense tropical rainforest where you can track chimpanzees and 12 other primates, including red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and the rare Ugandan red colobus.
Known as the primate capital of East Africa, Kibale is the premier site for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda, with most tours starting from the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre. A typical chimpanzee trek in Kibale Forest will see you travel in a group of six plus guides (the total number of permits per day is restricted), heading into the forest either in the early morning or afternoon. Chimpanzee treks are generally shorter than gorilla treks as it’s easier to reach the chimpanzee families. Expect to spend more time looking up at the trees as chimpanzees swing through the rainforest, calling out to each other and thumping tree branches, while your knowledgeable guides explain how the chimpanzees interact and keep you safe.
Within Kibale is the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary that feeds some 200 bird species and a number of reptiles. It’s also an excellent place for spotting butterflies and taking village walks, where activities include basket-weaving, dance and interactive meals, where your host explain the history and culture behind the food you eat.
Watch hippos and elephants in the Kazinga Channel
Day 5–6 in Kazinga Channel
Visit the Kazinga Channel in western Uganda and see one of the world’s largest concentrations of hippos and elephants in their natural habitat. The channel is a wide, 20-mile long freshwater channel connecting Lake George and Lake Edward.
See the tree lions of Ishasha
Day 7–8 in Queen Elizabeth National Park
For an incredible wildlife experience with second-to-none photo opportunities, head to Ishasha in Western Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can see the area’s rare population of tree-climbing lions snoozing happily up above the ground in fig and acacia trees. One of the most popular parks in Uganda, the area possesses incredible biodiversity, with 96 species of mammals, including good numbers of elephants, leopards and hippos.
Kyambura Gorge, in the far eastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park is a gem known as the “Valley of Apes.” The gorge’s rich biodiversity comes from the draining of the Kyambura river which left a deep (100m) channel in the landscape. Home to a small family of 16 chimpanzees, this is a chimp trek for those already looking to visit one of Uganda’s most popular national parks.
A hike through the gorge gives you the opportunity to see habituated chimpanzees and other types of primates including red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus, baboons and vervet monkeys.
This green-riverine forest also offers shelter to several forest birds. Although the chance of spotting chimpanzees is not as high as on an official trek in Kibale or Budongo, the gorge’s shimmering green landscape is among the most impressive in Uganda and absolutely worth visiting.
Safari in Murchison Falls National Park
Day 9–10 in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
While Bwindi Impenetrable Forest steals the limelight, the smaller Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in southwestern Uganda has arguably better views and is directly connected to the extended Virunga conservation area.
Travellers visiting the park can hike the extinct Virunga Volcanoes, track golden monkeys, join a gorilla trek or keep their eyes peeled for the buffalo, elephants and rare bird species which call these rainforests home.
Mgahinga is just one part of the larger Virunga Conservation Area which covers 434 square kilometres of volcanic mountains linking Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC. The bamboo forested slopes and calderas and views of Lake Mutanda below are reasons enough to visit this enchanting, picturesque border area.