Photograph of Mountain Gorillas

The silverback Rushegura at Bwindi by Alice Perry.

UGANDA

Best Wildlife in Uganda

Mammals
(Mountain) Gorilla, Chimpanzee, (Eastern) Black-and-white Colobus Monkey, Lion, Leopard, African Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell's Zebra, African Buffalo, Olive Baboon, Red Colobus, Grey-cheeked Mangabey and Gentle (Blue), L'Hoest's, Patas and Red-tailed Monkeys, Giant Forest Hog, Eland, (Uganda) Kob, Klipspringer, Oribi, Waterbuck, Impala, Topi and Hartebeest.

Birds
Shoebill, African Fish Eagle, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco, Hamerkop, Brown-chested Lapwing (mostly Jul-Dec), Green-breasted Pitta (mostly Jul-Sep), the endemic Fox's Weaver and 25 or so of the 40 or so Albertine Rift Endemics including Ruwenzori Turaco, African Green (Grauer's) Broadbill and Purple-breasted Sunbird,, as well as African Pygmy Goose, Pink-backed Pelican, African Darter, vultures, African Crowned and Martial Eagles, African Finfoot, Grey Crowned Crane, African and Lesser Jacanas, Rock Pratincole, African Skimmer, Red-headed Lovebird, Verreaux's Eagle Owl, Pennant-winged (mostly Apr-Jul) and Standard-winged (mostly Sep-Apr) Nightjars, mousebirds, Bar-tailed and Narina Trogons, kingfishers including Blue-breasted, Chocolate-backed and Giant, bee-eaters including Black, Blue-breasted, Cinnamon-chested, Madagascar (mostly Apr-Sep), Red-throated and Swallow-tailed, Blue-throated and Lilac-breasted Rollers, woodhoopoes, hornbills including White-crested, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, barbets including Red-faced, Vanga (Black-and-white Shrike) Flycatcher, Black-headed and Papyrus Gonoleks, Grey-headed and Sulphur-breasted Bushshrikes, African Paradise Flycatcher, Piapiac, greenbuls, apalises including Black-throated, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Silverbird, White-starred Robin, robin-chats, starlings including Purple and Splendid, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, sunbirds, weavers and Woodhouse's Antpecker. Also a chance of Dwarf Bittern, Red-chested and White-spotted Flufftails, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Jameson's Wattle-eye and Grey Ground Thrush.

Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish
Nile Crocodile.

Other Natural Wonders of Uganda

River Nile The longest river in the world runs from Burundi through Lake Victoria, Uganda, Sudan (where it is joined, at Khartoum, by the Blue Nile which springs from Lake Tana in Ethiopia) and Egypt to the Mediterranean for 6695 km (4160 miles), draining about a tenth of the African continent in the process. Some scientists believe that the River Amazon is longer but most agree that it is 180 km (110 miles) shorter than the Nile at 6515 km (4050 miles).

Best Sites for Wildlife in Uganda

Photograph of Shoebill

Two brilliant images of a Shoebill at Mbamba and a Chimpanzee at Kibale Forest NP by Francesco Veronesi.

Photograph of Chimpanzee


Best Times for Wildlife in Uganda

Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Shoebills and African Green Broadbills may be seen all year round but are best looked for during the two dry seasons which usually last from December to March and from June to September. If other birds are important too and especially the very rare and elusive Green-breasted Pitta then the peak time to visit is July-August when this species usually sings the most and is therefore relatively easier to locate. Once nesting is under way it is present until at least September but much quieter. July-August also happens to coincide with the presence of Brown-chested Lapwing, another very rare and localized bird.

Recommended Books etc. for Uganda

Watching Wildlife: East Africa by M D Firestone et al. Lonely Planet, 2009 (Second Edition).

Bradt Travel Guide: East African Wildlife by P Briggs. Bradt, 2008.

Collins Traveller's Guide: Wildlife of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda by D Hosking and M Withers. Collins, 2006.

Mammals of Africa by M Andrews. Collins, due 2011.

The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals by J Kingdon. A & C Black, 2003.

The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals by J Kingdon. A & C Black, 2004.

Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa by J Fanshawe and T Stevenson. Helm, 2004.

Birds of Africa south of the Sahara by I Sinclair and P Ryan. C Struik, 2011 (Second Edition).

Birds of Eastern Africa by Ber Van Perlo. Harper Collins, 2009 (Second Edition).

Where to Watch Birds in Uganda by J Roussow and M Sacchi. Uganda Tourist Board, 1998.


Kingdon eGuide to African Mammals.

Trip Reports for Uganda

Many trip reports, some for Uganda, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Uganda. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Uganda' below.

Local Guides and Tours in Uganda

The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.

Accommodation in Uganda


Some Organized Tours to Uganda

There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.

While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.

Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Uganda include the following. Check to see if Gorilla Tracking Permits (US$500 and rising) are included in the price.