Tailor Made Holidays in Uganda: Highlights

Float along the Kazinga Channel

Linking Lake Edward and Lake George, the Kazinga Channel is home to a proliferation of birdlife, hippos and crocodiles, and is often visited in the afternoon by buffalo, elephants and giraffes. There is a boat trip which floats along the channel for a couple of hours in the mornings or afternoons which is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours and will give you a different perspective to being on a game-drive – highly recommended!

 
Hike in the Rwenzori Mountains

Known as the Mountains of the Moon, keen walkers can enjoy a week exploring these peaks in the southwest of Uganda. The main Rwenzori Loop trail takes six nights and seven days to complete, passing through moorland, past waterfalls and past beautiful Lake Bujuku. The really adventurous can spend an extra night and attempt the summit of Mount Speke, but shorter hikes of three days and two nights are also possible in the lower foothills.

 
Search for the shoebill stork

Bird enthusiasts from around the world visit Uganda for its incredible birdlife. For ornithologists, one of the highlights is a visit to Lake Albert in the Semliki Wildlife Reserve to search for the rare shoebill storks. These prehistoric-looking birds thrive in the swampy environment on the lake’s shore and there is thought to be a population of around a dozen pairs. Even if your search is unsuccessful, the boat trip on the lake in search of these incredible creatures will be a memorable way to spend a day.

 
See the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha

The southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park is known as the Ishasha plains and is home to several prides of lions which spend their days lounging in the low-lying boughs of fig trees. Scientists have spent years researching this unusual behaviour and are still unsure whether they do this for a vantage point for hunting, or whether it’s to avoid insects in the tall grasses. Either way, this is an unusual and remarkable sight on safari and it’s worth exploring the area to try to find them!

 
Take a night-time game drive in Semliki Wildlife Reserve

Something a bit different to a traditional game-drive which you can enjoy at the Semliki Wildlife Reserve is a night game-drive. Setting off after an early dinner, you will head out into the wilderness and if you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of a leopard in a tree. Serval cats, civets, Ugandan kob, troops of mongoose, the strange triple-winged nightjars and nocturnal bush hogs are regularly spotted, giving you an entirely different kind of safari. This is a really unusual way to experience Uganda’s wildlife and the solitude of this beautiful reserve.

 
Track chimpanzees in Kibale Forest

A day spent searching for these mischievous primates is a highlight for many visitors to Uganda, and Kibale Forest holds the country’s highest population of chimpanzees so your chances of finding some are good. Often hearing them screeching and calling from the canopies before you see them, you will find yourselves thoroughly entertained by the chimpanzees leaping from tree to tree, making nests out of leaves and grooming one another.

Read more about: Kibale Forest National Park
 
Track mountain gorillas in Uganda's forests

Making your way through the bamboo forests and into the dense montane forest you will trek for between two and five hours to find your allocated group of mountain gorillas. You can spend one hour with them once you have found the first gorilla and the visits are timed to coincide with their rest periods, so you can watch as they play, eat, groom and lounge around in a clearing in the forest. The sometimes strenuous walk to find the gorillas is always made up for by this truly unique experience!

 
Walk through the Maramagambo Forest

This dense forest on the southeastern edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a staggering diversity of flora, fauna and birdlife. There are several guided walks available and black and white colobus monkeys, L'Hoests monkeys, chimpanzees, yellow-backed duiker and pygmy antelope are just some of the creatures you may come across. You could also visit the beautiful Nyamasingiri and Kyasanduka crater lakes while you’re there.

 
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