Destination · Uganda
Uganda Private Travel Planning
Uganda holds roughly half the world's mountain gorillas, the highest primate density on the planet in Kibale Forest, and a Queen Elizabeth National Park system that still feels properly wild. Kelly plans private overland and fly-in trips from Kigali.
Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is home to roughly 459 mountain gorillas, about half the world's surviving population. The forest is split into four trekking sectors: Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Rushaga and Nkuringo in the south. Each sector has its own habituated gorilla families, its own lodges, and its own access road. Choosing the right sector is the most important decision in a Bwindi trip and is not something Kelly leaves to chance.
Permits are issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. A separate gorilla habituation experience permit, which gives you four hours with a semi-habituated family rather than the standard one hour, is only available in Rushaga. Kelly secures both well in advance and matches clients to the sector and family that fits their fitness, time, and lodge preference.
Compared to Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, Bwindi is wilder and the trek is typically longer. The trade-off is access. The drive from Kigali to Bwindi takes about four to five hours via the Cyanika border. The drive from Entebbe is closer to nine. Kelly often runs combined Rwanda and Uganda gorilla itineraries that start in Kigali.
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kibale Forest
Kibale National Park in western Uganda has the highest density of primates anywhere in the world, with thirteen species including chimpanzee, red colobus, black-and-white colobus, L'Hoest's monkey, and grey-cheeked mangabey. The standard chimpanzee trek runs about three hours and gives you one hour with a habituated chimp community.
The chimpanzee habituation experience is the more serious option: a full day with a semi-habituated community, typically eight to ten hours in the forest. You arrive before the chimps wake and stay through the day until they nest. For people who already know they love primates, this is the best chimp experience in East Africa. Kelly arranges both and pairs Kibale with the crater lake lodges nearby, which are some of the best mid-range stays in Uganda.
Queen Elizabeth National Park, Game Drives and Boat Safaris
Queen Elizabeth covers nearly 2,000 square kilometres in southwest Uganda, sitting between Lake Edward and Lake George with the Kazinga Channel running between them. Boat safaris on the Kazinga Channel are the standout: dense hippo pods, buffalo herds drinking at the bank, and one of the densest concentrations of waterbirds in East Africa.
The Ishasha sector in the south is famous for tree-climbing lions. They are not unique to Ishasha (lions in Tanzania's Lake Manyara do the same), but the fig trees here make for a particularly good viewing setup. Kelly usually pairs Queen Elizabeth with Bwindi or Kibale and uses private vehicles throughout.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls is Uganda's largest national park and contains the most dramatic waterfall on the Nile, where the entire river is forced through a seven-metre gap before dropping 45 metres. Game drives in the northern sector cross open savannah with elephant herds, Rothschild's giraffe, Uganda kob, and lion. Boat safaris on the Nile run both to the base of the falls and down the delta where it enters Lake Albert. The delta boat trip is also the best chance in Uganda to see shoebill stork.
Getting to Uganda from Rwanda
Most clients who do Uganda with Kelly fly into Kigali, do the Rwanda half of the trip first, then cross into Uganda overland (the Cyanika or Katuna borders are both straightforward for tourists) or fly Kigali to Entebbe and connect to a charter into Kihihi, Kasese, or Pakuba airstrips depending on the parks. Internal Uganda flights run via Aerolink and save a lot of road time on a typical seven to ten day itinerary.
