You can have a unique opportunity to visit various places, including the National Museum, Buganda Kingdom, Tooro Kingdom, Bunyoro Kingdom etc. This is an opportunity provided by Uganda for you to learn about the different tribes that make up the country. You will learn about how different people settled where they did. You will see the tools they used during hunting, farming, construction and other activities. You will also learn about their ethnic groups, customs and architecture.

Uganda has four main ethnic groups,the Bantu, Hamites, Nilo-Hamites and Nilotics. These cover various tribes, each with unique languages and cultures. The tribes include Baganda, Banyankole, Bagisu, Langi, Karimojong, Lugbara, Acholi, Basoga, Jopadhola, and Batooro. Their history will offer insight into how different communities were effectively governed through chiefs, kings, clan leaders etc. The cultural practices will offer you great experiences. These include circumcision, traditional dances, dressing, hunting and marriage ceremonies.

Uganda experiences a tropical type of climate with some variations that depend on factors such as topography and closeness to waterbodies. There are 2 distinct seasons, rainy season and dry season. There is a primary rainy season that starts from March to May (long rains) and September to November (short rains). Uganda also experiences the dry season, that runs from December to February, and from June to August. However, Uganda also receives rainfall even during the dry season.

The minimum annual rainfall received in Uganda is 500mm and the maximum is 2,800mm. This amount of rainfall is also significant in supplying various water bodies in the country. These include Rivers Nile, Semliki, Mpologoma and Malaba. Also, Lakes like Victoria, Albert, Edward, Kyoga and George and others. Uganda also experiences moderate temperature conditions. The average annual temperatures experienced are around 22.8^oC. The average monthly temperatures range from around 21.7^oC to 23.9^oC.

Out of the 734 protected and conservation areas in Uganda, there are 10 areas designated as national parks, 12 sites designated as wildlife reserves, 10 sites designated as wildlife sanctuaries and 5 community wildlife areas.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

This spans around 1,978 km² in southwestern Uganda. It became a national park in 1952 and is the most popular in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park is known for the unique tree climbing lions. Queen Elizabeth National Park is also known for its diverse range of flora and fauna species. These include 95 mammal species, 600 bird species and 14,000 plant species. You will have a high chance to see mammals like 4 of the African Big five of lions, leopards, elephants and buffaloes. Other mammals are topis, Uganda kob, hippos and warthogs etc.

Bird species to find here include papyrus gonolek, grey crowned crane, shoebill stork, African fish eagle, African finfoot, swamp flycatcher, palm-nut vulture, martial eagle, collared pratincole, white-naped pigeon, African skimmer, great blue turaco, black bee-eater, yellow throated cuckoo and grey crowned crane. Reptiles in Queen Elizabeth National Park include Nile crocodiles, monitor lizards, and common house lizards among others. There are 10 primate species including chimpanzees, blue monkeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, pottos, and vervet monkeys.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site found in southwestern Uganda. Gazetted in 1991 as a national park, Bwindi covers around 321 km². The park is renowned for being home to over 450 mountain gorillas. Currently, there are 23 habituated gorilla families that are available for you to track throughout the year. Bwindi is also a home that shelters 11 primate species, including the mountain gorillas. Others are vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and chimpanzees etc.

There are also 357 bird species that find shelter in Bwindi, including numerous Albertine endemics. These are the Rwenzori turaco, bush shrike, Rwenzori batis, blue headed sunbird, white bellied robin chat, African green broadbill, mountain masked apalis, African harrier hawk, handsome spurfowl and regal sunbird etc. There are also numerous flora and fauna found here. There are mammals like buffalos, elephants, duikers and others. You will also see the butterflies, trees, herbs, grasses, amphibians and reptiles etc.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is another prime tourism hotspot you will enjoy. This is the largest national park in Uganda, spanning 3,893 km² in northwestern Uganda. It become a national park in 1952, getting its nice name from the great Murchison Falls. This is the most powerful waterfalls you will ever see. This is along the River Nile, which divides the park into 2. There are plenty of unique fauna and flora that find shelter in Murchison Falls National Park. Among them are over 76 mammal species and 476 bird species.

The mammals you will most likely see include 4 of the African Big Five, hippopotamuses, hyenas, Uganda kobs, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, bushbucks, giraffes, olive baboons, bush babies, warthogs and Bohor reedbuck etc. Birds include the shoebill stork, saddle billed stork, yellow wagtail, Abdim’s stork, black crowned crane, hooded vulture, Ruppell’s vulture, Egyptian vulture, goliath heron, grey crowned crane and the Abyssinian ground hornbill.

Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park spans 795 km² in southwestern Uganda and has the largest population of chimpanzees. It became Kibale National Park in 1993 and this is due to a variety of factors, including being a biodiversity hotspot. Kibale National Park has 71 mammal species, 372 bird species and 350 tree species. Mammals include buffaloes, elephants, giant forest hogs and African civets. Birds include collared apalis, dusky crimson wing, purple breasted sunbird, blue-headed sunbird, African pitta, black bee-eater and the endemic Kibale ground thrush.

Among the mammals, there are 13 species of primates including the chimpanzees. Kibale National Park houses an estimated 1,450 chimpanzees, the biggest number in Uganda. Other primates include Uganda mangabeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, L’hoest’s monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red colobus monkeys, bushbabies, red-tailed monkeys, mantled guerezas, pattas monkeys, pottos and vervet monkeys etc.

Apart from the above national parks, you can also choose to visit Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Semuliki National Park, Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve, Kyambura Game Reserve, Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Mabira Forest, Mabamba Wetland Sanctuary, Uganda Wildlife Conservationa and Education Center, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Matheniko Wildlife Reserve.

While on tour in Uganda, you will have an assortment of activities that are unforgettable once you enjoy them. You could go for gorilla trekking adventures in either Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You could do the thrilling game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park or Lake Mburo National Park. Birding tours are available in the national parks and other areas like Mabamba wetland. Golden monkey treks are available in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Boat cruises are also enjoyable in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Lake Victoria and River Nile. Chimpanzee trekking tours are done in Kibale National Park, Kyambura Gorge, Budongo Forest, Bugoma forest etc. Cultural encounters can be experienced among the Batwa Pygmies living around Bwindi, Mgahinga and Semuliki National Parks. You can also go for sport fishing, bungee jumping, nature walks, mountain hikes, visit to tea plantations and Kampala city tour among others.

Make a visit to Uganda at any time you wish to. Depending on the tour experience you are planning to do, ensure that you consider the weather conditions. For example, most outdoor tour activities like trekking tours and wildlife safaris are better experienced during the dry season. The dry season offers dry trails, dry access roads, less dense vegetation cover and less rainfall. This subsequently makes navigation less challenging and wildlife views better. Therefore, travelling to the tour destination and experiencing your tours are uninterrupted.

Birding tours are more enjoyable during the wet season. During this time, both migratory and the resident bird species are plenty in the birding sites. This is because the destinations experience relatively high rainfall amounts. These increase the sources of water in the destinations. The rains also increase foliage, and food sources. All these factors are suitable for breeding of the bird species. For more information on when to visit, contact us at Kinyeti to get the most appropriate tailored tour packages.