Uganda is among only three countries that is home to the endangered mountain gorilla. Uganda shelters over half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, making it the largest concentration of mountain gorillas in the world.
With a tapestry of landscapes, excellent wildlife watching and welcoming locals, Uganda packs a lot into one small country. It’s home to the source of the Nile (the world’s longest river) and the continent’s largest lake.
The country’s most iconic experience is tracking mountain gorillas in their misty habitat.
Uganda is one of the most peaceful, secure and safest tourist destination in East Africa. Unlike its turbulent history, Uganda is now stable and welcoming. Ugandans are very hospitable and will willingly lend a helping hand when and wherever they can.
Rwanda is a much smaller country than Uganda, so lends itself better to a short trip in combination with a safari or beach stay elsewhere in East Africa.
Tracking Gorillas: Uganda or Rwanda?
The Volcanoes National Park is only two hours’ drive on tarmac road from Kigali and the international airport. For one visit to the gorillas, you will need a minimum of two nights’ stay, and three nights would be ideal. Rwanda has more than twice the number of habituated mountain gorilla groups than Uganda and so permits are generally more easily available.
In tropical warm Uganda you can find snow capped mountains at the highest places. To discover the country at all heights, you best slalom around the two rainy periods. December to March is a good time to visit Uganda, followed by heavy rainfall in April and May. Another good time to visit Uganda is the period from June to September, after which the clouds pile up again in October. A timeline can be seen in the overview below. The greener the box is by the month, the better it is to travel to this country in that period!
