Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular savannah safari.
Uganda is famous for gorillas, but a Uganda safari offers so much more. The “Pearl of Africa” packs Big Five game drives, chimpanzee tracking, the source of the Nile, and world-class birding into one green, welcoming country. This guide covers Uganda’s safari destinations beyond the gorillas.
The Pearl of Africa
Uganda is one of Africa’s most diverse and rewarding safari destinations. Its national parks cover a remarkable range of habitats, from highland rainforest and tropical jungle to open savannah, lakes, and wetlands. This variety means a single trip can combine gorillas, chimpanzees, the Big Five, and over 1,000 bird species. Add famously friendly people and lush green scenery, and it’s easy to see why Uganda earned its nickname.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda’s most popular savannah park, Queen Elizabeth, is a superb all-round safari destination. Game drives reveal elephants, buffalo, antelope, and leopards, while the park’s Ishasha sector is famous for its unusual tree-climbing lions. A boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel brings you close to hippos, crocodiles, and abundant birdlife, and Kyambura Gorge offers chimpanzee tracking, all within one park.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale
Kibale National Park is the primate capital, famous for chimpanzee tracking.
Kibale National Park is one of the best places in Africa to track chimpanzees. Known as the primate capital, its tropical rainforest shelters a large chimpanzee population along with many other primate species. Trekking here, guided by rangers, lets you observe these intelligent, charismatic apes up close as they feed, play, and move through the forest, a wonderful complement to the gorillas of the southwest.
Murchison Falls and the north
Murchison Falls, where the Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge.
Uganda’s largest park, Murchison Falls, is built around the dramatic point where the mighty Nile is forced through a narrow gorge before crashing down. Game drives here offer elephants, giraffes, lions, and buffalo, while a boat trip to the base of the falls is unforgettable. Further north, remote Kidepo Valley is one of Africa’s true wilderness parks, wild, scenic, and gloriously uncrowded.
Birdwatching and other parks
Uganda is a birder’s paradise, with over 1,000 recorded species including the extraordinary shoebill. Beyond the headline parks, compact Lake Mburo offers zebras and antelope close to Kampala, making an easy first or last stop. Whatever your route, Uganda’s parks deliver an exceptional variety of wildlife and scenery.
Combine with gorilla trekking
The classic Uganda trip pairs a savannah and chimpanzee safari with gorilla trekking in Bwindi. A typical circuit might take in Kibale’s chimps, Queen Elizabeth’s game drives, and Bwindi’s gorillas over a week or more, a rich, varied adventure. See our Uganda gorilla trekking and Bwindi Forest guides for the primate side.
Plan your Uganda safari
Uganda’s diversity makes it ideal for a varied safari, and it combines well with a wider East African trip. Explore our gorilla guides above, compare the region in our Uganda vs Rwanda guide, or contact us to plan a Uganda safari alongside our Tanzania and Zanzibar trips.
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