Best Time to Visit Uganda | When to go on Uganda Safari – Hail Tours 2024/25

When is the best time to visit Uganda? Visiting Uganda is possible at any time, day, month, season of the year. But, generally, the best time to visit Uganda is during the 2 drier seasons. These are the best seasons of the year to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking, golden monkey tracking, mountain climbing or chimpanzee tracking.

Uganda experiences a tropical kind of climate, however, the climatic or weather conditions vary from on region to another. Temperatures are often drop in high-altitude areas such as Mount Rwenzori and Mount Elgon.

The best time to visit Uganda by season of the year

Most parts of Uganda record an average rainfall amount of up to 1000-2000mm though the wet/rainy season and duration do vary depending on the region. Long rains are often experienced starting from March, April, May and shorter rains in Uganda begin from October to November.

During the wet or rainy months of the year, it can rain but briefly, and then the sun comes hence allowing tourists on Uganda safaris to proceed with their normal activities. Higher humidity is experienced mostly in the Lake Victoria basin with rains received almost all year round. Humidity reduces significantly in other parts of Uganda.

The dry season in most parts of Uganda begins in June, July, August, and September- this is considered to be the long dry season and the shorter dry season starts in December, January, and February. These come with favorable weather conditions perfect for visitors who are on Uganda safaris in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking or Kibale National Park for chimpanzee tracking.

When planning your Uganda safari, take note of the season. The long wet/rainy season runs from March, April to May; short rainy/wet months run from October to November while the dry months include June, July, August to September; December, January to February.

Game spotting in National Parks in Uganda is ideal from dry season when a huge profusion of wildlife can clearly be sighted. In every season, temperatures do vary- rising from 24 to 30 Degrees Celsius. If you are interested in birding/bird watching, Uganda is an all year-round birding safari destination.

June, July, August/December, January to February are the best months of the year to visit all Uganda National Parks. June, July, August to September are peak months of the year and if you plan to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking, then you should have your gorilla permit booked early. The low season- March, April, May or October to November, most Uganda safari parks experience heavy rains with forest trails becoming muddy, and slippery.

The best weather of the year is experienced from June, July & January to February. During these months, low rainfall amount is received while March, April and May are considered to be the worst months of the year. These are the peak wet/rainy months of the year in most parts of Uganda.

Regions in Uganda and when to visit

Uganda is a unique travel destination in Africa, featuring a breathtaking landscape. There are 4 major regions or circuits in Uganda each with a distinct landscape and varying weather conditions. One of the least visited safari regions in Uganda is the Eastern safari circuit yet features unique attractions of its own.

A Uganda safari in the Eastern circuit presents visitors a great opportunity to uncover untapped tourist sites such as Kidepo Valley National Park, Sipi Falls, Ssezibwa Falls, Mount Elgon National Park, Coffee plantations, Mabira Forest, the Source of the Nile right at Jinja, Matheniko Wildlife Reserve, Mount Elgon, Bokora Corridor Wildlife Reserve. The dry season is the most favorable time if you plan to visit the Eastern circuit on safari in Uganda.

The Central circuit/region- this is mainly composed of a large Lake Victoria that is shared by 3 East African Countries- Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. Other amazing attractions and activities worth enjoying while on Uganda safari in the Southern circuit include the Victoria Nile River, Entebbe Botanical Gardens and more. This area is best to visit from June, July, August/December, January, and February.

The Southern & Western circuits are the strongholds of Uganda safari parks and several other tourist sites. There are 10 parks in Uganda with most of them located in the Western part of the country including Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Kibale National Park, Rwenzori Mountains National Park, Semuliki National Park, and more.

There are also several wildlife reserves worth visiting in Southern and Western Uganda including Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Kigezi Wildlife Reserve, Kyambura Wildlife Reserve, Semliki Wildlife Reserve and others.

Why Visit Uganda?

• Uganda is strategically position astride Equator and due to its location, it enjoys the finest sunny and rainy weather conditions all year-round. The weather conditions in Uganda are favorable from East to the west.
• Diverse wildlife- Uganda is a home to diverse African wildlife species including mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, tree climbing lions, over 1080 bird species, leopards, lions, buffaloes, rhinos and more.
• Visit Rwenzori Mountains National Park to enjoy a unique and thrilling mountaineering experience. The Rwenzori National Park is home to glaciers, scenic valleys of about 9 lakes, distinct vegetation, snow-capped peaks including Margherita at 5109m, and other faunal and floral species. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a designated Heritage Site priding itself for distinct floral species comprising of bamboo forest, tropical forest, montane cloud forest and alpine vegetation. Other peaks and volcanoes worth hiking include Mount Elgon in Mount Elgon National Park; Gahinga, Sabyinyo and Muhabura volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
• The world’s second-largest fresh lake- Lake Victoria and the world’s longest River- River Nile has its source right in Uganda. Besides, there are numerous beautiful lakes to visit on Uganda safari including Lake Edward, Lake Kyoga, Lake Albert, Lake Mburo, Lake George and others.
• Authentic cultures- with about 56 tribes, Uganda is no doubt a true boiling pot of cultures. Different tribes in Uganda have distinct traditions, cultures, norms and experiences, stories to share. From the west, you will be interacting and exploring the unique cultures, traditions of Banyankole, Bakiga and Bahima. To the east, visit the Iteso, Karamojong people, Ik, Bagisu for imbalu circumcision and to the North, explore the distinct cultures of Acholi and more.
• Safety- Uganda is amazingly one of the safest countries in the world with a long period prevailing peace and stability. This makes Uganda the safest travel destination in Africa worth visiting for a holiday.

 Where to go for Wildlife Tour in Uganda?

Mount Elgon National Park

Elgon National Park is a stunning park located in Eastern Uganda and protects the extinct volcano- Mount Elgon. This 1121sq.kms park lies on Uganda side and a portion of it is found in Kenya. Mount Elgon is 80kms diameter, featuring the widest caldera on earth.

Mount Elgon National Park has unique attractions including caves such as Makingeny, Ngwarisha, Chepnyalil and Kitum cave. The caves within the park feature salt attracting a huge concentration of elephants to lick it hence offering excellent view of these interesting mammal species.

There is a list of about 300 bird species to look out for while in Mount Elgon National Park. These include Jackson’s francolins, white starred forest robin, mash widow bird, lammergeyer, alpine chat, black collared apalis, hunters cisticola and others.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Located in Western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is a must-visit destination for magical wilderness experiences. The park occupies 1978sq.kms and taking its name after Queen Elizabeth of England, expect to see a huge profusion of savannas and forest wildlife species.

Queen Elizabeth Np protects 620 bird species, diverse mammal species like the tree climbing lions, reptiles and primates including chimpanzees.

Murchison Falls National Park

Known for its powerful waterfalls- Murchison Falls, Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s biggest National Park. This extensive savanna park sits in Northwestern Uganda, expanding on land area of 3840sq.kms.

The park boasts of interesting wildlife such as the Rothschild giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, warthogs, crocodiles, hippos, 451 bird species, primates such as chimpanzees, baboons, colobus monkeys and more.

Mgahinga National Park & Bwindi National Park

Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is compact in size, occupying only 33.7sq.kms of land area in Southwestern Uganda. This is set within the Virunga Mountain ranges and inhabits golden monkeys and endangered mountain gorillas. The 33.7sq.kms park is famous for golden monkey tracking, Batwa trail experience, mountain gorilla trekking, birding, hiking and others.

Bwindi National Park is 331sq.kms and lies in Southwestern Uganda. Bwindi forest is another outstanding mountain gorilla trekking destination in Uganda and Africa. Two National Parks protect 21 habituated gorilla families in the 5 sectors- Ntebeko in Mgahinga; Ruhija, Buhoma, Rushaga and Nkuringo.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Rwenzori Mountains National Park is the other exceptional park anyone on Uganda safari shouldn’t miss visiting. The park sits in Western Uganda astride Equator crossing close to the border area with D.R. Congo. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is most visited for its exhilarating mountaineering or hiking adventures.

Semuliki National Park & Kibale National Park

Kibale National Park & Semuliki National Park are ideal chimpanzee-tracking safari parks in Uganda. These are located in Western Uganda and they protect more than chimpanzees as there are several birds, primates and more.