If you are planning to visit Uganda, you will need a valid visa, passport copy (bio-data page) with at least 6 months validity, status of host in Uganda(tour company you are going to use), airline ticket(hard copy or e-ticket), vaccination Certificate (Yellow Fever) and recent passport-size photograph.  At the time of applying for this mandatory application, be sure to explicitly specify the correct date of your arrival based on your flights and the length of time you intend to vacation in the country.

When you are planning to have your safari holiday in Uganda, you should consider some crucial things as it is going to be explained in this article.

First of all, you have to decide on which date and season your planning to conduct your trip. In Udanda there two seasons that is to say dry and wet season though the dry season is the best when the routes to some tourist places are not muddy and slippery. Dry season also eases some activities like hiking and many other activities.

When you are planning for your trip holiday to Uganda, you have to think on which travel company to use in order to have a successful trip. Here, Nature Adventure Africa Safaris is ready to help you in planning for your holiday trip. Confirm to work with us by text us on our what sap number or contact us on email.

After confirming with us on planning your trip, confirm your final date on when you are starting the trip so that the booking of some activities like gorilla trekking starts early. Booking of permits (gorilla permits and chimpanzee permits) is done in advance.

You can book travel permits through a tour operator (Nature Adventure Africa Safaris) or direct from Uganda Wildlife Authority.  Though it’s better to book with tour operators because for them they can even help you in planning for a trip and also helping you in booking good accommodation facilities.

Once you have confirmed your trip, Nature Adventure Africa Safaris advises you to inbox them through email or WhatsApp so that they can be able to check for availability since these permits are at high demand especially during the dry season of months January, February, June, July, August, November and December.  Once they confirm about the availability, they will send you an invoice so that you can make payments and after your payment the permit will be sent to you in a scanned document so as to confirm that you paid for a gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or chimpanzee trekking permit in Kibale National Park. The gorilla permits cost as low as US$800 dollars as compared to Rwanda and chimpanzee permits are US$250 and chimpanzee habituation at US$300.  It is more advisable to book for gorilla permits at least 2-3 months before the date of your trip since they are at high demand.

You can choose on which places to visit for example for gorilla trekking you can go to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a large primeval forest located in south-western Uganda in the Kanungu District and is known most for Mountain gorillas. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda’s oldest and most biologically diverse rain forests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants.

This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.

Bwindi is a home to at least 200 butterfly species including the eight Albertine rift endemics. Also, a home to many reptiles.

The neighboring towns of Buhoma and Nkuringo both have an impressive array of luxury lodges, rustic bandas, and budget campsites, as well as restaurants, craft stalls, and guiding services. Opportunities abound to discover the local Bakiga and Batwa Pygmy cultures through performances, workshops, and village walks.

Trekking mountain gorillas in Bwindi Forest can be conducted all year round. Most gorilla trekkers prefer visiting the mountain gorillas from June to September as well as from December up to February. You can visit Bwindi at any time of the year, the low season calls for cheaper gorilla permit price but generally there is slight difference in the seasons.

In Uganda gorilla trekking starts with a briefing at the information office where trekkers are divided into small groups of 8 members before entering the jungle.

On your trek day, you can carry packed lunch and bottled mineral water, sun screen, hut, insect repellent and rain gear. Some hikers come with socks for both legs and hands. When you meet the gorillas, you are advised to calm down as you spend your allowed one hour with the them.

After you can have your packed lunch but not in the provoking way to the gorillas. Feel free to ask the guide all your questions concerning the primates.

After this tiresome activity return to the lodge like clouds mountain gorilla, sanctuary safari lodge, Nkuringo among others and welcoming and friendly staffs will be at your service as you wait for African cuisine dinner and stunning overnight in the African setting camps which blends with nature.

After your long and strenuous adventure day Bwindi Impenetrable National Park provides other perfect activities eligible to adventurous travelers like the community walk which leads you to the local healers (Batwa people).  Batwa cultural people will teach you on how they make banana wine and also jazz you on how they used to live in the forest by hunting and gathering fruits for survival.  You can also take the Nkuringo walk or visit the Manyanga River falls. Therefore, we recommend our visitors to stay more days longer and do the gorilla trekking experience together with other activities like nature walks, Community Walk, birding and many more which are much fun and educational conservation criteria through benefit sharing hence protecting the habitats of mountain gorilla.

You can also choose Kibale National Park for chimpanzee trekking. Kibale National Park is in the western part of Uganda about 348km from Kampala and about 26km south-east of the beautiful Fort Portal town one of Uganda’s most lovely places to explore.

The park is located close to the serene Ndali Kasenda crater area and it takes a half day’s drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori Mountains and Semuliki National Parks and the Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve.

Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee trekking safaris and has the highest number and diversity of primates in East Africa. There are 13 species of primates including chimpanzees living within its 795km2 land cover with the most beautiful and most diversified tracts of tropical forest in the whole of Uganda.

Kibale Forest National Park Uganda is one of the best safari destinations in Africa for chimpanzee tracking. Birds and butterflies are abundant.

Kibale is one of the best places in Africa to view many primate species. Visitors can expect to see five or six species in addition to chimpanzee. Species active during the day include vervet, red-tailed, L'Hoest's and blue monkey, black-and-white colobus, olive baboon, Ugandan red colobus and Uganda mangabey. Other mammals including lion, elephant and buffalo are rarely seen in the park but they are also present.

Kibale supports a range of habitats over different altitude zones. The tropical forest on the Fort Portal plateau changes to savannah in the Albertine Valley floor in the south. The forest has suffered less from logging in the past compared to some other forests in the country and is therefore still relatively pristine and home to some very big mahoganies, figs and other hardwoods.

The most done activity in this park is chimpanzee trekking. Most activities in Kibale National Park are carried out at Kanyanchu Visitor’s Center since it is located within the park and is 10km away from the park headquarter (Isunga).

Chimpanzee trekking starts from the Kanyanchu Visitor Centre in the morning and in the afternoon with briefing where here people are grouped in small groups in order to have a smooth trekking and it takes about 2-3 hours.

While on your chimpanzee tracking experience, you will be able to meet other primates other than the chimpanzees and some other mammals such as the forest elephants, duikers or buffaloes on your lucky day. Chimpanzees can be spotted busy feeding on fig tree or you may also meet them on the ground. Chimpanzee tracking gives you an opportunity to see the chimpanzees in their natural setting busy breast feeding, some even breeding, grooming each other, and you will be able to see their real life setting and also you will be able to hike and see some other tree species. Many butterfly species do exist within the park, you also be able to watch the butterflies. Other activities done in this park include; Bigodi Walk in Bigodi wetland sanctuary, bird watching, chimpanzee habituation and many other activities.

For accommodation in Kibale National Park, you can book with the following accommodation facilities;

Kyaninga Luxury.  It over looks stunning Lake Kyaninga with the backdrop of the Rwenzori mountains. Kyaninga Lodge offers nine exclusive luxury cottages surrounded by unspoilt natural beauty with breathtaking vistas.

The cottages are crafted from natural local materials, adorned with handcrafted furnishings which seamlessly blend with the breathtaking landscape.

Each cottage opens out onto a large private deck where you can start your day enjoying morning tea or coffee with spectacular views over the lake and the Rwenzori Mountains. Yoga mats are available on request.

The en-suite bathrooms boast marble countertop basins set atop crafted Elgon olive pedestals, claw-footed freestanding baths, and glass-walled showers.

The main lodge building has a spacious dining hall, a bar, and a lounge area centered on a fireplace. The lodge has a swimming pool, as well as a tennis court and croquet lawn. The crater lake is the cleanest lake in East Africa, the pristine waters are great for canoeing or swimming.

Ndali Lodge. It was built on land originally owned by tea farmer Trevor Price and developed by his son in the 1990. It is thatched, wooden and stone building. It consists of a main lodge and 8 sleeping cottages which are situated on the rim of an extinct volcano. The main lodge includes a reception, lounge, dining area, bar and veranda.

The food buffet, picnic or dining is first class and evening meals take place around a communal table. The service, and the company of the lodge’s owners is equally good.

The 8 cottages are spacious, airy stone and thatch built which are large enough to accommodate families. Each en-suite room possesses a double or twin bed, plenty of changing room, a seating area and private veranda.

The bathroom includes a flush toilet, basin, shower and stand-alone bath. Tasteful, restrained, the cottage’s interior designs are a beautiful mix of reclaimed wood, four poster beds, tables and locally made materials.

Activities at Ndali Lodge include farm tours, trips to Mahoma waterfall, boat trips, lake swimming and excursions into the Bigodi wetlands.

Chimpundu Lodge. Chimpundu Lodge offers Luxury cottage accommodation and an array of authentic Kibale Forest and Kibale National Park experiences in a lush indigenous setting. Luxury cottages accommodation provide a true Kibale Forest ambience with every comfort catered for including spacious full bathrooms and private balcony and all cottages are equipped with modern amenities.

Spend time relaxing with family and friends at the bar, enjoy memorable meals at the restaurant or at the swimming pool gazebo, or simply spend time reading a novel in the comfortable lounge. Cool off after a day of enthralling chimpanzee trekking with a refreshing dip in the swimming pool, and enjoy watching a favorite channel with loved ones on satellite TV in the lounge.

Chimpundu Lodge has a bar serving favorite drinks and snacks with additional outdoor swimming pool.

Crater Safari Lodge. It is located on a rocky crest overlooking the picturesque Nyinabulitwa Crater Lake in the outskirts of Kibale National Park.  The lodge has a total of 21 rooms scattered on the slope in thatched chalets around the main lodge’s frontage or by the poolside in two-story blocks. Rooms have large double or twin beds covered with mosquito netting with an ensuite bathroom with a shower while some also have a bath.

Palm star motel. It is situated in Fort Portal 2.7 km from Toroo Botanical Gardens Fort Portal. Palm Star Motel features accommodation with a garden, free private parking, a shared lounge and a terrace and it has over 12 rooms including guest rooms and two-Bedroom Suite. It's a lovely place to stay in Fort Portal and it has friendly staff, plenty of parking and many more.

Guests at the motel enjoy visiting Mpanga Market which is situated within close distance of the Fort Portal hotel.

Rooms at Palm Star Motel are equipped with a balcony, a dining area, Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV with satellite channels. Most rooms at this motel come with a separate toilet and showers as well as comforts including towels and slippers. Breakfast is offered in the restaurant every morning.

Papaya lake lodge. It is nestled in the lush, evergreen landscapes of Uganda’s Crater Lakes region near Kibale National Park. Papaya Lake Lodge is a European family-owned property offering a tranquil and luxurious retreat. The lodge boasts exhilarating views of the majestic Ruwenzori Mountain Range.

The lodge comprises nine luxurious cottages, a restaurant, and a beautiful swimming pool with a scenic terrace. The cottages are situated on the slope of an extinct volcano crater, providing breathtaking views of Lyantonde Lake. Each cottage provides complete privacy, hidden from view by a natural screen of green treetops.

Eight of the cottages feature two beds, a king-size and a single, with local stone-decorated bathrooms featuring shower units and verandas equipped with deck chairs. The single family-cottage is a two-level villa with three bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace, a spacious en-suite bathroom, and a large terrace.

Amenities at the lodge include; Laundry Services, En-suite bathrooms, Hot and Cold Water in bathrooms, Swimming Pool, Wi-Fi Available, Restaurant and Bar, Daily housekeeping, Mosquito net among others.

Kibale Forest Camp. Kibale Forest Camp consists of 12 African safari style tents comfortably furnished with twin or double beds. Each unit has its own private ensuite bathroom with a flush toilet, a dressing room and a hot water shower. Seated from your private veranda, the red or black and white colobus are often be observed in the dense camp surroundings.

Kibale Forest Camp offers an alternative accommodation in the form of 9 non-self-contained tents. These are furnished with comfortable beds, a bedside table and a power outlet for charging your electrical equipment. All tents are placed under a grass thatched roof.

Kibale guest cottages. It is situated at the edge of Kibale National Park on Fort Portal – Kamwenge Road. Kibale Guest Cottages offers free WIFI access, a children's playground and has a garden.

The lodge is a mid- range accommodation and have very many cottages which have volume of 10 rooms and can accommodate about 20 guests per night. It is built on great standards with solar power-driven warm showers.

All cottage terraces offer outstanding outlook of Kibale forest home to these primates such as chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys together with 350 bird species.

The staff is hospitable and the rooms are very nice and clean. The pool table in the bar is nice for the evenings.  The bar next to the Garden provides and variety of wines and spirits entrenched with a good atmosphere during day and night for a comforting and relaxing up hot sun in a pleasant tropical atmosphere.

In your plan if you want, you can also include visiting cities like Kampala, Jinja, national parks such as Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kidepo National Park and many more. The only thing you have to do is to contact Nature Adventure Africa Safaris in order to get detailed programmes about those tourism places.