East African Safari in February – Why February is the best time to visit East Africa? – Where to go in February? – Gorilla trekking and wildlife Safaris
East African Safari in February – The month of February is relatively dry in Uganda, so it’s the best time to visit National Parks in the south and go Mountain Gorilla trekking. In the north of the country, it’s particularly hot and dusty and not an ideal time for wildlife viewing.
Uganda is true ‘the Pearl of Africa’, with its variety of form and color for a profusion of brilliant bird-life, insects, and reptiles for a vast scale. ” Winston Churchill penned these words about Uganda in 1907, and more than a century later, they still ring true.
Uganda is one of the world’s most bio-diverse countries in Africa and home to 13 different species of primates and 330 different species of mammals, of which six are found nowhere else, as well as more than 1040 different bird species. It also encompasses a startling range of landscapes, from Africa’s highest mountain range and the source of the Nile, the world’s longest river to the continent’s largest lake.
While most people think of Kenya and Tanzania when it comes to East African safaris, landlocked Uganda has one thing that it’s not there, the Mountain Gorillas. The country conserves half of the world’s remaining wild Mountain Gorilla population, and tracking these magnificent primates in their wild habitat is one of the most memorable wildlife safari experiences on the planet and a big reason why you should visit Uganda. Uganda is also one of the few countries in Africa where you can track the Chimpanzees in the forest reserves, another primate encounter that you will never forget.
Uganda also offers the traditional East African safari experience of game drives on open savannah to spot animals like lions, elephants, leopards, buffalo, and some rare wildlife highlights such as tree-climbing lions, sitatunga antelope, oribi, and rare shoebill storks, one of Africa’s top bird species.
White-water rafting and kayaking on the Nile River to bungee jumping, horseback safaris, and hiking among the glacier lakes and cloud forests of the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains as well as climbing Africa’s third highest peak, Mount Stanley are some of the best safari experiences Uganda has to offer.
What makes Uganda unique?
Uganda has one special attraction that only two other countries in the world also share, the Mountain Gorillas. Uganda is home to half of the world’s remaining population of these great apes, and seeing them in the wild is one of the planet’s most thrilling and memorable wildlife safari encounters. While you can also go Mountain Gorilla trekking in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda is the only country that offers the Gorilla habituation experience, where you get to spend more time with a Gorilla family that is in the process of being exposed to humans.
Uganda is also a fantastic place to trek the Chimpanzee, another wildlife activity that you can only do in a few places in Africa. Another special animal highlight in Uganda is the tree-climbing lions, which are found in Queen Elizabeth National Park. There’s only one other place in the world where lions climb trees Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania so seeing these big cats draped across branches is a rare sight.
Uganda offers both the chance to experience safaris on the open savannah as well as in tropical forests. In National Parks such as Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth, you can have the quintessential East African safari of spotting big game on the wide-open plains, while you also have the opportunity to trek the Chimpanzee and search for other primates in pockets of rainforest in western Uganda.
Uganda is one of the best countries in Africa for bird watching, due to its astounding diversity of species as a result of its position in between the East African savannah and West African rainforest, and its variety of different habitats. With the many beautiful species to search for, birdwatchers come to Uganda for the chance of seeing the elusive Shoebill stork, which is hardly seen anywhere else and is rated as one of the top five bird species to spot in the continent.
The other two unique natural highlights are the source of Africa’s longest river, the Nile, and the continent’s highest mountain range, the Rwenzori Mountains offer adventures galore, including white-water rafting, kayaking, boat safaris, hiking, and mountaineering.
