Uganda safari in dry season – Best time to visit Uganda for safari – What is the dry season in Uganda? – Best season for safari in Uganda
A Uganda safari in dry season (June to August and December to February) is ideal for wildlife viewing because thinner vegetation and animal congregations around water sources make spotting animals easier. The dry season also provides the best conditions for gorilla trekking, as forest trails are less muddy and more navigable. However, these are popular, high-demand months, so permits and bookings should be made well in advance.
What to expect during the dry season?
Wildlife viewing: Animals gather near rivers and waterholes, increasing your chances of seeing large herds of elephants, buffaloes, and other herbivores. Predators are also easier to spot in the sparser vegetation.
Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking: The dry season offers the most favorable conditions for trekking, with clearer skies and less slippery trails in national parks like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Park conditions: Roads within the national parks are in good condition, allowing for smooth and extended game drives.
Photography: Clear skies and golden light make it an excellent time for photography.
- Important considerations
Book in advance: The dry season is the peak tourist season, especially for gorilla trekking, so it is essential to book permits and accommodations well in advance.
Expect higher costs: As a popular and high-demand period, costs for tours and permits may be higher.
Pack for sunny weather: Be prepared for sunny and warm weather by packing sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. Long-sleeved shirts and pants are also recommended for insect protection, especially during evenings.
Bring essentials: Pack a good pair of hiking boots for trekking, binoculars, a camera with a zoom lens, and a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.
What to Expect on a Uganda safari in dry season?
During the dry season, most Uganda safari destinations experience hot temperatures even those that are known to be cold most of the year especially in the South Western part of Uganda. The dry season in Uganda is normally June, July, August, September, and Early October, December, January, and February.
The grass in the plains of the Uganda game parks is lower allowing better visibility of the park inhabitants. Most of the Uganda safari destinations are busy because it is normally the peak tourism season of the country. Competition for logistics that support tourism is high too in this season making it hard for latecomers to secure some safari amenities.
In the game park, expect a dusty environment during the game drives because of the many vehicles that normally move in the park yet the ground is bare.
Some of the Uganda safari activities to do in the dry season include Gorilla safaris, chimpanzee safaris, birding in Uganda, hiking on Uganda safari, game safaris, water activities and others. The choice of the Uganda safari activities you wish to be part of is dependent on your interests and budget.
Uganda safari in Dry Season.
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is mainly a game park where tourists have to drive on the different tracks in order to find the animals in the park. During the dry season, expect the tracks to be dusty since the soil in this park is mainly volcanic even other vehicles on safari cause the dust to rise in the dry season.
Queen Elizabeth National Park sits on the floor of the rift valley where temperatures tend to get high in the dry season to over 27 degrees centigrade. Most animals including the small ones may be quicker to spot in the dry season when the grass on the rift valley plains is shorter.
During the game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park using the tracks like Kasenyi grassland track, chances of finding prides of lions in action are more open. The Kasenyi track is frequented by Uganda kobs that feed from here. The southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is significantly known for hosting the tree climbing lions.
The chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge spend most of their time closer to the ground during the dry season because there is food scarcity up in the trees.
More wild animals from the rift valley plains frequent the shores of Kazinga channel in the dry season when most water sources in the park become dry. During the Kazinga launch trip, chances of spotting a number of these animals on the banks are more open.
In the dry season in Queen Elizabeth National Park expect abundant bird life as they flock the shores to quench off the day’s heat and take a birth includes foreign migrants
- Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is straddled on River Nile but during the dry season, temperatures in the park may rise to over 29 degrees centigrade. During the dry season, when you take a game drive on track like the Buligi track, you may have chance to spot animals including prides of lions, Oribi, giraffes, herds of cape buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks and others.
When taking the launch trip on River Nile during the dry season, you may get the chance to spot crocodiles, hippos in the water as they cool off the day’s heat. The banks of rivers Nile are a pull for a number of wild animals that move down to quench thirst. From the comfort of the launch, you may spot some of these animals. The water at the Murchison Falls is clearer in the dry season and on a bright sunny day a rainbow may form right before you.
Taking a hike to the top of the falls is more comfortable in the dry season and still expect the drama show of River Nile as it stagger over a bed of rocks, squeeze through the 6 meters wide gorge to burst out vigorously.
Chimpanzee trekking on Kaniyo Pabidi during the dry season is more exciting as you explore the forest in search for these closest human relatives. The chimpanzees and other forest dwellers are quicker to get to in the dry season because they spend most of the time closer to the ground.
- Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is the gem of game safaris in Uganda hosting some animal species that are not found elsewhere in the country. The climate of Kidepo Valley National Park is regarded as semi-arid with one rainy season that is normally April to September. Even in the wet season, there is normally light rainfall in the park.
During the dry season, most of the animals tend to concentrate in areas around the Narus valley where there is a permanent wetland and remnant pools. The game drives in Kidepo Valley National Park are normally under the scotching sun so we encourage you to take a lot of water to rehydrate.
The terrain of Kidepo Valley National Park is mainly composed of flat plains but there are Mongule Mountains that rise from the plains in the north east of Apoka. During the dry season, tourists in company of a ranger guide can explore them on foot.
Note that the routes to Kidepo Valley National Park are still in poor condition so it is best to use a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle in good condition to navigate the park.
- Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is the closest Uganda game park to the city Kampala. During the dry season, the vegetation in the park is lower allowing better visibility of the park dwellers especially the herbivores. During the game drive on the tracks of Lake Mburo National Park some of the animals you may come across include Zebras, elands, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, statungas, reedbucks, impalas, oribi, Uganda kobs and others.
A range of birds flock the park premises with over 315 species so far recorded as residents of the park including saddle bill stork, brown chested wattled plover, African fin foot, shoebills, great snipe and others. Most of the birds of Lake Mburo National Park love congregating by the banks of the lake in the dry season.
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla safaris are the main activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park with gorilla trekking and gorilla habituation experience being the main activities. Bwindi forest is a vast forest so it was divided into four sectors that is Buhoma, Ruhija, Nkuringo and Rushaga under these the gorilla trekking permits for this park are booked.
Bwindi forest being a rain forest is expected to receive rain at any time but the rains around this area may fall for an entire day no matter the season. The weather in Bwindi forest is cold all day with less or no sunlight expected to penetrate through but during the dry season, the weather environment in the forest is brighter. The dry season in Bwindi forest is usually June to September and December to January.
The tracks in Bwindi forest are quicker to navigate on foot and even the rivers flow within normal course so the ground is left drier so easier to traverse.
The mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers spend more time closer to the ground in the dry season since there is normally less food supplies left up in the trees. Even those that may be on the slopes of the ridges or plateaus in the dry season may be easier to get to because the ground is not or less slippery.
There is more life in Bwindi forest in the dry season as the birds, butterflies, other primates, other mammals may show up.
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to so far one gorilla family called Nyakagezi. This gorilla family lives in one of the untamed wildernesses in Uganda that has not been over travelled. During the dry season, navigating this dense forested park may be easier because the ground is not very soggy.
The mountain gorillas and other forest dwellers spend more time in the open space during the dry season rather than in the wet season when they seek shelter from the rain and extreme cold. These primates enjoy the freebies in the wilderness especially supplies that are situated closer to the ground.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park has three of the six Virunga Volcanoes that is Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo which influence the topography of the park. During the dry season, taking a hike to the top of either of these mountains is a great idea as there is normally less undergrowth protruding through to obstruct the way.
The golden monkeys that are charming residents of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park showcase there acrobatic styles better in the dry season as they hope from one tree to another. The golden monkeys’ traits are best seen in the dry season.
- Kibale forest National Park
As the prime primate’s haven in Uganda, Kibale forest National Park is a great destination where primatologists have a chance to see more than 13 primate species. Chimpanzee safaris are the main activities in Kibale forest National Park where one can choose from chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation experience. In the dry season, the chimpanzees and other primates that are residents of this park spend more time closer to the ground as there is plenty to eat.
The dry season of Kibale National Park is normally June to September and December to January. This is the peak tourism season in Uganda and demand for chimpanzee permits is at its highest peak yet there supply is restricted as a conservation measure.
Kibale forest National Park is home to more than 325 bird species and a number of them may be easier to identify in the dry season especially when you start the birding adventure early morning. Some of the resident birds of Kibale National Park including shoebill, little greenbul, collared Apallis, African Pitta, blue breasted kingfisher and others.
- Bugongo Forest
Budongo forest is one of the natural Forest in Uganda and a host of the chimpanzee communities. During the dry season, expect the chimpanzees in this park to spend most of the time on the ground as there is scarcity of food sources up in the trees.
Other primates including blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus many present themselves easily when in the dry season. The forest hosts abundant bird life which you may enjoy and get chance to see in the dry season.
- Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
Even though the chimpanzees in Ngamba Island have a team the manages most of their day today activities including feeding, the dry season offers better chances to see them free as you feed them from the visitor view platform. Even sailing to the Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary Lake Victoria is normally calm in the dry season however in case of strong winds the boat turbulence may change.
In case you wish to have more activities at the Island apart from chimpanzee viewing, the dry season may present better opportunities to do sand beach walks, sunbathing, chimpanzee up-close, and keeper for the day and others.
- Visit the source of River Nile
The source of River Nile in Jinja is quicker to get to by boat and the dry weather is best time to do this. At the point where River Nile separates from Lake Victoria water, a clear cut may be seen easily in the dry season. The drama at this point is still mystery as River Nile water rushes off from calm Lake Victoria water.