Worst/Best Time to Visit Uganda: A Month by Month Guide

Uganda is a great tourist destination famously known for its amazing and excellent safari activities. So,when tourists set off to visit Uganda for a safari, they tend to look for the worst and best time for that safari. Discover the worst and best time to go on a safari in Uganda and how to plan based on this if you want a budget or luxury Uganda safari. The best months to visit Uganda are June, July, August September, December, January, and February. So that leaves the months of mainly  March, April, and May the worst months to go on a safri in Uganda because of heavy rains. Like other destinations in the world, the best for traveling to Uganda for a safari greatly depends on the climatic conditions as detailed below.

Climate and Weather of Uganda

Uganda’s climate is generally warm tropical climate in various regions of the country. Unlike the mountainous areas in Uganda such as mountain Elgon areas, Mountain Rwenzori areas which are much cooler. Uganda is a warm tropical climate is characterized by temperatures range of 25-29°.

Uganda experiences 2 seasons that are a dry season and a wet season. Note the the best time to visit Uganda is during the worst season. Alternatively the worst time to visit Uganda is during the wet season as we shall see.

1. Dry season in Uganda

The dry season in Uganda is experienced in two periods is from June – August, and December to February. Additionally, the dry season is characterized by average temperatures of 27°C/81°F in the afternoon and 16°C/61°F in the morning. In the mountainous regions of Uganda, it gets to be colder.

June, July, and August

The months of June and July are the driest months of the dry season with a little unexpected rain in the south region national parks of Uganda. In the north these months are wet and in far north regions such as Kidepo valley it is semi-arid with drought at times.

December, January, and February  

This period is experienced less rainfall amount especially in the south region. The northern region of Uganda is drier with a random little rain fall received.

The dry season is the best time for chimpanzee and mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda. Its because it is drier and it is a perfect time to visit Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park. This dry season is also the best time to visit Uganda’s savannah national parks. These are Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo national park, and many more.

What makes this period the best time to visit Uganda is that the skies are clear because of less rain and more sunshine. Also, vegetation cover is offering excellent viewing of animals. Because of too much sunshine, water places in Uganda’s national parks dries thus animals crowd permanent watering holes in the parks so they are best viewed there. Also in the dry season, the game drive tracks running through the park are dry and less slippery making game viewing safari easy.

Note: the dry season in Uganda is characterized by a high population of tourists creating a high demand for accommodation thus high prices of hotels and lodges hence referred to as the high season.  For tourists who hate crowds in Uganda National parks, you could opt to go on a safari in Uganda during the wet season and its cheaper as well.

If you are coming for a Uganda gorilla trekking safari in the dry season, it is very crucial to book early since gorilla trekking permits can be limited in number during some seasons.

2. Wet season in Uganda

The wet season in Uganda is experienced in the periods of March-April and September to November. Also, the wet season is characterized by average temperatures of 28°C/82°F and morning temperatures around 16°C/61°F.

March, April, and May

This period is characterized by more rainfall throughout the whole country with April being the rainfall peak most especially in the south. Though much rainfall is received sunshine is also received the whole day. The too much rain makes traveling in this period difficult but not impossible.

September, October, and November

These months receive less rainfall and the weather conditions of this month are compared to March, April, and Many.

The wet season is typically the low season in Uganda majorly because of too much rainfall which makes navigating through the parks nearly impossible. Its because of muddy and slippery routes. At times cars get stunk in the muddy, in the wet season vegetation cover becomes thick and more greener which makes wildlife viewing a bit hard.

Because of the low season, there is less demand for accommodation thus low prices for lodges and hotels which makes this period the best time to visit Uganda for low-income earners. For tourists who like less crowd in the park this is also your perfect time to visit Uganda.

Month by Month Guide for Travelling to Uganda

Visiting Uganda from March to mid-May

This period is characterized by too many rains most especially in Southern region parks such as Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park. In this period it is much recommended for tourists to avoid going mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda because too much rainfall received in homes of mountain gorillas. Hence these months are the worst time to go on a gorilla trekking safari in Uganda

Visiting Uganda from Mid-May to Mid-October

This period is the longest dry season in Uganda. So, this period offers ideal conditions for most Uganda safari activities such as mountain gorilla trekking, bird watching, Uganda big five safari.  Hence its because of the dry tracks and short vegetation covers. This period is a peak season in Uganda and prices especially those of accommodation tends to be high.

Travelling to Uganda from Mid-October to November

This period is characterized by short rains with plants and tree bearing flowers. So, this period is the end of the rainy season and the best time for birding safaris in Uganda nd excellent photography because of blue skies.

Going on a safari in Uganda from December to February  

This period is a dry season and peak safari time in Uganda. Additionally, these months are ideal for outdoor activities such as game viewing, mountain Rwenzori trekking, birding, mountain gorilla trekking and many more.

Best time to visit Uganda according to safari activity

Sometimes the best time to visit Uganda’s national parks depends on the activity to do in Uganda. There are various things to do in Uganda such as mountain gorilla trekking, birding, game viewing, and many more.

Best time for Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda

Mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is done in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park located in southwestern Uganda. These Uganda National parks are dominated by thick tropical forests in which mountain gorillas inhabit.

The best time for mountain gorilla trekking in Uganda is in the dry season period (June – August, and December – February). Its these parks receive a lot of rainfall and because of the mountainous region, the hiking trails of these parks become hard to navigate. Also, the temperatures makes the gorillas in Uganda to hide so making it hard to spot them during a Gorilla safari in Uganda. Hence, the wet season months are the worst time to go for a Uganda gorilla trek.

Best time to visit Uganda for Birding

Bird watching safari tours  in Uganda is done throughout the year in various destinations of Uganda. Also the best experience is got in the period between November – April. In this period, migratory bird species, are present in the country’s birding destinations such as Queen Elizabeth national park, Mabamba swamp, Murchison falls national park and many more.

Best time to go on a safari in Uganda for Game viewing

Game viewing is one of the most thrilling Africa safari tour activities to do in Uganda.  Game viewing in Uganda is done in savannah parks of Uganda such as Kidepo national park, Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, and others. The best time for game viewing in Uganda is in the dry season in the period of June –August, and December – February.