It is Christmas season again and you must be thinking of a special place where you can go and spend the holiday while having the best experience and at the same time relaxing your mind. Well, here is the ultimate guide into some of the best holiday spots in Uganda that can give you maximum value for your money while leaving with lifetime memories.

When it comes to maximizing a Christmas holiday, there is nothing that beats the experience of spending time interacting and exploring the beauty of nature, that is seeing amazing animals and birds and at the same time trying your hand at some of the adventurous excursions.

These and more are the experiences you can enjoy when you visit one of Uganda’s 10 national parks that are scattered around the country. Here is the brief guide on what to do and see I n some of the best Uganda’s national parks where you can go for the best Christmas holiday experience.

These are self-contained places, meaning that facilities like accommodation are available so you don’t need to worry about that at all. All Uganda’s national parks are surrounded by good lodges and camps and it is up to you to choose a facility that suits your needs and budget.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is one of the destinations for Uganda wildlife safaris and a good holiday hideout. The park offers amazing wildlife experiences like game viewing where you can see some of the common species in the park like zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. The presence of Lake Mburo that covers over 20 percent of the park’s surface means that you are assured of breathtaking water experiences like swimming, fishing, and boat cruise. Lake Mburo National Park is also the only safari destination Uganda with horseback riding safaris.

Lake Mburo National Park possesses the proximity advantage over other safari destinations in Uganda. The park is located off the Kampala-Mbarara highway and it can be reached within 3-4 hours’ drive from the capital Kampala

Kidepo Valley National Park

If you are looking for an isolated destination with untapped wildlife and cultural experiences, the Kidepo Valley National Park in Northeastern Uganda is your answer. It may be the remotest national park in Uganda but the unique wildlife, and cultural experiences in Kidepo that can’t be found anywhere else in the region are worthy the long drive that you have to endure to get there. Flights to Kidepo are also available from Entebbe International Airport for those who can afford the service while it may take you up to 24 hours on road to get there.

Once you are in Kidepo, expect to enjoy uninterrupted game drives and see the park’s hidden beauty that features amazing wildlife species and beautiful hills, rivers, and valleys. Big game like elephant, buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, zebra, giraffe, to name a few are all available in Kidepo. Two unique tribes of the Karamojong and the IK are found at the outskirts of the park and these offer amazing cultural experiences to visitors that leave them with a special sense of love and belonging to them.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda is the home to incredible primates and man’s close relatives, the mountain gorillas who share about 98 percent of our DNA. These amazing primates are the reason why Bwindi is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda especially by travelers who come for gorilla safaris to enjoy the breathtaking gorilla trekking experience.

A visit to see mountain gorillas in Bwindi requires you to part with at least Shs250,000 if you are a citizen of East Africa and $600 if you are a foreign non-resident to purchase a gorilla permit that allows you to trek these endangered primates in their natural habitat.

Gorilla trekking in Bwindi is an adventurous activity given that the animals are found deep in the mountainous rainforest of Bwindi and reaching them may take you between 3-4 hours while roaming thorough the hilly and dense vegetated park.

In addition to mountain gorillas, there are hundreds of bird species in Bwindi including Rift Valley endemics like the Rwenzori turaco and large mammals like the forest elephant

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda is the second-largest safari park in Uganda. The park offers incredible wildlife experiences that include game drives, bird-watching, and chimpanzee tracking. Watching tree-climbing lions high up in the tree branches is one of the major highlights of the park while a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel is the climax of the park’s exciting experiences.

Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest national park is referred to as the primates’ capital in the world. The park is a hotspot for Uganda’s primates’ safaris with thousands of chimpanzees inhabiting its forests. If you want to watch these cousins of ours as they do their activities in the forest, then a trip to Kibale should be next on your to-do list.

Source of the Nile

The source of the Nile, the longest river in the world is another holiday hotspot in Uganda. If you are not so much interested in wildlife but rather you are lover of water excursions like white-water rafting, swimming, and boat cruise, then you should consider visiting the source of the Nile at Jinja in eastern Uganda.

Click here to inquire about safaris in Uganda and Rwanda