This guide was written by Edoardo, travel guide and owner of Albrieux Africa Tours
In the last 10 years Uganda has attracted the attention of professional and amateur travellers and photographers; many wonder what the budget is necessary to organize a complete travel itinerary, with enough stay times to see all the beauties that the country offers without having to spend excessive amounts of money.
Obviously it is difficult to answer the question, since it depends both on the personal needs of each traveller and on many factors that undoubtedly affect the final price of the trip.
However, I tried to address the question in an analytical way and I’m sure you will be able to find some excellent ideas from this reading.
Content index
1. What are the factors that most affect the price?
High impact factors
Medium impact factors
Zero impact factors
2. Five tips to save your budget
1. Join group travel
An excellent solution to lower the final cost is to join other travellers; in this way you will amortize
the costs of fuel, the rental of private vehicles for travel and the expenses incurred to have an expert
guide during the tour.
In Albrieux Africa Tours we offer organized group trips at special prices, with departures at certain
times of the year in small homogeneous groups. If you haven’t found a trip in the desired period,
you can always “open” your itinerary with your dates to other participants (you will decide the
maximum number of companions).
2. Travel in the off season
Another piece of advice I can give you is to avoid the high season months. From December to January and from July to August the cost of accommodation and flights can cost double.
Furthermore, in these months the request for permits to visit the Mountain Gorillas is very high and you may not find availability, especially if you organize your trip shortly in advance.
Fortunately Uganda is located at the height of the equator and enjoys a climate that allows us to
organize trips in any month of the year.
If I had the freedom to travel in every month of the year and I had to give you some advice on the best period considering the climate, prices (flights and lodges) and the number of visitors inside the national parks, I suggest February, March, June and September.
11 days in Uganda among Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Predators – from $3050
Explore Uganda’s most famous parks, including the chimpanzees of Kibale and Kyamnuraand the gorillas of Bwindi, along with water and photo safaris at Queen Elizabeth NP and Murchison Falls NP.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits included
Complete “The Big Five” sightings at Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park
Visit Kibale Forest, “the Chimpanzee Capital of the World”
14 days in Uganda: “Lions climbing” special – from $3500
14 days where we will focus on discovering the Primates and the climbing lions that inhabit the area with a one night stay in Ishasha. Before returning to Entebbe, we will complete the trip with the great lakes of the South, including Lake Mburo: “home of the fish eagles”.
Permits to see the Primates included
Research of climbing lions in Ishasha
Boat trip to Lake Mburo, home of the fish eagles
3. Book in advance
The wisest choice to save money is undoubtedly to book the trip well in advance; in addition to saving on the price of flights, I assure you that you will also save on ground services; myself, as a local operated tour, I am able to guarantee travellers who book in advance, greater flexibility and
better treatment.
My advice is to move at least 6-12 months in advance.
4. Trust a local tour operator
Relying on a local tour operator (i.e. based in Uganda) is a better choice than relying on an agency
or, worse, organizing the trip independently:
- First of all you will save on brokerage costs; my Ugandan agency works with both private individuals and travel agencies. It is clear that by entrusting yourself directly to me you will “skip a piece of the chain”;
- moreover, for any doubt or curiosity you can get in touch directly with an expert, not to mention the fact that you will have maximum flexibility in deciding the departure dates and entering the activities you prefer;
- finally, when organizing a solo trip, errors are often made when choosing the itinerary and when planning internal travel, causing unexpected expenses.
5. Choose the number of days that fits your greatest interests
Doing more days doesn’t always mean doing more activities; it is clear that in a complete tour without budget limits we recommend having a few days of detachment between trekking and the other to better enjoy the lodges and the surrounding nature; however, if the cost starts to weigh on your budget, we advise you to shorten the number of days (which coincides with self-driving cars available for fewer days and nights and stays in smaller parks) while maintaining the same number of activities and foreseeing a more intense tour.
Edoardo’s local tour operator
““Thanks to my dad I was lucky enough to know Uganda since I was a boy; after years of experience as a guide, I decided to create an agency capable of providing a complete service, before and during the tour”
3. Examples of prices for a trip to Uganda
Itineraries from 3 to 9 days
9 days in Uganda: Volcanoes trekking and Primates special – from $3000
9-day trekking itinerary for trekking enthusiasts: we will arrive on the summits of the two extinct volcanoes Sabinyo and Gahinga, observe Gorillas and Chimpanzees up close and navigate the Kazinga Channel.
Observe spectacular views of the volcanoes park from the top of Mount Sabinyo and Gahinga
Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits included
Navigation on the Kazinga Channel
8 days in Uganda: visit the most famous forests – from $2705
8 days of forest tour, you will discover 5 different forests – Kibale – Kyambura – Kalinzu – Bwindi and Mgahinga. You will do Chimpanzees, Gorilla and Golden Monkey trekking.
Permits to see the Primates included
Discover the Chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest
Discover five different forests
7 days in Uganda: Primates special – from $2715
Our 7 days best seller allows you to see all 3 Primates (Gorilla, Chimpanzee and Golden Monkey) in the three different forests (Kyambura, Bwindi and Mgahinga) and to go looking for predators at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Permits to see the Primates included
Navigation on the Kazinga Canal
Discover three different forests
6 days in Uganda in search of “The Big Five” – from $1050
A 6-day tour for families with children, we’ll be looking for “The Big Five” and make water
safaris in two major National Parks.
We will sail the legendary Victoria Nile
Sighting of “The Big Five” at Murchison Falls NP and Queen Elizabeth NP
We will cross the volcanic crater circuit
5 days in Uganda: Gorilla and Golden Monkey special – from $2000
5 days to discover the Gorillas and the Golden Monkeys, arrival and departure from Kigali; perfect itinerary for those who want to add a sea getaway.
< A perfect itinerary to be combined with a sea getaway
Gorilla and Golden Monkey permits included
3 days in Uganda: Gorilla trekking Special – from $1530
3 days discovering the Mountain Gorillas with arrival and departure from Kigali. A perfect itinerary for those who want to add a beach holiday.
A perfect itinerary to be combined with a beach holiday
Permits to see Gorillas included
Itineraries from 10 to 14 days
10 days in Uganda with Primates and “The Big Five” – from $2850
Explore the country’s best destinations in 10 days, through savannah and river cruises at Murchison Falls NP and Queen Elizabeth NP combined with a search for Primates.
Permits to see the Primates included
Complete “The Big Five” sightings at Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park
Search for Golden Monkeys under the Mghainga volcanoes
13 days in Uganda: Great adventure in the Kidepo – from $3950
Your adventure will begin at Kidepo, East Africa’s wildest Park; from the north east we will descend to the great Parks, Murchison NP and Queen Elizabeth NP. We will end our trip with a visit to the Primates under the peaks of Mgahinga NP.
Permits to see the Primates included
Visit Kidepo, East Africa’s wildest Park
Cruise the legendary Victoria Nile
14 days in Uganda: “Lions climbing” special – from $3500
14 days where we will focus on discovering the Primates and the climbing lions that inhabit the area with a one night stay in Ishasha. Before returning to Entebbe, we will complete the trip with the great lakes of the South, including Lake Mburo: “home of the fish eagles”.
Permits to see the Primates included
Research of climbing lions in Ishasha
Boat trip to Lake Mburo, home of the fish eagles
12 days in Uganda among Primates, lakes and volcanoes – from $2950
12 intense days of water safaris, photography and Primate trekking combined with relax at Lake Mutanda and Lake Bunyonyi where you will enjoy spectacular and unique landscapes of this part of Africa.
Permits to see the Primates included
Enjoy the spectacular views of Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda
Search for the “Shoebill” on Lake Victoria
11 days in Uganda among Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Predators – from $3050
Explore Uganda’s most famous parks, including the chimpanzees of Kibale and Kyamnuraand the gorillas of Bwindi, along with water and photo safaris at Queen Elizabeth NP and Murchison Falls NP.
Gorilla and Chimpanzee permits included
Complete “The Big Five” sightings at Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park
Visit Kibale Forest, “the Chimpanzee Capital of the World”
10 days in Uganda: north-eastern ethnic groups special – from $1315
Discover the wildest and least explored places in north-eastern Uganda, the uncontaminated savannah of the Kidepo valley and the vast Karamoja area to live a primordial experience with the Tepes Ik and Karamojon herders.
Meet the Karamojong tribes with our guides
Photographic safari at Kidepo National Park
Visit the village of Nakapelimoru, the largest in East Africa
Download our Uganda travel guide
My name is Edoardo, guide and owner of Albrieux Africa Tours. I wrote a travel guide where you can find information updated to 2023.
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When is the best time to go to Uganda?
One of the first questions I am asked when a person approaches organizing a trip to Uganda is to
advise them on the best period.
Fortunately Uganda is located at the height of the equator and enjoys a climate that allows us to
organize trips in any month of the year.
[…continue reading]
