Uganda Photography safaris offer unique experiences and are the best way to capture and keep your safari memories. Designed for all types of photography travelers, photography safaris in Uganda will treat you to all that country has to offer. We provide the right kind of cars – ensuring everyone has a window seat and an experienced tour guide. You don’t have to be an experienced photographer to enjoy photography in the wild. Carry a camera you have tested before, one that is not complicated to give you a hard time to operate.
The Pearl of Africa is a land of magnificent wildlife, birds, communities, and a variety of physical features including water bodies, tropical rainforests, mountain ranges, and one of the best climates in Africa. Most photographic safaris include for example capturing mostly wildlife and physical features, such as the giant mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, or the breath-taking Rwenzori Mountain ranges, among others. Still, there are other various destinations that photographers ought to take interest in. These include; religious, historical, and cultural sites, to mention but a few. Whatever your interests are, all you need for your Uganda Photography safari is to be prepared for it.
Western Uganda
The western region of Uganda is the most rewarding when it comes to a photographic safari. It is characterized by gorgeous rolling hills, tropical rainforests, lakes, swamps, and savannah. The highlight of photography in this region is the giant mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. It is important to remember that flash photography is not allowed during this experience. Other sights to expect include; several small primate species, mammals, reptiles, unique plant species, butterflies, birds, waterfalls, and the Batwa local communities. In addition, the beautiful Lake Mutanda located south of Bwindi also offers impressive photography excursions.
Another remarkable place in this region is Lake Bunyonyi which is dotted with 29 beautiful islands. Located in Kabale district, the lake is also home to a variety of bird species and is surrounded by breathtaking terraced hills. While here, expect to take photos of one of the most amazing landscapes in the country with fine shots of birds. Amidst photography, you can also take to the island tour on a motorized canoe, listen to riveting stories about some of the islands, enjoy swimming and appreciate the peace there.
Still, in the same region, we have Queen Elizabeth National Park which offers the most exciting photography safaris in the country. It encompasses vast landscapes including savannah grassland, rainforest, wetland, rivers, lakes, and acacia woodland which host a variety of wildlife and bird life. And, besides offering gratifying wildlife experiences, it also provides astonishing scenery for photography safaris. From the famous tree-climbing lions that reside in the Park’s Ishasha Southern sector to an array of other grazers and predators in the Kasenyi plains. On top of that, the animals that parade along the Kazinga channel to refresh is one sight to capture on your photo safari. Among these include Nile crocodiles, hippos, elephants, monitor lizards, buffaloes, lions, warthogs, bushbucks, water bucks, and Uganda kobs, among others. The Park also offers panoramas of the enormous Rwenzori Mountain ranges and crater lakes.
North of Queen Elizabeth is the primate capital of the world, Kibale National Park. The park is home to half of Uganda’s population of chimpanzees and 12 other primate species. A photography safari to Kibale will indulge you in great sights of chimpanzees in their natural habitat. While you trek them closely, you have the opportunity to take the best shots of these creatures jumping between branches in the tree canopies. And like gorilla trekking, flash photography is not allowed while photographing chimpanzees. Furthermore, the Park features attractive landscapes of tropical rain forests, swamps, and plenty of plant and tree species. And it is not just about chimpanzees, the Park also has a variety of buffaloes, forest elephants, warthogs, and a collection of bird species.
More destinations that should be on all photographers’ lists in western Uganda include; Lake Mburo National Park, the popular home of zebras and impalas, among other wildlife species. Semiliki National Park which is home to the famed Sempaya Hot springs, and Kabarole district which features wonderful historical and cultural sites including the Amabere ga Nyina Mwiru, the Tooro Kingdom palace, and views of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges.
Eastern Uganda
Whereas photography safaris in western Uganda will delight you with wildlife, Eastern Uganda will thrill you with adventure. Jinja City is the top adventure destination in East Africa. The adventure capital of East Africa is home to the source of the river Nile, the world’s longest river, and Lake Victoria – the third largest lake in the globe. Besides being an adrenaline hub, Jinja offers spectacular photography moments. Get to capture the stunning lush vegetation that surrounds the river, with various eagles and kingfishers hunting for prey, egrets, and cormorants, and local fishermen doing what they do best. You can also engage in a tone of adventure thrills such as white-water rafting, bungee jumping, tubing the Nile, water sliding, and horseback riding, among others. Visit the local villages and landing sites to capture the best moments of the natives as they go on about their daily lives.
Heading towards the border is Mount Elgon National Park which derives its name from Mount Elgon itself. Mount Elgon is Uganda’s second-highest mountain and one of the easiest to hike in Uganda. Its spectacular landscape is comprised of bamboo glades and tropical montane forests with great scenery for photography. At the edge of the range is Sipi Falls, a series of waterfalls – the most beautiful waterfalls in Uganda. The falls are surrounded by lovely vegetation and picturesque wallpaper cliffs that any nature photographer wouldn’t want to miss.
Northern Uganda
Murchison Falls National Park partly located in Northern Uganda is the largest National Park and one of the most fulfilling safari destinations for photography in Uganda. The Park features an array of astounding landscapes of palm-dotted savannah, etc that host the highest concentration of wildlife and bird life in Uganda. It is also home to the thunderous Murchison Falls located on the Victoria Nile. The Nile intersects the Park in two, thus the Northern and southern banks. Witnessing the Nile surge through a narrow gorge and form a ray of a rainbow while it falls 45 meters to the ground is the most unforgettable memory to capture. More so, capture stretching views of Uhuru falls, take a boat cruise along the Nile and capture countless shots of Nile crocodiles, hippos, monitor lizards, kingfishers, eagles, and numerous storks, you name it.
And in the far North-Eastern region of Uganda is Kidepo Valley National Park, Uganda’s remotest and less visited National Park. It offers the most off-the-unbeaten-path safari experiences including photography safaris. It was declared by CNN as one of the most beautiful National Parks in Africa. Its far-reaching plains of Kidepo and Narus Valleys are dominated by Mount Morungole – the sacred land and home of the Ik people are remarkable picturesque. Additionally, Kidepo is home to several wildlife species including lions, leopards, cheetahs, oribi, spotted hyenas, black-backed jackals, Rothschild’s giraffes, Jackson’s Hartebeests, and zebras. The Park also thrives with wandering herds of more than 10,000 buffaloes.
Above are a few of the several safari destinations that the Pearl of Africa has to offer. Even so, there are more captivating places that should interest the photographic travelers like Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda, the Rwenzori Mountain Ranges, Pian Upe National Reserve, Budongo Forest, Kalinzu forest and Lake Mulehe, Wanale Hill, Sezibwa Falls, Mirambi and Katinda crater lakes, among others.
All in all, when planning for a photography safari to any of the destinations in Uganda, consider a few factors. One of them is the weather, for a place like Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, consider warm clothing, good hiking boots for the rough terrain, a rain jacket, insect repellent, a few pairs of light clothes, sunscreen, a hat, and or sunglasses, and many others. More requirements include a good camera and batteries, and a pair of binoculars. Wildlife photography safaris are the perfect way to get up-close shots of wildlife, birds, and nature at large.
