Countless wild animals in Uganda
Uganda is best known for its dense populations of primates. Mountain gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Golden monkeys live in the rainforests of the southwest.
But there are many others animals you can see on a safari in Uganda. Think of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, leopards, zebras, ostriches, hippos, crocodiles, lions, antelopes, and hyenas. There is almost no animal imaginable that you cannot see in Uganda.
The animals of Uganda live scattered throughout the country, in several national parks and wildlife reserves. For example, in Lake Mburo National Park, you find many antelopes, zebras, buffalos, giraffes, and some leopards, but no elephants and lions.
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can see large herds of elephants and some lions but not no zebras and giraffes, for instance. In Kidepo National Park, you can see cheetahs and ostriches. You can view rhinos in Ziwa Rhinos and Wildlife Ranch. You go inside the ranch with a ranger guide and go on a walking tour in search of a group of white rhinos. You can get incredibly close.
Leopards and lions in Uganda
Only when you see an African leopard in real life do you realize what a special animal it is. The beautiful coat. The perfect patterns. The effortless elegance. Sometimes you can find one lying quietly in a tree. Other times, it simply walks past your vehicle as if you were not there. They are bigger than you might think. When you watch them closely, you begin to notice how they move and how completely at home they are in the wild. These are moments you remember.
Apart from leopards, you can also find lions in several parts in Uganda. We even have tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Like leopards, lions look very elegant and friendly, but half an hour later they can all take down a huge buffalo.
Elephants in Uganda
If you haven’t seen an elephant, you haven’t really been on safari. African bush elephants are gigantic. They are the largest land animal you can find on our planet. Nothing makes you feel quite so small as watching a family of elephants cross the road right in front of your car.
And if you are lucky, you may suddenly find yourself surrounded by 20 or 30 elephants, calmly feeding and moving through the bush. You can see them in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park.
Buffaloes in Uganda
The African buffalo is a member of Big Five animals. When driving in one of the national parks, you sometimes see a brown spot in the distance. Those are probably buffaloes. In Kidepo Valley National Park in the northeast of Uganda, sometimes you can see thousands of them at a time. They are immense and powerful and should not be under-estimated.
Don’t be fooled if your only experience of them is from the safety of a game drive vehicle, which perspective makes them look like wild cows. Buffalos are dangerous animals.
Rhinos in Uganda
Originally, rhinos always lived in Uganda. But currently they mainly live in Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch, which now have about 48 of them. This is because they were poached to local extinction during the time of Idi Amin. Uganda is slowly bringing them back. In March 2026, two more white rhinos were released into Kidepo National Park by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).
This is a significant step, as it marks the beginning of the return of rhinos to this park in northeastern Uganda. In the coming period, more rhinos will be introduced with the aim of slowly rebuilding the population and giving this iconic species a place in the wild of Kidepo once again.
Shoebill, or shoebill stork
The shoebill is a special and very rare bird. It is found only in East and Central Africa and is even rarer than the mountain gorilla. To see one, you take a small boat with a local guide into the Mabamba Swamp on the shores of Lake Victoria.
The shoebill is enormous. It has a huge beak that looks a bit like a Dutch clog. It can reach a staggering 1.60 metres from head to foot. You do need a bit of luck to find one. But the activity itself, the small boat trip through the swamp, is worthwhile whether you see a shoebill or not. Do you want to see other birds besides the shoebill? Uganda is a true bird paradise.
Gorillas and chimpanzees
Many people come to Uganda to see the mountain gorillas. It is a unique wildlife experience. Along with neighboring countries Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda is the only place on Earth where you can see mountain gorillas in the wild during a gorilla trekking. We have two places where you can visit gorillas in Uganda; Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. In fact, nearly half of the world’s mountain gorillas live in Bwindi.
Aside from mountain gorillas, you really shouldn’t miss the chimpanzees either. It is a very special wildlife experience, particularly because they resemble humans so much. Their hands, their faces – they are a copy of us. They are curious. They seek contact. Sometimes they can sit right opposite you and look at you. Moreover, the interaction between chimpanzees is very beautiful to watch. They play; the laugh, they groom each other.
We have so many places where you can see chimpanzees in Uganda. These include Kibale National Park, Budongo Forest, Bugoma Forest, Kalinzu Forest and Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kibale Forest National Park is the best place to see them.
A Uganda Safari – an exclusive experience
Our neighboring countries Tanzania and Kenya are classic safari destinations. But Uganda is certainly not inferior. The wild animals you can see in Kenya and Tanzania can also be found here. The numbers of wild animals in Uganda are slightly lower – partly because of extensive poaching during the time of Idi Amin – but they are steadily increasing. The wildlife is now well cared for.
The big advantage of a Uganda safari compared to a safari in one of our neighboring countries? We don’t have mass tourism here. You won’t be standing here watching the same pride of lions with 10 other cars at the same time. You are more likely to be the only one with your car among a herd of 1,000 buffaloes. You have nature all to yourself. And if you want see gorillas, you can’t see them in Kenya or Tanzania. They are not there.
Cycling, driving, walking, or Boat Cruise on safari in Uganda
In Uganda, you can choose a classic safari: the ‘nature game drive’. This involves entering the national game park in a safari vehicle with a ‘pop-up roof’ and driving right past the animals. The advantage of this is that you can cover long distances, observe at your leisure, and take photos.
However, you can also explore Lake Mburo National Park on foot, by bicycle, boat cruise, or horse riding, for example, led by a guide. This way, you truly become part of nature and get incredibly close to the wild animals. That is when you really see just how big giraffes are.
It also has some other benefits: it is more active, and the ranger can provide more information about the national park, the plants, and the food the animals eat. Apart from wildlife, Uganda has so much more to offer. Want to know exactly what? Feel free to contact us.
