Overview–uganda

Budongo Forest

Budongo Forest contains two ecotourism sites: Kaniyo Pabidi and Busingiro. Kaniyo Pabidi (en route to Murchison Falls and part of the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area) offers excellent chimpanzee trekking. Busingiro is home to the Royal Mile, one of the top bird-watching tracks in the country.

Scenery

This pristine forest reserve has an amazing number (465 in total) of plant species recorded. Most notable are the impressive giant mahogany trees up to 60m high. Other beautiful trees to look out for are the spiky Fagara trees, parasitic strangler figs and iron wood trees. The latter are regularly used by chimpanzees for communication by drumming on their trunks.

Best Time to Visit

Watching wildlife and tracking chimpanzees in Budongo Forest is good all year long. It is best from December to March and also in June and July when there is less rainfall.

December to February –Dry Season

Chimpanzees are easier to track, and the trails are drier
Lots of sun and very little rain
Less chance of catching malaria, as there are fewer mosquitoes
January and February can be extremely hot

March to November –Wet Season

The scenery is green and lush
April and May are low season, so it's usually less crowded, and rates might be lower
Migratory birds are present
Budongo Forest lies in a dry part of the country, so the rains don't tend to interfere with your trip
Some roads may become hard to travel, and forest trails become slippery

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Jan

Feb

Jun

Jul

Dec

Mar

April

May

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Rates

From: $319 to $2000 pp/da

Best Time to Go

From: Dec to March and June to July (Easy chimp trekking)

High Season

From: June to September (Peak time for Uganda)

Size

From: 790km² / 305mi²

Wildlife & Animals

Budongo’s main attraction is tracking a troop of habituated chimpanzees at Kaniyo Pabidi. Your guide will take you along the forest trails to find them. Once found, you can observe them for one hour. They may be feeding in the canopy, or resting and grooming on the ground. If they’re on the move, following them can be quite an adventure.

Wildlife Highlights

Aside from chimpanzees, other primates that can be seen along the forest trails include black-and-white colobus, red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, and olive baboon. Nocturnal primates include potto and various forest galago species. The rarely seen tree pangolin is also resident. Keep an eye out for the checkered elephant shrew on the forest floor and the forest giant squirrel up in the trees.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Trekking chimpanzees can be done throughout the year, but the success rate is highest in the drier months (from December to March and June to July). The park stays open throughout the year but, in heavy rain, the trails might be difficult to walk.

General Wheather

Budongo Forest has a hot, tropical climate. Temperatures range from 32°C/90°F during the day to a much cooler 17°C/63°F at night. The area experiences a Wet season from April to October when rain usually comes as heavy storms. There is little rainfall during the Dry season (December to February).

Dry Season –December to February

December, January & February – Skies are clear and full of sunshine, and the highest temperatures of the year are experienced at this time (an average of 31°C/88°F during the day, cooling down at night to 17°C/63°F). The humidity is relatively low.

Wet Season –March to November

March, April & May – Rainfall increases from March onwards, reaching a peak in April. Temperatures range from about 30°C/86°F during the day to 18°C/64°F at night. Forest trails might be slippery and hard to navigate.
June & July – There is a bit of a drier spell in the Wet season, and rains decrease. Daytime temperatures are around 29°C/84°F.
August, September, October & November – The rain returns during this time. It doesn't rain every day, but when it does, it tends to be torrential storms. Rainfall reaches its peak in October and slows by November. Forest trails might become slippery and difficult to use.

Prons

Chimpanzee trekking and full-day habituation experience
Accommodation is available at Kaniyo Pabidi or nearby Murchison Falls NP
Lower fees for chimp trekking than in popular Kibale NP
Excellent birding
Pristine forest

Cons

Busingiro has no accommodation or activities available

How To Get There

Kaniyo Pabidi, the center for chimp tracking in Budongo Forest, is usually visited en route to or from Murchison Falls National Park. The 60km/37mi drive takes about 1½ hours.

Budongo is located about 300km/186mi north of Kampala. The drive takes at least 4 hours*. Coming from the southwest, the 280km/170mi drive from Fort Portal takes at least 6 hours*. It is also possible to fly to Pakuba Airfield in Murchison Falls by scheduled or chartered aircraft from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) or Kajjansi Airfield near Kampala.

Entebbe International Airport (EBB) will be your entrance into Uganda. Its location is about 46km/29mi from Kampala. It is customary that your local tour operator will pick you up from the airport or hotel.

*Driving times are only a rough indication. You should always consider the possibility of significant delays.

Airlines & Ticket Prices

Please check Skyscanner to see which airlines can take you to Entebbe International Airport (EBB), and what tickets would cost.

www.skyscanner.com

Domestic Flights

It is customary for domestic flights (charter or regular) to be arranged by your tour operator as part of your safari. The following carriers run scheduled flights to nearby Murchison Falls National Park: