In general, Uganda is safe for tourists. If you travel in the care of a legitimate tour operator and take the usual precautions, you should be able to avoid falling victim to tourist scams and petty crime.

In fact, Uganda is one of the friendliest countries to visit in Africa. If you feel insecure about the safety in Uganda you can always book a free consultation call with us and we walk you through our safety standards.

Female travelers may (understandably) have some trepidation about visiting Uganda. However, visiting is generally safe as long as you take precautions and stay vigilant. It’s wise to avoid going out at night if at all possible, although that’s good advice for any tourist.

• Typhoid - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Hepatitis A - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Cholera - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 2 weeks before travel.
• Tuberculosis - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 3 months before travel.
• Hepatitis B - Highly Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 2 months before travel.
• Rabies - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 1 month before travel.
• Meningococcal meningitis - Recommended for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 3 weeks before travel.
• Yellow fever - Required for entrance into the country for Rwanda and Uganda. Ideally 10 days before travel.

We do not provide travel insurance. We do however recommend purchasing it through a trusted partner. We are happy to organize this for you in case needed.

The best time to visit Uganda is during the two dry seasons between December and February and between June and August, when the trekking conditions are good for seeing mountain gorillas and chimpanzees.

Uganda’s climate is largely tropical with two rainy seasons per year, March to May and September to December. The country can be visited all year round because the temperature is moderate throughout the season with average temperatures of 23°C.

Whether you need a visa or not depends on your nationality and where you wish to travel. Assuming your home country does not have a visa agreement with the country you're planning to visit, you will need to apply for a visa in advance of your scheduled departure.

Here is the Electronic Visa/Permit Allocation System for Uganda.

There are direct flights to Uganda from many major cities around the world. Please note that the main international airport in Uganda is Entebbe, which is located just next to Kampala. Our tour operator can assist you with flight booking and provide information on the best route to take to get to Uganda.

You can experience gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda in principle all year round. The mountain forests are located on the equator, where the temperatures do not vary much except for a few degrees and are uniformly around 25 degrees during the day.

Rather, when choosing the date of travel, one should pay attention to the rainfall, which is actually stronger or weaker depending on the month. In the months of December to February and June to August, the least rain is to be expected. Although showers can occur at high altitudes in the forests throughout the year. However, heavy rainfall can occur between March and May and September and November.

Since you will be walking on narrow unpaved trails through the mountain rainforest during gorilla tracking, heavy rainfall can make the trek difficult. You should bring a rain jacket and rain pants as well as waterproof hiking boots at any time of the year. Permits, or permission to visit, are severely limited in both Uganda and Rwanda, so we recommend booking your trip early.

The trekking packing list is important to consider when planning your gorilla and chimpanzee trekking safari because anyone intending to do such an activity should have something to pack. Since you will be walking on narrow unpaved trails through the mountain rainforest during gorilla tracking, heavy rainfall can make the trek difficult. You should bring a rain jacket and rain pants as well as waterproof hiking boots at any time of the year.

You will need a Type G (UK) adapter.

Tourilla Tours offers a variety of tour packages in Uganda, including wildlife safaris, gorilla trekking tours, cultural tours, and adventure tours. There is no activity or accommodation you can't book with us.

Our tours can last anywhere from 3 to 21 days, depending on the tour package and your specific needs. Tourilla Tours helps you to book your individual safari tour customized to your needs. You travel. We care.

We offer a full-care tour package where food, permits and accommodation are included. The only thing you have to pay extra are your international flights to Uganda. Of course, we are here to assist with any booking on the best flight options.

At Tourilla Tours we make tours as personal as possible. Your individual travel group will always travel with one of our local tour experts. Getting to know your personal guide is already part of your journey. That’s why you can get in touch with us at any time to get to know our wildlife experts and prepare for your tour.

Tourilla Tours only offers individual tours for your group alone. This means your expert tour guide is only here for your, from the first day of your journey until the last one.

We have a team of professional, English speaking tour guides with great experience and knowledge. You are guaranteed to be accompanied by our local guides who know the country like the back of their hand.

The big majority of the tour guides in Uganda are male. However, if you wish to travel with a female tour guide, we can of course arrange this accordingly.

It's quite common to find safari packages costing around € 1,000 per night. While a luxury safari can be quite expensive, it's well worth the investment if you're able to afford it, even just for a few days. With top-notch accommodations, top-of-the-line vehicles, and exceptional food and drink, a luxury safari promises to be the ultimate wildlife holiday experience. Additionally, by choosing a top tier company like Tourilla Tours, you'll be making a significant contribution to conservation.

With our premium packages, we offer the best value for money while still making sure to provide you with an exceptional experience but safe costs where it is not critical for the tour.

Our luxury tours include top-of-the-line safari SUVs (Toyota 4WD extended Landcruiser), which are highly customized 4x4 vehicles with long wheelbases. They have additional suspension, ensuring a smooth ride even on rough terrain. Most of these vehicles are open-sided, with raised seats to provide optimal views of wildlife for everyone on board. This design also allows for close encounters with curious big cats during game drive safaris. Additionally, the SUVs are equipped with cool boxes for drinks, power sockets for charging various devices.

Our premium tours also come with 4x4 SUVs (Toyota 4WD Landcruiser) and are optimized for safari tours. In any case, the vehicles are technically the same as for the luxury tours.

On a budget safari, you'll have the bare necessities, with no extra perks or amenities. You'll be staying in budget lodges or camping, typically outside of the parks. Of course, also a budget safari tour is certainly a great experience, but you can typically run into problems which you won't to avoid when going on such a tour. This reaches from low quality food in the accommodations to vehicles which are not built for the off-road tracks on the tour.

We want to save both our customers and us some headache. You travel. We care.

There are no additional costs. However, for the avoidance of doubt, please note that the following things are not included: 
- international flights to and from Uganda
- travel insurance
- alcoholic drinks and additional meals and drinks not included in the itinerary

Uganda Schilling is the official currency of Uganda. You can find the daily exchange rates here.

Temperatures in Uganda range between 20 and 30°C, and two rainy seasons occur between March and May and September and November.The best time to visit Uganda is between June to August and December to February, which is during the dry seasons.

Ugandan culture is diverse, with influences from African, Indian, and Arab cultures. Uganda has more than 50 ethnic groups, each with its own traditions and customs. A big smile is generally given to foreigners by locals.

Uganda's official language is English, but many local languages are spoken throughout the country, including Luganda, Runyankole, and Swahili

Uganda offers nearly an insane variety of wildlife. From mountain gorillas to lions - Uganda has it all. Here is a list of the most popular animals in Uganda: african bush elephants, african lions, mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, leopards, southern white rhinos, rothschild’s giraffes, plain zebras, hippos, nile crocodiles, shoebills, rhinos and many more.

Are you ready to meet all of them? Get in touch with Tourilla’s safari masters.

Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are all unique experiences that offer different benefits and challenges. However, gorilla trekking in Uganda is known for its lower-priced permits (ca. € 700), making it a more budget-friendly option compared to Rwanda (ca. € 1400).

Also, gorilla trekking in Uganda can be more physically demanding as the gorillas are found at higher elevations in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. On the contrary, gorilla trekking in Rwanda is known for its more open and lush landscape, which is more conducive to a more relaxed trekking experience.

The short answer is yes. 

Obviously, you need to be physically fit before attempting your trip as they can be demanding. You can expect to hike from less than an hour to up to seven hours before spotting a family of mountain gorillas. 

Wearing appropriate clothing during a hike (like thicker fabrics to protect you from thorns) is also advisable. Tourilla Tours can offer valuable advice on what to wear (see packing list).

If you don’t quite trust your level of fitness or just want a little extra help, you can hire a porter. Porters carry your gear and can help you through difficult parts of the hike. They often only charge €12-€15. When you hire one, you’ll also be helping out a local family.

You will spend one hour with the mountain gorillas. The time is strictly limited as it is critical that humans do not interfere too much with the natural habitat of these animals.

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park there is a special activity where you get to spend up to four hours with the gorillas. This is called Gorilla Habituation Experience and it comes at an additional cost of € 1500. Please let us know in advance if you are interested in such an activity as this is limited to four people per day.

The first sight of gorillas is unforgettable. This experience takes a little time and amazingly, they are naturally calm.

Once your group spots the gorillas, you are asked to keep a safe distance of about five meters away from the gorillas. Further, you should stay still in case a gorilla moves closer towards you. Your assigned ranger guide will be watching closely and instructing you the best way to move.

Gorillas are not necessarily dangerous wild apes though they need very careful handily. Standing next to the gorilla is safe both for you and the gorillas provided that certain considerations set by ranger guides are followed.

In Uganda, a single gorilla permit is ca. € 700 per day.
You are advised to book your permits 3-6 months in advance before your travel.

Of course, the gorilla permit price is included in the tour package and we take care of the booking of the permit for you.
You travel. We care.

Payment to a foreign country can be a hassle. We have been there at our first safari in Uganda. We implemented multiple payment solutions to offer secure payments across borders. You can either pay with credit card, international bank transfer or PayPal. 

In any case, we are here to assist with a smooth and safe payment process.

If not advised otherwise, all payments must be made directly to the company. The company will consider you booked for the tour upon payment of at least a deposit of 60% of the total trip cost. The balance of 40% should be paid within 30 days from the date of start of your tour.

Any tour that involves gorilla and chimpanzee trekking will require you to pay the necessary permit fees at the time of booking. This implies that the sum of the initial deposit of 40% will be increased where the safari involves gorilla and chimps trekking. Any tour booked within a period of less than 60 days requires 100% payment and will only be confirmed upon receipt of the entire sum of the tour price. Our tour prices are quoted in EUR and the company operates an EUR account. It is desirable that payments are made in EUR or USD.

The person who signs the booking form and the contract guarantees payment of the total amount shown on the booking form in accordance with these conditions. It is the responsibility of the signatory to ensure the company receives payment in full by the due date. The company reserves the right to refuse a booking or cancel the tour without giving any reason and shall in that event return any money received in accordance with our terms on refunds mentioned herein. The company reserves the right to increase the prices quoted should circumstances warrant that an increment is desirable for successful execution of the tour.

All cancellation requests must be made in writing and shall be effective on the date of actual receipt by Tourilla Tours. The following cancellation charges apply to the basic program rate:​

‍
--> 60 days or more prior to arrival 10% charge
--> 59 – 32 days prior to arrival 25% charge
--> 31 – 8 days prior to arrival 50% charge
--> 7 – 3 days prior to arrival 75% charge
--> 48 hours or less prior to arrival 100% charge

Tourilla Tours reserves the right to deduct all expenses incurred from money paid. Gorilla permits and chimpanzee trekking permits are 100% non-refundable. No refunds will be made for any unused services, late arrival or no-show of any of the members of the tour.