Imagine a place with a pleasant weather and climate all year round? if you are looking for a perfect weather destination, Uganda is such a beautiful example.
The country is located across the Equator, and the weather can be split into two seasons; the dry season and the rainy season.
The dry season spans from December to February and June to September and the rains fall in April to May and heavier rains in October and November.
The best time of the year to visit Uganda is between December to February and June to September when the days are dry and sunny. It is the most popular time especially for wildlife viewing and mountain gorilla trekking safaris in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park.
Wet season is between October to November and April to May, with rainfall occurring in short and heavy showers. Rains tend to last for a couple of hours and cannot spoil your safari.
The difference between the dry and rainy season is not much. In western and southwestern Uganda, for example Bwindi in the south, its a bit warmer and nights tend to be very cold due to tropical rainforests.
When you travel to Murchison falls National park or Kidepo valley national park in the north, the weather is warmer even when the rainy season is continuous from April to November. however, it gets hot during the typical dry season December to february with temperatures averaging to 32˚c.
Whereas in Kampala city and Entebbe town, the day and night are mild meaning its not very cold because it is close to Lake Victoria.
It really depends on your travel plans, if you plan to see the gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, the best months are december to february and June to September. being a tropical rainforest, showers are unpredictable during gorilla treks, you need to carry your rain jacket.
if you want to climb mountains such as Mt. elgon in east, or virunga volcanoes like Mt. Gahinga, Sabinyo in Mgahinga then the dry season is recommended. As you climb to higher altitudes, expect temperatures to cool and you should pack some warm layers.
if you intend to explore off the beaten track destinations such as semuliki national park or Rwenzori, the dirt roads require 4WD vehicle to beat potholes and maneuver long drives such as the 7 hours journey from Murchison to Kibale forest national park.
Sesse islands, not a lot of tourists know about them but has the most pleasant weather in Uganda. Sesse are a group of 84 islands in the southwest shores of Lake Victoria, the 2 largest freshwater lake in the world. The islands are located close enough to the equator and are always warm. they have amazing beaches, where you can relax, enjoy beautiful scenery, eat fish, sunbath.
Getting Around on safari
Road transport is the most affordable way getting to national parks. Though you have the option to fly by charter plane in the case of long distance safari 13 hours drive journey to Kidepo valley national park.
main roads and highways from Kampala city are tarmaced and in good condition. However there are dirt roads with potholes found in national park so a 4WD vehicle is a must have. visitors can hire and self drive too or take taxi and buses.
Visitors who do not want to travel with a safari company, or hire a car can use buses to travel to national parks. what you do is to go the bus park office, get details of the route and time and pay a ticket. buses are good for long distances for instance from Kampala to Bwindi southwestern Uganda. Note that, they stopover on specific stations, so you need to know where you shall be getting off the bus. in that case a boda boda/ motorcycle or taxi is preferred for a short distance to your final destination.
Self drive
if you want to self drive on your safari around Uganda, find a car rental company in Kampala. if you know how to drive that can save you hiring a driver/guide. however you shall need tourist maps of kampala, national parks unless you are familiar with roads and places.
