Wondering about the best time or when you should visit Uganda for a safari? Uganda is a peaceful country among all the East African countries and one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the continent and the whole world. The country has recently regained its legacy as one of the best tourist destinations not only because of its impressive population of giant mountain gorillas, big wild games, small game, and other interesting creatures like birds but also with warm welcoming people, beautiful plains, lush forests, mountains, interesting water bodies such as rivers and lakes, plains, hills, swamps and different vegetation types which all call for travelers to worry about the best time to visit Uganda.
The country is under the economically integrated wing of the East African community joining the biggest tourist destinations in the region - Kenya, Tanzania, and the fast-growing Rwanda. All these destinations almost share similar weather patterns which is not the case with the West.
Since Uganda is crossed by the equator, there is a slight change in the day-to-day temperatures of the country where the hottest average temperatures normally range between 27° to 28° Celsius which is approximately 84°F in most parts of Kampala and the nearby cities. This is not the case with the northern region whose daytime temperature ranges between 24 to 33 degrees Celsius which is 51 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit which tends to increase to 40 degrees Celsius which is 104 degrees Fahrenheit up in Kidepo National Park side in January and February.
Uganda's climate is majorly determined by two major seasons - the dry season and the wet season. The dry season in the northern region occurs in December and February while the wet season occurs from March through November. This weather is experienced in the areas of Murchison Falls National Park, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Kidepo National Park, and Pian Upe Game Reserve.
Like Rwenzori mountains, massive Lake Victoria, Virunga massif, and the southwestern part of Uganda which is known for hosting most of the national parks have two main seasons - the first wet season usually starts from mid-September to November while the second season runs from March to May. It is important to know also while visiting this region that it can rain any time of the day which calls for thorough preparation when visiting.
On average, the temperature range during the wet season may only get below 16 in the morning hours or higher to 27 degrees in the afternoon in places with high altitudes like mountainous areas. The driest months of Uganda are June, July, and August except receiving some rainfall because the region is mostly covered by rainforests. This is not the case with the northern region which is semi-arid and can experience drought in this period. While in December, January, and February, the southwestern part of Uganda receives more rainfall compared to the northern which receives little or no rainfall at all.
All in all, the best time to visit Uganda is during the wet season in December to January and June to August because most of the activities like gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking, rhino trekking, golden monkey trekking and all other tourism-related activities can be done effectively. After all, the trails are passable and during this time you and your equipment are safe which would be worse in rainy seasons.
However, it is still possible to travel during the wet season because vegetation grows well, and animal sightings are great, however, trails tend to be impassable but this time is also considered the best for photography, and with the fact that since it is a low season, lodges, hotels, and permits are cheap compared to how it would be in dry season hence good for budget travelers.
