MNYANSIOTours & Travel

Plan your safari

The Mnyansio safari desk

Safari planning team

The planning team answers permit, timing and logistics questions every day, and writes up the answers that come back most often. Everything published here is checked against current park authority rates and the routes our own vehicles drive.

Written by The Mnyansio safari desk

Forest and savannah meeting in western Uganda

27 August 20268 minute read

Combining gorillas and the Big Five in one trip

Yes, you can see mountain gorillas and the Big Five on one East African trip. It means two habitats and usually two parks or two countries, around 10 to 14 days, and permits bought and paid for before anything else is fixed.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A shoebill in papyrus swamp

24 August 20268 minute read

Birding in Uganda: where to go and when

A Uganda birding safari runs west and south-west — Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi — with a boat trip for papyrus and swamp species. December to February is dry countrywide; June to August is the dependable dry window in the south-west.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Sunrise over the Serengeti at the start of a game drive

22 August 20267 minute read

What a day on safari actually looks like

A safari day is built around two windows of good light and one long gap in the middle: out before dawn, back for a late breakfast, several hours of rest, then out again until the park closes. Trekking days work differently.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Elephants on open grassland

20 August 20268 minute read

Uganda or Kenya for a first safari?

Choose Kenya for classic open-plains game viewing and easier logistics. Choose Uganda if the trip is built around mountain gorillas and forest primates. Kenya costs far more per park day; Uganda costs far more per headline activity.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A leopard in a tree

18 August 20267 minute read

Uganda or Tanzania for the Big Five?

Tanzania, if the Big Five is the point: Ngorongoro and the Serengeti hold all five between them. Uganda gives you four in the wild — lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo — with rhino at a fenced sanctuary. Uganda's real case is gorillas.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Wildebeest at a river crossing

16 August 20267 minute read

Kenya or Tanzania for the Great Migration?

Tanzania for most of the year — the Serengeti holds the herds through calving, the westward move and the push north. Kenya's Masai Mara comes into its own from roughly August to October, when the Mara River is the herds' primary water source.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Elephants below Kilimanjaro in Amboseli

13 August 20267 minute read

Amboseli: elephants under Kilimanjaro

Amboseli's elephants and Kilimanjaro are a package deal: water from the mountain is understood to surface in the basin as permanent swamps, holding big herds in open country all year. The mountain itself is usually only clear at dawn and in the last hour of light.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A light aircraft used for medical evacuation in East Africa

11 August 20269 minute read

Travel insurance for a safari: what to actually check

A safari policy needs three things a standard one may lack: emergency medical evacuation from a remote park, cancellation cover sized to the full trip, and trekking named as a covered activity. The biggest sum at risk is the permit: refunded in part at best, and not at all in Rwanda.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The floor of the Ngorongoro Crater from the rim

9 August 20267 minute read

The Ngorongoro Crater: fees, timing and what it is really like

A Ngorongoro Crater safari means paying the NCAA USD 70.80 per non-East African adult to enter the conservation area, plus a USD 295 crater service fee charged per vehicle, not per person. Here is how the day actually works.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Wildebeest strung out across open plain

7 August 20268 minute read

Serengeti or Masai Mara: which one, and when

They are one ecosystem split by a border, so the wildlife is broadly the same. Take the Masai Mara for a short trip and the August-to-October river months; take the Serengeti for scale, the calving season and a longer itinerary.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A lion resting in a fig tree

5 August 20268 minute read

Ishasha's tree-climbing lions, and whether to detour for them

Ishasha is the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, and its lions genuinely do rest in trees. Sightings are never guaranteed. The detour makes sense if you are already driving between Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi, and rarely otherwise.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A safari guide at the vehicle

2 August 20267 minute read

Tipping on an East African safari

No tipping rate is published by any authority we could find in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya or Tanzania, so the figures quoted online are house conventions, not rules. What matters is the structure: one amount for your driver-guide at the end, plus one-off amounts for trekking staff and lodge teams.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The glaciated peaks of the Rwenzori

31 July 20267 minute read

Trekking the Rwenzori: routes, days and how hard it is

Two companies run the only two routes up the Rwenzori, and the summit is a glacier climb rather than a walk. Which route to take, how many days a Margherita attempt costs you, and when the three-day loop is the better answer.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A crater lake in the Ndali-Kasenda field

29 July 20268 minute read

The Fort Portal crater lakes, and how to drive them

The Fort Portal crater lakes are a field of volcanic lakes in western Uganda, driven as loops of unsealed murram road south of town. Do them as a half day from Fort Portal, or as the scenic way between Kibale Forest and Queen Elizabeth.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The Nile squeezing through Murchison Falls

27 July 20269 minute read

The Murchison Falls boat trip: delta or falls?

Murchison Falls has two Nile boat trips running in opposite directions. Upstream takes you to the foot of the falls; downstream takes you to the delta, where the birding is. Both run about two hours and cost USD 30 per person for foreign non-residents.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The Victoria Nile leaving Lake Victoria at Jinja

25 July 20268 minute read

Jinja and the source of the Nile: what is worth doing

Jinja's headline activity is white-water rafting on the Victoria Nile, with kayaking, bungee, biking, boat cruises and Mabira Forest around it. The Source of the Nile monument is a short, quiet stop rather than a spectacle.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The main drop at Sipi Falls

22 July 20269 minute read

The Sipi Falls Hike, Mount Elgon and the Coffee on Its Slopes

The Sipi Falls hike is a three-to-four-hour guided circuit linking three waterfalls on Mount Elgon's western slopes. It sits outside the national park, so there is no Uganda Wildlife Authority gate and no park entry fee. It is a walk rather than a climb, but a steep and slippery one.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A southern white rhino at Ziwa

20 July 20267 minute read

Tracking rhino on foot at Ziwa

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only place in Uganda where you can track southern white rhino on foot. A ranger finds the animals, you walk in, and you stand on the ground near them. It takes an hour or two and sits roughly halfway between Kampala and Murchison Falls.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Zebra in the acacia country of Lake Mburo

18 July 20267 minute read

Lake Mburo on foot: how a walking safari works

A walking safari at Lake Mburo is arranged with the park before you travel and goes out on foot with a ranger rather than from a vehicle. You pay Uganda Wildlife Authority's park entrance fee — USD 40 per adult per 24 hours — and the walk is charged on top of it.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The Narus valley in Kidepo

16 July 20267 minute read

Is Kidepo Valley worth the journey?

Yes, if you can give it three nights or more and you value emptiness over convenience. Kidepo sits in Uganda's far northeast and is the hardest of the country's parks to reach. On a short gorilla-focused first trip, it is the wrong place to spend your days.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Acacia and open plain in the Serengeti

14 July 20268 minute read

The best time to visit Tanzania

June to October is the dry season across northern Tanzania and the Serengeti–Mara, and the strongest all-round window. January to March is calving season on the southern Serengeti plains, with February the peak. March to May brings the long rains — quieter, cheaper, wetter.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The Virunga volcanoes rising above farmland

11 July 20268 minute read

The best time to visit Rwanda

June to August and December to February are the driest months and the easiest time to trek gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Rwanda is open year-round, and November to May carries RDB's 30% low-season gorilla permit discount if you add Nyungwe or Akagera.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Safari kit laid out before a trip

9 July 20268 minute read

What to pack for an East African safari

Pack for cold mornings, hot middays and wet forests. Two or three sets of neutral quick-dry clothing, a fleece, a waterproof shell, broken-in boots, a hat, sunscreen and binoculars. Keep passport, permits and yellow fever certificate in hand luggage.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Passport stamps and travel documents

7 July 20269 minute read

The East Africa Tourist Visa, explained

The East Africa Tourist Visa is a single US$100 visa covering Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda for 90 days, with multiple entries between them. Tanzania is not included. You must enter first through the country whose portal issued it, and leaving the three-country bloc cancels it.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A safari vehicle on a Ugandan park track

5 July 20268 minute read

How many days do you need for a Uganda safari?

Most Uganda safaris need seven to ten days. Three days is the practical minimum and buys one gorilla trek and little else; five or six adds chimpanzees; twelve to fourteen covers a full circuit including Kidepo Valley.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Open grassland in the Masai Mara

3 July 20267 minute read

The best time to visit Kenya on safari

Late June to October is the strongest window: it is the Serengeti-Mara dry season, and the herds depend on the Mara River from August to October. January and February run a close second, cost half as much in Mara entry fees and sit outside high season. April and May fall in the long rains.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Afternoon light over the Ugandan savannah

30 June 20268 minute read

The best time to visit Uganda

June to August is the best time to visit Uganda, with December to February close behind. Those are the country's two dry windows. Gorilla and chimpanzee trekking run year-round, so the month you pick changes mud, cold and cost more than what you see.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A light aircraft on a bush airstrip

28 June 20268 minute read

Fly-in or drive: getting around Uganda on safari

Fly when the itinerary is short or the park is far — Kidepo Valley above all, or a three-night gorilla trip. Drive when you have ten days or more, are travelling as a family or group, and want the country between the parks. Most good Uganda itineraries do both.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A silverback mountain gorilla at close range

26 June 20269 minute read

The gorilla habituation experience: four hours instead of one

The gorilla habituation experience is a Ugandan permit giving four hours with a mountain gorilla group instead of one. UWA prices it at USD 1,500 per foreign non-resident, rising to USD 1,800 on 1 January 2027. It starts at 6:30am and must be bought through a licensed operator.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

24 June 20268 minute read

Rwanda gorilla permits: what they cost and how to book

A Rwanda gorilla trekking permit costs USD 1,500 per person per day for foreign non-residents, set by the Rwanda Development Board, with no seasonal variation. Rwandan and East African citizens pay USD 200 and residents USD 500 under promotional rates withdrawn from June to October 2026.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Trekkers on a steep forest trail in Bwindi

22 June 20268 minute read

How hard is gorilla trekking, really?

Uganda Wildlife Authority puts a gorilla trek at two to seven hours and describes the fitness required as moderate. The difficulty is the ground rather than the distance: steep, wet forest at altitude, at the trackers' pace, with no fixed turnaround point.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Porters on a forest trail in the Virunga foothills

19 June 20267 minute read

Gorilla trekking with limited mobility

You can trek gorillas with limited mobility, but only Rwanda publishes a policy: Volcanoes National Park staff offer an arm to lean on, or a stretcher for wheelchair users. Uganda's sedan chair is not a UWA product and appears in no tariff, so a carried trek there is a private arrangement.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A village on the edge of the gorilla forest

17 June 20267 minute read

Where your gorilla permit money actually goes

Rwanda's RDB states that 10% of gorilla permit revenue goes to community revenue-sharing. Uganda's UWA publishes no percentage — only that its USD 800 permit (USD 600 in April, May and November) covers the guide fee, park entrance for the day and a community development contribution.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A chimpanzee on the forest floor

15 June 20268 minute read

The chimpanzee habituation experience in Kibale

Kibale's chimpanzee habituation experience is a USD 300 Uganda Wildlife Authority permit that buys up to four hours with a chimp community from a 6:30am start, rather than the single hour a standard USD 250 tracking permit allows. It rises to USD 400 on 1 January 2027.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A golden monkey in the bamboo zone of the Virungas

13 June 20267 minute read

Golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga and Volcanoes

Golden monkey trekking is a guided walk to a habituated troop in the Virunga bamboo. Two parks sell it: Mgahinga in Uganda, where UWA charges foreign non-residents USD 60 for the permit, and Volcanoes in Rwanda, where RDB charges USD 100.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A chimpanzee in the canopy of Kibale Forest

11 June 20268 minute read

Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale: what it costs and what you see

A Kibale chimpanzee permit costs USD 250 for foreign non-residents, USD 200 in April, May and November, and USD 300 from 1 January 2027. It includes park entrance, a guide and one hour with the chimps. UWA reports over 90% sighting success; low-season permits cannot be rescheduled.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A ranger leading trekkers into the forest

8 June 20268 minute read

What actually happens on a gorilla trek, hour by hour

In Uganda you report to a park entry point for a briefing, track from 8:00am with UWA guides, walk anywhere from two to seven hours, then get a strict maximum of one hour with the gorillas in a group of no more than eight. Here is the whole day, in order.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The forested ridges of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

6 June 20267 minute read

The four sectors of Bwindi, and which one to trek from

No Bwindi sector is officially "best". Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo are UWA's four designated entry points, the permit costs the same at all four, and UWA's brochure count puts most habituated groups at the two southern trailheads. Choose on groups, terrain and route.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The canopy walkway above Nyungwe Forest

4 June 20267 minute read

Nyungwe Forest: the canopy walk, the chimpanzees and the fees

The Nyungwe canopy walk costs USD 40 per international visitor, guide included, in groups of two to eight. Park entry is charged separately on top — and it is a cumulative total for your stay, not a nightly rate. Chimpanzee tracking is a separate USD 150 permit.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A young mountain gorilla with its family group

2 June 20267 minute read

The gorilla trekking age limit, and what to do if your child is younger

The minimum age for gorilla trekking is 15, in Uganda and Rwanda alike. It is a permit condition set by UWA and RDB, not a guide's call on the day. Uganda's chimpanzee minimum is unsettled: the 2024 UWA guidelines say 12, UWA's Kibale page says 16. If your child is under age, here is how to plan.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A telephoto lens trained on distant wildlife

20 May 20266 minute read

Safari wildlife photography: the kit list that actually matters

Two bodies, a 100 to 400 mm zoom, a fast standard zoom, a beanbag and more cards than you think. Everything else is optional, and the tripod stays at home.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A road through the East African countryside

22 April 20267 minute read

Which vaccinations do you need for East Africa?

Yellow fever is the one with a legal requirement attached. Everything else is medical advice from a travel clinic, ideally six to eight weeks before you fly.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

A family watching wildlife from a vehicle

8 April 20266 minute read

Is a safari safe for children?

Yes, with the right pacing, malaria precautions and camp rules. The binding constraints are the minimum ages: 15 for gorillas, 12 for chimpanzees in Uganda.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Wildebeest at a Mara River crossing

11 March 20266 minute read

The Great Migration month by month: where the herds actually are

The migration is a continuous clockwise loop through the Serengeti and Mara, not an event. February for calving in the south, July to October for the northern river crossings.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Trekkers on a steep forest trail in Bwindi

25 February 20266 minute read

What to pack for a gorilla trek

Broken-in waterproof boots, long trousers tucked into long socks or gaiters, gardening gloves and a rain shell. Everything else is optional. Here is the full list and the reasoning behind it.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

Mist over the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

28 January 20266 minute read

When is the best time to visit Uganda for gorilla trekking?

June to August and December to February are the driest months and the easiest walking. But mountain gorillas are resident year round, so what the season really changes is mud, crowds and price.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

The approach to a gorilla trek in Uganda

14 January 20267 minute read

Uganda gorilla permits: what they cost and how to book one

A Uganda gorilla trekking permit is 800 US dollars per person for a foreign non-resident, set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Here is exactly what that buys, what it does not, and how far ahead you have to move.

By The Mnyansio safari desk

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