Uganda is a tiny and landlocked location that might be regarded as a relatively obscure destination for most tourists looking for attractive spots to experience in Africa. Despite not having an ocean nearby, 25% of Uganda is made up of lakes and rivers, and it surely packs in a lot more amazing areas of interest that make travelers want to come back again and again. Click here to see mountain gorilla trekking safaris.

The mountainous, forested Bwindi National Park is among the top tourist sites in Uganda and one of the best locations for mountain gorilla trekking. Uganda is also home to sizable savannah reserves, lowland rainforests, and beautiful lakes, which together make for one of the largest wildlife experiences in Africa. Nevertheless, Uganda's tourist attractions don't end there. Below are the six best places to visit in 2026. Click here to view our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour.

Visit Kampala city

Busy Kampala is Uganda's commercial, political, and logistical center, as well as one of East Africa's most relaxed and hospitable towns. Kampala is a classic African capital with a tight, high-rise center surrounded by extensive suburbs. The only international airport in Uganda is located 42 kilometers away, in Entebbe, right beside Lake Victoria. Many tourists may stay the night here or in Kampala before and after their Uganda safari because it is the main entry and exit point for the country.

Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for gorilla trekking

Don't let Bwindi's frightening moniker deter you; Bwindi is quite accessible and regarded as one of the greatest locations in Uganda for gorilla trekking. Naturalist trackers and tourists’ guides will lead you inside Bwindi, and the effort will be repaid with a spectacular experience in this mighty forest. Spend an hour watching a family of gorillas in their natural rainforest environment before slipping away and returning to your cozy jungle lodge. A gorilla walk is challenging in the rainy, muggy, and unpleasant conditions, but the experience is truly amazing.

Visit Murchison Falls National Park for game viewing

Travelers shouldn’t anticipate a diverse assortment of creatures at Murchison Falls, and you'd be right because the Nile River neatly cuts through Uganda's largest park. For the traditional big game species like elephants, lions, buffalo, and hippo, this is the place to go in Uganda. Murchison Falls is home to almost 500 species of birds, in addition to chimpanzees and colobus monkeys in its woodlands. There is also a boat ride to the magnificent falls, where the rumbling Nile thunders through a 7-meter gap in the Great Rift Valley Escarpment.

Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for game viewing, bird watching, chimpanzee tracking, and river cruises.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most well-known and easily accessible savannah reserve in Uganda, is home to elephants, leopards, buffalo, various antelope species, and the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha Plains. It also conveniently connects with Bwindi Forest. Take a boat tour on the Kazinga Channel to see hippo and crocodiles, and don't forget your binoculars—Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best places in the world to go bird watching, with its astounding 600 species of birds.

Visit Kibale Forest National Park for chimpanzee trekking and bird watching

Kibale Forest, which is quickly rising to the top of the list of must-see locations in Uganda, provides tourists with an approachable and eye-opening glimpse into living in a tropical jungle. The clouds of brilliant butterflies and lovely forest birds more than make up for the difficulty in spotting large mammals; in fact, Kibale is most well-known for its monkeys. Visit the gorgeous forest on chimpanzee hikes with a guide to see how many of the other 12 primate species you can find.

Visit Lake Mburo National Park for serene game viewing and bird watching

An ideal overnight stop for travelers traveling between Lake Mburo and the gorilla trekking jungles of the southwest is Kampala, the capital of Uganda and its main entry point. The tremendous mixture of wetland and woodland environments supports a large variety of creatures and birds, and Mburo's serene ambiance and comforting sights offer much-needed relief after a taxing journey, even though heavyweights like the elephant are absent.

These are some of the most popular attractions that tourists to Kampala always love.

Uganda Museum is a perfect place for tourists who only have a couple of hours in Kampala; Uganda Museum should be the number one place to tour. Uganda Museum offers a diverse cultural heritage showcased through artifacts and exhibits with informative guides.

Local Food: Ugandan buffet lunch is mostly centered on matooke (steamed banana), beans, beef stew, and groundnut sauce. Fill up your plate high with well-cooked rice, yam, sweet potato, and cassava. Sample street food favorites such as Rolex (omelet rolled in a well-done chapatti), roasted muchomo, and luwombo steamed. Uganda is also famous for tropical fruits such as sweet pineapples, various bananas, mangos, passion fruit, watermelon, guava, papaya, and sugarcane.

Nightlife: No safari to Kampala is complete without having at least one night in the city center for the nightlife. Some of the famous clubs in Kampala include Guvnor, Cielo Lounge, Club Ambiance Kampala, Illusion, Cask Lounge, and F.A.M.E. Lounge.

Kasubi Tombs: Explore Buganda’s splendid traditional hut and get a chance to meet the ancestors of long-gone Kabakas (kings) of the Buganda Kingdom. Kasubi tombs don’t need bookings; tourists are always welcome by on-site guides. Get ready to learn how to make bark cloth from a tree.

Royal Mile: Walk along the tree-lined Royal Mile, nicknamed the (Kabaka Anjagala), between the Bulange (seat of the Buganda Parliament) and the Mengo Palace that is situated in Lubiri as you trace the roots of Ugandan royalty. Totems are an important part of Buganda culture. Interpretative tour guides can be organized through the Buganda Tourism and Heritage Board, or tourists can book this tour from the Bulange.

Namugongo and the Uganda Martyrs: Are you aware that in June each year, thousands of pilgrims come to Namugongo? Many walk from remote cities of East Africa to pay homage to the 22 Ugandan Christians who were killed for their faith in 1886. The 3rd of June every year marks the Uganda Martyrs’ public holiday.

Visit Lake Victoria, the world’s major source of the Nile. Plan a day trip from Entebbe to Ngamba Island to see the orphaned chimpanzee sanctuary and go bird watching near the shores (go shoebill searching in Mabamba Bay).

The best time to explore Uganda is from June to September and December to February, which are the dry months. Wildlife viewing in Uganda is at its peak. Primate trekking in the African jungle forest is a big part of any adventure safari in Uganda.