Uganda-Africa has one of the best reputations for safety and with a low crime rate there’s a good reason why and most of the crime takes place within the townships. The tourist areas are much safer but it’s still like other African countries care is needed in especially travelling solo.
Uganda attracts from teen to older traveler trips and not the seasoned party goers that you’ll find in Australia or Asia. There are opportunities for group travel here or you could hire a car with other like-minded travelers for extra security. Avoid entering into townships alone and don’t go out by yourself at night.
Below is our guide to how to travel solo in Uganda-Africa, as well as lots of practical information such as where to stay, which tour company to use and how to get around. Find out how to get from the airports and what to do in each place. Many travel agency companies included us have been recommended by solo female travelers and come with our Solo
Uganda-Africa is one of my favorite places on the planet — especially to travel alone. It’s a country will fell in love with instantly, a country that will fill you with a deep happiness that cannot find in very few places in the world.
But is it safe?
That’s the question most people ask about Uganda-Africa. And for good reason — Uganda has a low crime rate but in townships you have to guard against theft and assault especially when moving at night like in most cities around the world.
Is it crazy for a woman to consider traveling to Ugandan trip alone? No. It’s not crazy. I firmly believe that with the right research and preparation, almost any destination on the planet can be traveled safely by a solo woman her own.
There are lots of Uganda travel Agencies with guides for solo women that either downplay the dangers (“Just have common sense, you’ll be fine!”) or are overwhelmingly fear mongering making you to fear. I disagree with both approaches. The truth is in between, and there are a lot of safety issues specific to Uganda. You need to be cautious on streets or moving in isolated places where pick pockets don’t just stay in one place but follow you. You can use a Safe Boda (Motorcycle, Download the App) is one of the easiest way of moving around Kampala and cheap or you can use UBER taxi,
A solo traveler is a two-fold side! On the one hand you are completely independent, having to think only of yourself and no one else’s likes and dislikes. But on the other you’ll need to carefully consider issues like the extra cost of Travel Agencies/guides and private transfers, as well as security and safety, single supplements etc.
We’ve listed some important tips and options to take into account for your solo trip to Uganda.
Solo Travelers to Uganda/ How Best is it to Solo Travel -Vs- by a small Group Travel in Uganda.
- How to get around
- Small group tours
One option is to take a small group scheduled tour. This allows you to meet fellow travelers in a friendly atmosphere. You can opt to take a full tour of 11 to 14 days to cover your whole trip. Or you could take shorter tours only 3 or 4 nights at a time.
The former gives you the opportunity to really get to know people over a long period of time. But the latter ‘hedges your bets’ if you are not sure you are a ‘groups’ sort of person.
- The Downside
The only downside is that small group tours tend to be a travel agency arranged around the most activities to do and mid-range hotels. They also tend to cover quite a lot of ground quickly as many people have a limited time to spend.
In this case we advise that you do your reservation at least 8 months with your interests so that we arrange a small group tours who have the same interests but if you have independent ideas and your reservation is late we suggest a solo trip.
Our advice for a scheduled group can fit the bill!
Like a short 3-4 day tour to the Gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrate forest NP or Murchison Falls NP is often an ideal option to combine with Queen Elizabeth NP or Budongo Forest.
The best region for solo travelers in Uganda is Western Uganda, where you’ll find most of the national parks and reserves as well as magnificent landscapes and a huge array of different activities. In Western Uganda, you can go mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking in Bwindi and Kibale Forest, wildlife spotting and bird watching on the rivers and savanna of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park and hiking in the crater lakes area. Adventurous travelers can join a guided group trek in the dramatic Rwenzori Mountains.
A great place to base you in Western Uganda is Lake Bunyonyi, from where you can easily go gorilla trekking in Bwindi, but also do a number of outdoors activities in the lake and in the surrounding area solo. In Eastern Uganda, Jinja is an ideal place for solo travelers. There are endless activities to fill your days, and you’ll be able to meet lots of other travelers in the town’s bars and restaurants.
Mix of Private Transfers and Scheduled Tours
Another option is to mix private transfers with some scheduled day tours in the trip around Uganda.
- Highlights
Hiking through misty rainforest to find a group of gorillas playing, feeding and grooming one another, chasing a troop of chimpanzees as they swing through the treetops above you, spotting tree-climbing lions on a guided game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, going on a boat cruise to see the magnificent Murchison Falls, discovering villages and plantations on hikes around the crater lakes, chilling out at a lakeside resort in Lake Bunyonyi, getting your adrenaline pumping tackling the rapids of the Nile River.
- The Upside
This gives you more flexibility than a group tour as you can choose your ideal hotel and you can stay longer in one area. It also means you are not locked into one group of people who may or may not be your ‘type’.
- The Downside
However, scheduled day tours (where you are picked up from your hotel) are not an option throughout Uganda, and so this is not really possible in the rural areas. Sometimes there are excursions on offer which you can also join.
BUT… sometimes you still have to get from your hotel to the departure point of the excursion and local taxis are not always a viable option.
So you need to be open to different options. Ask to stay at hotels which are centrally located so that you can easily walk to the departure point for excursions.
Plus plan your excursions at the same time as your accommodation. You don’t want to decide on a country Hotel/ lodge and then realize that you cannot easily do some planned excursions at a later date.
- Travel tips
Solo female travelers should take the same kinds of precautions that they would anywhere else: ask locals for advice on what areas to avoid when you’re in a city, don’t walk by yourself on quiet streets after dark and don’t flaunt your valuables. Ugandan women tend to dress conservatively (always covering their knees) so if you want to minimize drawing attention to yourself, wear shorts or skirts that cover your knees, and t-shirts that aren’t too tight. The safest form of transport in a city is a UBER private taxi or Safe Boda (Download Apps)
How best is it to Solo Travel -Vs- by a Group Travel in Uganda?
The Best Way to Relate on how to choose a Solo Travel trip Vs a small Group Travel trip in Uganda.
Safaris in Uganda are one of the greatest treasures in life especially to those that are bitten by the wanderlust bug. Many have travelled to many different destinations in Africa and the world at large. Either as a solo travel or on a group travel, but they still find Uganda the perfect home for the most amazing wonders never imagined of.
Basing on several factors, there are many things that travelers put into consideration before setting for long journeys in the strange lands. From the time of choosing the destination and time, baggage, budget and others just make travelling to seem like a never ending process of decision making.
And for the first time trotters it even becomes a tough decision to choose on whether to travel solo or in a group. But the factors affecting the choice of travel are numerous and some of them listed here below could help you decide on which travel choice you would go with while planning a Uganda safari.
- Cost effectiveness
Budget triggers all trips as well as the quality of the trip. Cheap trips in Uganda instantly attract many travelers but offer poor quality services beginning from the hotels/lodges. On any group safari in Uganda, be assured of a group discount. However, still a solo traveler has more chances of saving money in the predetermined decisions for group travels like choosing to stay in a cheaper hotel, food or transportation.
- Personal safety
There is cautious to everyone who is a solo traveling to new places like Uganda. Although peaceful country are generally safe for one to travel alone, group travels would be the best options in this issue as there are always many things to take care of like the cultural differences. Besides that, even when one falls sick or gets a problem there is someone to help them.
There are some of the questions circling through every solo traveler’s head as she/he prepares or even consider to take a solo trip as a female traveler. You’re probably thinking of what would be the eventualities. And, I don’t blame you. These doubts/ concerns you must have them before you take your first solo trip too. Although I have done quite a lot of solo travel still do at times and I’m not sure if those fears will ever go away.
However, solo female travel can be safe and fun! Yes, risks and danger lie everywhere – even in your hometown. Like anything else in life though, the best thing you can do is take the necessary precautions before entering a risky situation. There are so many ways you can prepare yourself before taking your first solo trip.
- If I would have let my fears about solo travel keep me at home, I would have missed out on the most incredible & life-changing experiences.
- What I can a sure you is a solo traveler can have fun than in group travels.
- Being your first time solo traveling doesn’t mean being alone, as it gives the solo traveler chances to meet a number of people from different backgrounds and perception of life and making new friends.
- Traveling solo travels in Uganda give you the opportunity of self-reflection which cannot be done easily in group travel trips.
- If you are this kind of a person who wants to do most of your things secretly, then group travel is not at all appropriate for you. There is little or no form of privacy in group travels. Though one can do anything he feels like on a solo travel without any inconvenience from another person.
