Uganda tours & holidays

Travellers from most nationalities need a visa to enter Uganda. For more information, please visit the Government of Uganda’s website or the Essential Trip Information.

Visas are the responsibility of the individual traveller. Entry requirements can change at any time, so it's important that you check for the latest information.

You can check the entry requirements for your nationality on your government's foreign travel advisories, consular websites or on our visa and entry requirements page.

Absolutely. All passengers travelling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.

For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance

Tipping isn’t mandatory in Uganda but considering that most Ugandans earn little, tips will be appreciated. As a guide, adding 10% in cafes and restaurants is acceptable, although not necessary.

Uganda has a mostly tropical climate, meaning it can be quite humid, with two rainy seasons throughout the year. Temperatures are typically moderate to warm, so bring lightweight clothes that breathe easily. Other essentials include a rain jacket, mosquito repellent, sun protection and binoculars.

Ex-military or military-style clothing and equipment are not recommended. In Uganda, people tend to dress conservatively, especially women. It is advised that travellers also dress modestly, e.g. in shorts and skirts that sit around the knees and tops that cover the shoulders.

If you are visiting wildlife areas, ensure you have quality closed-toe shoes and long trousers and shirts. Long shorts are fine for warm weather. It can get cold in the mornings and evenings, so bring a warm layer or two as well.

Depending on the trip you are going on, you may need special gear. If you are camping, you’ll likely need to bring a small amount of specialised equipment, specifically items like head torches and sandals.

If you are going to Uganda to trek for gorillas, you will need to have a good and comfortable pair of waterproof hiking boots, a surgical face mask (can be provided), long socks and long trousers and shirts. It’s not permitted to be wearing any bright-coloured clothing when gorilla trekking, so ensure your items are dark or neutral colours.

Drinking tap water isn't recommended in Uganda. For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water. Ask your leader where filtered water can be found; some hotels we stay in may have drinking water available. It's also advisable to avoid ice in drinks and peel fruit and vegetables before eating.

Travellers will be able to access the internet quite easily in the internet cafes of Uganda’s capital and large cities, but limited to no access should be expected in regional and rural areas.

Mobile phone coverage is generally good in Uganda’s large cities and towns, but less so in rural and mountainous areas. Ensure you have global roaming activated before leaving home if you wish to use your mobile phone.

Squat/pit toilets are the standard in Uganda, except for Western-style flushable toilets that are sometimes available in large hotels and other modern buildings. Carry your own supply of soap and toilet paper, as these are rarely provided.

Some of the language in the anti-homosexuality law passed in May 2023 is vague and open to interpretation, and it remains unclear how this law will be implemented. We recommend that LGBTQIA+ travellers carefully consider the risks of travelling to Uganda and refer to your government’s foreign travel advisories. Equaldex and ILGA are other useful resources for LGBTQIA+ travellers.

If you are travelling solo on an Intrepid group trip, you will share accommodation with a passenger of the same gender as per your passport information. If you don’t identify with the gender assigned on your passport, please let us know at the time of booking and we’ll arrange the rooming configuration accordingly. A single supplement is available on some tours for travellers who do not wish to share a room.

Yes, all Intrepid trips support the Intrepid Foundation. In fact, we make a donation on behalf of every traveller. Trips to Uganda directly support our foundation partner, Gorilla Doctors.

Gorilla Doctors help safeguard wild eastern gorilla populations with life-saving veterinary care. Donations from our trips help them provide routine health monitoring, veterinary visits and clinical interventions for injured mountain and Grauer's gorillas. Each animal they treat contributes to the gorilla populations' health, genetic diversity and long-term sustainability.

Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.

Intrepid takes the health and safety of its travellers seriously and takes every measure to ensure that trips are safe, fun and enjoyable for everyone. We recommend that all travellers check with their government or national travel advisory organisation for the latest information before departure:

From Australia?

Go to: Smart Traveller

From Canada?

Go to: Canada Travel Information

From the UK?

Go to: UK Foreign Travel Advice

From New Zealand?

Go to: Safe Travel

From the US?

Go to: US Department of State

The World Health Organisation also provides useful health information.

We are committed to making travel widely accessible, regardless of ability or disability. We do our best to help you see the world, regardless of physical or mental limitations. 

We are always happy to talk to travellers with disabilities and see if we can help guide them toward the most suitable itinerary for their needs and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments to our itineraries.