Uganda Safari for Seniors: Light Aircraft, Luxury Lodges, Relaxed Activities

Traveling away from the river, you track the giants of the savanna, a morning game drive coinciding with the time when animals are at their most active. An elephant ambles past, swinging his trunk with a look of mischief. Baboons cluster together, scampering across the savannah between trees. Three lionesses are on the prowl, their movements slow, precise, and nimble. In the same panorama, you can make out a herd of Ugandan kob, a potential meal for the pride. The safari guides are incredibly knowledgeable, and in a single glance can tell you that the lions are not hunting now, merely checking out the options for later.

It is good to maximize the three hours after dawn when the air is cool, and you can see the wildlife in their active state. As the morning continues, it gets hot, many of the larger mammals choosing to rest in the shade of a tree. Only some of the smaller antelope are out, feverishly grazing with the knowledge that the predators will not waste energy hunting in the heat. You return to the lodge for some downtime with lunch possibly followed by a siesta.  You then continue exploring in the late-afternoon, the two hours before dusk another prime time to admire the drama of the savanna. But this is just a typical program. On this safari, you can choose, so it is also possible to take a picnic and stay out on a game drive all day or fit the activities to your energy levels.

It is not just the day’s timetable you customize, but also the activities. Game drives can cover large swathes of the park, so you will see more animals and get to focus on the larger, more dangerous mammals, Buffalo and hippos are always a highlight of this park. On a walking safari, you travel very slowly, stopping regularly, and covering a very short distance. You avoid the giants, but the ungulates do not run away, creating an inspiringly personal perspective. In contrast, a boat safari is all about relaxation and surprise. There are only two routes you can take, heading left or right from the lodge, but you never know where the animals will be congregating and drinking. And as you settle into the safari rhythm, the option of a nighttime drive brings an additional thrill.

The flight west brings sublime vistas, first over the ochre and green of the savanna, and then the thick rainforest that crawls up Africa’s highest mountain chain. These light aircraft transfers hop between the national parks and are the quickest way you can travel. As you touch down in the destination, you may see that the airstrip has to be cleared of wandering wildlife. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s premier national park, home to a diversity of ecosystems that enhance the safari experience. You explore and customize further, not just the timings and the activities, but also the habitats.

The Kazinga Channel is a classic place to start, many grazers staying within a day’s walk of this permanent water. From the boat, you are immersed in the antics of the hippos, and while on a game drive, you are looking for predators to set an ambush in the bushes around the banks. At night, a guide’s spotlight illuminates the hunters and the herds, along with nocturnal animals you have not seen emerging to play. Like at Murchison Falls, you have luxurious accommodation in the heart of the park, enveloped by the sights and sounds of the wildlife. This time, it is a camp, a contemporary hotel-style room with canvas walls that enables the soundtrack to perforate. While the walls are canvas, everything else is similar to a hotel, with wooden floors, a spacious en-suite bathroom, and a balcony looking out over the animals.

The safari program is private and flexible. A standout in this park is a full-day game drive to the Ishasha Sector, a vast savanna of rippling colors and predatory drama. The lions climb trees here, and you can spot a whole pride draped across the branches in their customary state of repose. Ugandan kob and zebra are their main prey, large herds marked by two sentinels keeping guard. Elephants maraud past, giraffe continually dot the horizon, while large herds of buffalo kick up dust as they roam. Take a picnic, and spend the day exploring slowly, tracking the stalkers and the stalked. This is also a park where you can travel in many directions, and your private guide will outline the options, tailoring the next day’s program as you eat dinner and watch the hippos.

Spending three days in each of the two safari destinations is always recommended. More time means more places you can explore. Perhaps more importantly, the extra day ensures you stick to the relaxed rhythm that makes Uganda so enchanting. This is not a country that rushes around, and when you get used to that speed, you find that there are so many subtleties you may have missed otherwise. Today, you could stick to the savanna, the elephants, and hippos and lions that have impressed so much. Or you could take a walk in the forest, where chimpanzees are among the rare primate inhabitants. It could be a full day of adventure, or something more sedate, cruising down the Kazinga Channel as sunset turns the waters golden.

Leaving Queen Elizabeth National Park, you are still on safari, passing herds of elephant and buffalo as the road starts winding south towards Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It is about a three-hour drive to the gorillas’ realm, a beautiful journey through the foothills of forested mountains. Along the way, you stop at a local village, receiving a warm welcome and getting a glimpse of traditions in this corner of Africa. The people are gregarious, keen to share stories about life and lifestyles. It is a non-obtrusive way to learn and see more of Uganda before a quiet afternoon at your lodge, perched over the misty forest of Bwindi.

It used to be that Rwanda was the premier choice for seniors’ gorilla trekking. Both Uganda and Rwanda offer a very similar experience. The main difference is the length of the actual trekking. Meeting Uganda’s gorillas typically required a longer journey through the forest. However, since 2015, Uganda has successfully habituated additional gorilla troops, and with more gorilla troops to visit, there is a very good chance that at least one will be found within a one-hour trek of the trailhead. You cannot choose which gorillas you would like to see. When meeting at the park headquarters, the head guide allocates trekkers to troops based on fitness levels, and senior visitors are allocated the closest troop. Note, you can request something different if you would like a longer trek in the forest. If required, porters are available and are trained to carry people, something they also do in their communities.

Head out towards the gorillas, and the first moment can live with you for eternity. In the midst of the wilderness, they are looking at you. Not just one, but a whole troop, more than ten gorillas meeting your eye. After the initial greeting, the world’s largest primates continue their day, snapping branches, foraging for seeds, sharing a joke, waving their arms, and expressing themselves perceptibly through eyes and smiles. And you watch, engrossed by the behavior and baffling intimacy of it all, sometimes the gorillas on all sides of you. This is one of the ultimate highlights of African travel, and Uganda has successfully made it much more accessible for senior travelers in the last year.

The morning is free, and you have plenty of time to recount the experience of yesterday. There could be a whole memory card of photos, but the scenes will still be playing out in your mind. As the mist swirls in the distance, sitting back and recounting yesterday is a beautiful way to spend the morning. After lunch, you fly to Entebbe, where your five-star hotel stands on the shores of Lake Victoria. The afternoon is free, and a local guide can take you to markets if you would like to purchase souvenirs.

Most of Entebbe stands in an evocative state, partially ruined and crumbling, but still standing. Explore the broad boulevards on a morning walking tour, the guide gaining you access to buildings closed to the public. This was the Colonial capital under the British, but capital city status was moved to nearby Kampala upon independence. Entebbe has hardly changed since. Later in the day, you embark a private sunset cruise on Lake Victoria, a final memory of Uganda’s nature and landscapes, and a final African sunset to take home in your mind. Your hotel has an excellent restaurant for today’s meals, and the guide can also take you to other recommended restaurants in the old part of the city.

After breakfast, depart for Entebbe International Airport and your homebound flight.