Uganda. Where the rainforest meets the savannah.
Most people come to Uganda for two hours. We designed the eleven days that surround them.
More primates than we can promise you
Every Uganda itinerary sells the same two hours: sixty minutes with a gorilla family, sixty minutes with a chimpanzee community. Both are worth the journey. That ceiling is the same for everyone. What happens around those two hours is not.
The rest of this expedition is built around the primates nobody puts on a poster. Golden monkeys in the bamboo of Mgahinga, where we book the four-hour habituation rather than the one-hour trek. In Kibale, the Uganda mangabey — the country's only endemic monkey, recognised in 2007 — red colobus and grey-cheeked mangabey. L'Hoest's on the forest edge at Bwindi. Four nights in Queen Elizabeth, where baboons share the Ishasha fig trees with lions that climb them, and vervets line the Kazinga Channel.
Kibale holds thirteen species in a single forest. Along the whole route the list runs longer, and what walks past your lens is not ours to promise.
The Solara Conservation Foundation (in formation) is an independent initiative dedicated to wildlife protection and community-based conservation in the regions where we travel. Uganda's forests and the communities living alongside them are exactly the kind of place this work is for.
Three regions. Three kinds of light.
Photography on foot. In silence. At the pace of the forest.
01
Most of it on foot
Gorillas, golden monkeys and Bigodi are all reached on foot — two to four hours through dense forest at Bwindi, easier walking elsewhere. Moderate fitness is enough. Porters carry equipment and know the ground, and hiring one puts money directly into the villages beside the park.
02
Photography, not a workshop
There is no curriculum and no classroom. The host photographer is in the vehicle and on the trail — where to sit, when to wait, what the light is about to do. In the evenings, an optional review of the day's images for anyone who wants one.
03
Uganda between the parks
Some of the strongest images come from outside the parks. The long drives — Mburo to Kisoro, the highlands down to Ishasha — pass markets, tea, terraced slopes and light that most safari vehicles drive straight past. We stop when it is worth stopping.
04
Two mornings, never one
One night in a place gives you one morning. If the light is flat, that is the trip. So we book two nights in every sector — Ishasha, Kazinga, Kibale, Bwindi. The second morning is when you already know where to be.
Day by day.
The pace is always led by wildlife, light, and landscape — not by a fixed schedule.
Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.
Included
- All accommodation (10 nights)
- All meals — dinner on arrival through Day 11 departure
- Two vehicles throughout, three photographers each
- Airport and lodge transfers
- Overland throughout — no domestic flights, no baggage limits on your equipment
- Chimpanzee tracking permit, Kibale
- Mountain gorilla trekking permit, Bwindi
- A group of six, in a permit group of eight — the hour is effectively yours
- Golden monkey habituation, Mgahinga — four hours, not one
- Private boat on the Kazinga Channel
- All game drives, in pop-up roof vehicles
- Guided walk at Lake Mburo
- Bigodi swamp walk, community-run
- Time with a Batwa community near Rushaga
- Park fees and conservation levies
- Porters for gorilla trekking
- A host photographer in the field, and optional image review in the evening
Not Included
- International flights to and from Entebbe
- Optional night game drive, Queen Elizabeth (payable locally)
- Travel insurance (required — see FAQ)
- Uganda visa fees
- Alcoholic beverages
- Personal expenses and gratuities
- Booking fee (€35) and GGTO/AVR levy (€9)
Pricing & Availability
This expedition is from 2-13 June 2027.
Minimum 4 travellers · Maximum 6. Once the group is full, the departure is closed.
This expedition can be combined with our Uganda Wildlife Safari (15–24 June 2027). Contact us to design your combined journey.
Solara Conservation Foundation
The Solara Conservation Foundation (in formation) is an independent non-profit initiative dedicated to wildlife protection, habitat preservation, and community-based conservation in the regions where wildlife photography takes place.
In Uganda, the communities living alongside Bwindi and Kibale are central to the long-term protection of these forests. The Foundation's focus is on building relationships with the people and organisations doing this work.
The Solara Conservation Foundation is currently in formation and will be applying for ANBI status in the Netherlands.
The gorilla did not move. It simply looked.
I have photographed wildlife on every continent. I have sat in vehicles waiting for the light. I have crawled through grass and stood in rivers. But nothing prepared me for the moment a mountain gorilla in Bwindi turned, looked directly at me, and held my gaze for what felt like a very long time.
There is no vehicle between you and that moment. No engine running, no other photographers jostling for position. You are standing in an ancient forest, on the same ground, breathing the same air. The camera almost feels beside the point.
I designed this expedition because Uganda deserves to be experienced this way — slowly, on foot, without the infrastructure of mass tourism between you and what is wild.Come prepared to be changed by it.
— Your host photographer, Solara Safaris
Every Solara journey begins with a conversation
We don't take bookings through a checkout. Before any reservation is made, we have a short call to make sure this expedition is right for you. No obligation. Just an honest conversation.
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Questions
Everything you need to know before booking your next adventure.
There is walking on most days. The gorilla trek is the longest — two to four hours through dense forest, sometimes steep. Mgahinga, Bigodi and the morning walk at Lake Mburo are easier. Moderate fitness is enough throughout, and porters are available for the gorilla trek.
This expedition asks two different things. In Bwindi and Kibale the forest is dark and the animals are close — a fast 70-200mm f/2.8 or 100-400mm, and a wide angle, because gorillas come nearer than you plan for. In Queen Elizabeth the distances open up: 200-600mm earns its weight there. Bring rain protection and spare batteries.
One hour with the gorillas, and one hour with the chimpanzees. Both are fixed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority to limit contact. Longer habituation permits exist for both, at roughly double the cost and rarely available for a full group. The golden monkeys are where we do buy the extra time: four hours at Mgahinga, not one.
Queen Elizabeth is one of the few parks in Uganda where night drives are permitted. We offer it as an option on the evening in Kazinga, at additional cost, payable locally. It uses a spotlight, so expect high ISO and hard light — a different kind of photograph than the rest of the expedition.
Most lodges on this route run on solar and generators, with power in the evenings rather than around the clock. Ishasha has no mains supply. Bring enough batteries for two full days of shooting, and a charger you can leave running overnight.
Uganda requires proof of yellow fever vaccination on entry, and a visa, which you arrange online in advance. We will send the current requirements once you book. Check with your own doctor or travel clinic in good time — some vaccinations need several weeks.
Yes. The Uganda Primates expedition (2–13 June) runs directly before the Uganda Wildlife Safari (15–23 June). Contact us to discuss the combined itinerary.
Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance — including emergency medical evacuation cover — is required for all Solara expeditions.
We begin every reservation with a short personal conversation. There is no obligation at that stage. Use the form below and we will be in touch within 24 hours.
Uganda through the lens
Captured light and wild places from the field
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