Uganda: Wildlife, Community & Purposeful Travel Claimed

This 10-day journey through Uganda was designed to show the country in a deeper, more connected way. Not just its famous wildlife, including the incredible mountain gorillas everyone dreams of seeing up close, but also the people, landscapes, and community initiatives that make Uganda so special.

My trip was based on this tour

https://amatsikotours.com/tours/5-day-gorillas-lakes-journey-of-adventure-impact/

but began with time spent at Amatsiko Preparatory School, where I was welcomed into the local community and saw first-hand how education is transforming lives. This set the tone for the entire experience. Travel here is sustainable, respectful, and rooted in long-term impact.

From there, the journey unfolded across some of Uganda’s most extraordinary regions. At Lake Bunyonyi, I had the chance to slow down, absorb the scenery, and connect with local life through a visit to a herbalist, making lunch with locals, and creating crafts together.

In Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, I experienced the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of gorilla trekking. It was a powerful, humbling encounter that highlighted the importance of conservation and responsible tourism. Our small group of eight trekked to find one of the gorilla families and spent a full hour with them, quite literally within touching distance.

The wildlife experiences continued in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with game drives and boat safaris revealing elephants, hippos, and abundant birdlife. In Kibale Forest, we tracked chimpanzees through dense rainforest, gaining insight into both primate behaviour and the conservation efforts protecting them.

One of the most impactful parts of the journey was time spent in Buzaniro, where I visited sustainable farming initiatives including water harvesting projects, fruit tree planting, rabbit farming, and small-scale community enterprises. These projects clearly demonstrate how tourism revenue directly supports food security, education, and long-term self-sufficiency.

The trip ended with a walking safari in Lake Mburo National Park, offering a completely different perspective on wildlife and conservation as we walked alongside giraffes. Experiencing plains wildlife on foot brought the journey full circle.

Throughout the trip, I stayed in locally owned lodges, travelled with Ugandan guides from Amatsiko Tours, and experienced the country at a pace that allowed for genuine connection. This was not a checklist itinerary. It was an invitation to understand Uganda as a living, breathing place shaped by resilience, warmth, and hope.

This journey reflects exactly what Amatsiko Tours stands for: travel that gives back, stories that matter, and experiences that stay with you long after you return home. They were absolutely fantastic at putting together my itinerary and accommodation, and they stayed with me, ensuring my safety from the moment I landed in Kigali to the moment they took me back to the airport.