Holidays made for you
Special journeys across Uganda and East Africa, each one designed around the people travelling.
Wildlife
The Big Five
Many people dream of seeing the Big Five on safari. Do you want to meet majestic lions, elegant leopards, caring elephants, strong rhinos and some nerdy buffalo in their natural home? Uganda delivers all five, with far fewer vehicles and far more wonder.
Majestic lions
Watch the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha lounge in fig branches, and the sunrise.
Elegant leopards
Shy and spotted, best met on a night drive in Queen Elizabeth, torch-lit and unforgettable.
Caring elephants
Big family herds at Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth, with mothers guarding calves tenderly.
Strong rhinos
Walk on foot beside southern white rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a conservation comeback story.
Nerdy buffalo
Thundering herds with serious, bookish stares, easy to spot in Murchison and Lake Mburo.
Family
Child-friendly holiday
Are you ready for the trip of a lifetime? At Machris Safaris we make the wild a place for the whole family, where little explorers and grown-up adventurers find something to love every day. Children under 5 enter Uganda's national parks free, ages 5 to 15 pay about half, and our guides turn every game drive into a treasure hunt. Chimpanzee tracking welcomes ages 12 and up and gorilla trekking ages 15 and up, so we plan the right moments for every age.
- Family-friendly lodges
- Kid-sized adventures
- Under 5s free in parks
Lakes, falls & mountains
Tropical sights holiday
Uganda is lush, green and endlessly surprising. Drift between the Ssese Islands on Lake Victoria, canoe the terraced hills of Lake Bunyonyi, chase the thundering Sipi and Murchison Falls, and gaze up at the snow-capped Rwenzori, the legendary Mountains of the Moon. Crater lakes, tea hills and forest mist make it a tropical paradise without the crowds.
- Lake Victoria islands
- Lake Bunyonyi
- Sipi & Murchison Falls
- Rwenzori mountains
December & January
Christmas holiday
Swap grey winters for golden savanna. December and January sit in the dry season, so game viewing is excellent, trails are easier and the weather is warm. Imagine a gorilla trek in the morning, a Nile boat cruise in the afternoon and a bush Christmas dinner under a sky full of stars. Gorilla and chimp permits sell out for this season, so we book them early for you.
- Dry-season game drives
- Bush Christmas dinner
- Gorilla trekking
- Add Kenya & Zanzibar
June to September
Summer holiday
Your summer is East Africa's dry season, from June to September, the best time for roads, trekking and wildlife. Combine Uganda's gorillas, chimps and Murchison Falls with the Great Migration in Kenya and Tanzania from July to October, then finish on a Zanzibar beach. School holidays are covered, so the whole family can come.
- June to September dry season
- Great Migration
- Gorillas & chimps
- Zanzibar beach finale
For two
Honeymoon
Begin your forever somewhere unforgettable. Share a gorilla encounter, glide through Lake Bunyonyi at sunrise in a private canoe, dine by lantern on a Murchison Falls lodge deck and watch lions in the evening glow. Add Zanzibar's white sand, or Kenya's Maasai Mara, for a perfect honeymoon of wild and romance.
- Candlelit bush dinners
- Lake Bunyonyi canoe
- Zanzibar beach
Travel that gives back
Adventures with a purpose
We believe travel can make the world better. We work with community-run lodges and local guides, and support conservation in the parks we visit.