🇿🇦From Southern Africa
Uganda, written for the Southern African traveller who knows safari.
From Johannesburg or Cape Town, Uganda is one northbound flight and a different rhythm of safari. We design private journeys for Southern African travellers who know the bush well and now want the things only Uganda offers — gorillas, chimps, the Nile, and quieter plains.
The Practical Brief
The journey, in plain terms
Everything a Southern African traveller needs to know before the first conversation. We hold the rest — the lodges, the permits, the guides, and the long, quiet arc of the journey itself.
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Flights
Direct service from JNB to Entebbe with South African Airways and Uganda Airlines; one-stop from CPT and DUR via Johannesburg or Nairobi. Total flying time from four hours.
02
Visas
South African passport holders apply online for a Uganda e-visa (US$50). The East African Tourist Visa (US$100) covers Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya.
03
Best season for Southern African travellers
June through September and December through February are the drier seasons. Uganda's seasons are gentler than the Lowveld — no real winter, only wetter and drier.
04
How long to come
Eight to twelve nights is the considered arc from Southern Africa. The shorter flight makes a focused trip — gorillas, the Nile, and one classic park — entirely possible in ten.
05
Currency
The Uganda Shilling. US dollars (crisp, 2013 or later) are widely accepted at lodges. Rand exchanges in Kampala; cards work in cities and at most lodges.
06
Safety
Uganda is calm and welcoming. We move with private vehicles, vetted guides, and provide twenty-four-hour ground support throughout.
The Honest Questions
What Southern African travellers actually ask
01How is the game viewing compared to Kruger or Botswana?
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How is the game viewing compared to Kruger or Botswana?
Different. Plains game is less dense; the prize is biodiversity — gorillas, chimps, tree-climbing lions, shoebills — and a far quieter savannah.
02How private is the journey?
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How private is the journey?
Entirely. Vehicles, guides, and lodges are held in your name.
03Can we combine with Rwanda?
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Can we combine with Rwanda?
Often the loveliest arc — gorillas in Rwanda, the wider composition through Uganda.
From South Africa
“We've safaried our whole lives in Southern Africa. Uganda, the way IMAGINE wrote it, gave us something none of those journeys ever could.”
— P & R, Cape Town
More Questions
For travellers from South Africa
Begin the Conversation
Tell us when you would like to arrive.
We will write the rest — and hold the permits, the lodges, and the quietest pairings before the itinerary lands in your inbox.
Speak with a DesignerBeyond the Bush
Kampala after dark, and the festivals in between.
Uganda is not only her parks. Kampala hums after dusk — rooftop bars over Nakasero, live afrobeat at Cayenne and The Lawns, jazz suppers at Mediterraneo, and long Sunday brunches that drift into evening. We open private tables, host introductions, and weave a city night or two into your arc when it suits.
Nights out
Rooftops, live music, late suppers
From The Pearl Lounge and Cayenne to a candlelit dinner at Latitude or the long verandah at Emin Pasha — we hold the reservations and the driver.
Festivals & calendar
Nyege Nyege, Bayimba, Blankets & Wine
Nyege Nyege on the Nile in September, Bayimba in May, Blankets & Wine across the year, and the Kampala Art Biennale every other autumn. We time arcs around them on request.
Culture, quietly
Royal audiences, ateliers, private kitchens
An afternoon with a Kasubi historian, a tasting in a chef's home in Muyenga, an introduction to a Buganda court musician — the city, opened gently.
Other Doors