What to do in Mabira Forest?

Between Kampala and Jinja lies the lush Mabira Forest, where visitors come to enjoy adventure and other exciting activities. This is because Mabira offers a combination of serenity and thrills that are enjoyed by people from all over the world. Mabira Forest is situated in central Uganda, and below are some of the activities to do there.

Nature walks

Enjoy a guided nature walk inside Mabira Forest to witness the natural wonders there with your own eyes. Mabira Forest has amazing walking trails such as the yellow trail, red trail, and white trail, etc. These offer calm but also thrilling adventures with over 12 kilometers of walking. This is a perfect opportunity to encounter numerous flora and fauna, including 35 species of small mammals. Mabira Forest also shelters over 219 butterfly species, 97 moth species, and 312 species of trees and shrubs.

Zip lining

Visitors can get a unique perspective of Mabira Forest by enjoying a ziplining adventure. This is a thrilling experience that offers a flight through Mabira’s amazing canopies. As your heart is racing and your spirit is lifted, you will see plenty of birds and some of the tallest trees found in Mabira Forest.

Mangabey tracking

Mabira Forest is the perfect destination in Uganda for tracking habituated Uganda mangabeys. This is a great activity where you will search for and watch these unique old-world monkey species in their natural home. While tracking the Uganda mangabeys, you will also see various primate species, including vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and olive baboons, etc.

Birdwatching

With different trails to make a guided birdwatching excursion intriguing, Mabira Forest is a birder’s dream. Mabira forest has an abundance of around 316 bird species dotted in its various habitats. These include the blue-throated roller, copper sunbird, black-and-white-casqued hornbill, shining-blue kingfisher, forest wood hoopoe, Cassin’s hawk eagle, and hairy-breasted barbet, etc.

Scenery viewing

Mabira Forest offers some of the most mesmerizing scenes for tourists in Uganda. While on a guided tour in Mabira Forest, you will notice the lush evergreen rainforest with ancient tree species. Covering over 300 square kilometers, Mabira Forest sits on flat-topped hills and wide stream valleys. Inside the forest is the gorgeous Griffin Falls, surrounded by pretty rock formations. Capture amazing photos of the beautiful landscape.

Cycling tours

Which is another fun way of exploring the lush Mabira Forest ecosystem. Enjoy the thrill of riding on a mountain bike while navigating the rugged terrain of the forest. You will also spot plenty of birds, primates, and butterflies while on the bike. Several trails are well-maintained to offer the best cycling experiences ever. You can hire a bicycle from the Griffin Falls Camp.

Butterfly identification

Visit Mabira Forest for the quiet thrill of searching and identifying plenty of its diverse butterfly species. As mentioned, there are around 219 butterfly species that call Mabira Forest home. These include Oxylides feminine, Telipna shefieldi, Falcuna orientalis, Anthene ukerewensis, Oboronia punctatus, and Megalopalpus zymna. Enjoy seeing these and more camouflage, fly, and court among other interesting butterfly behaviors.

Picnicking

Mabira Forest is among the best destinations where you can have a peaceful picnic during the day. This is for anyone wishing to escape the chaotic noise in urban centers just to soak in the fresh air of the rainforest. The forest offers space among tall trees where you can retreat for a meal. Also, a group of people can retreat here to enjoy a peaceful connection amidst a serene or quiet hospitality.

Camping

Enjoy camping at Griffin Falls Camp or any other available camping location inside Mabira Forest. This activity offers exciting experiences of sleeping beneath the forest canopy and colorful stars. At night, you get to enjoy the sounds made by frogs, owls, moths, and cicadas, among others. The rustling made by leaves in combination with the gentle breeze will offer you a good night’s sleep.

How to travel to Mabira Forest?

Mabira Forest is accessed by road transport. The distance of Mabira Forest from Kampala City is around 52.5 kilometers north-eastwards. This is along Jinja road and takes a duration of between 2-3 hours. At Standard Safaris, we offer a range of vehicles suitable for transporting visitors to Mabira Forest. Our fleet includes SUVs, Sedans, Toyota Land Cruiser Prados, and safari vans for families. Our experienced guides are available to drive you to Mabira Forest safely and comfortably.

When to go to Mabira Forest?

You can travel to Mabira Forest all year round without exception. The dry season is hailed by many visitors as the best time to visit Mabira Forest. This is because of the low rainfall patterns that may interrupt your experiences. However, the wet season also offers great but challenging experiences. This is because the rains are heavier and more frequent during this period. This makes the forest trails wet and muddy.

Sándor Jakubinyi

14:31 22 Feb 24

2019 megigazulás

12:45 21 Feb 24

We went on a two-week trip with my family, organised by Coleb from Standard Safaris.

I had my concerns about organised trips, but this one didn’t justify any of those. Everything went very smoothly, even when some problems arose with one of the cars it got fixed by next morning, the accomodations were clean and comfortable, the programs were exciting and well-balanced - everything was done to a truly high standard.

If you plan to visit Uganda and are looking for a guide, I warmly recommend Coleb and his team. In case you have a choice of drivers, go for Godwin, his presence made this trip even more enjoyable - cheerful, helpful, good sense of humour, generally a great person. Just look for the guy with a big smile and big heart:)

Bert Simoens

09:38 08 Jan 24

We recently embarked on a safari adventure with Standard Safaris in Uganda, which was truly exceptional. Our guide, Yonah, was outstanding - his kindness, knowledge, and discretion significantly enhanced our experience. He was the heart of our trip.

The local company's planning was offering a tailor-made journey that matched our interests. We saw an array of wildlife in Murchison, enjoyed rafting at Jinja, and experienced mountain biking at Sipi. A visit to Kidepo National Park was a highlight and comes highly recommended.

The vehicle provided was comfortable and reliable. We highly recommend Standard Safaris for anyone seeking an unforgettable safari in Uganda. Their professionalism and the exceptional guidance of staff like Yonah make them an great choice.

Michał Kostrzewa

00:41 15 Nov 23

We are all extremely grateful Standard Safaris for an incredible East Africa experience. I recently booked a custom trip for group of 8 people, including an 8-year-old boy, from Kampala through Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Rwanda and Burundi. Coleb delivered on everything that was discussed and agreed upon beforehand.

The car provided was in great condition and our driver Meddy went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, informed, and had the best possible time. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. All local services were inlcuded in (reasonable) price that we agreed, so there was no need to worry about payments during the 6 day trip. Also Standard Safaris agreed took care about safety and security by helping us organize armed ranger while in the park.

The whole trip was hassle-free and smooth. We saw amazing wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP, took in the sights of Rwanda and Burundi, and made lifelong memories.

I would happily book with Standard Safaris again in a heartbeat and recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone looking for the best East Africa trip. They provide top-notch service while ensuring you have an incredible, customized experience. If you want a hassle-free, flawlessly organized African adventure, Standard Safaris is the tour operator to book with.

Ivan Nammanda

18:31 27 Oct 23

Very organized travel operator who chose awesome guide to make our trip wonderful.

We booked a nine days trip with Standard Safaris and all was perfect from start to finish. Coleb was very prompt at replying and easy to liaise with ahead of the trip. We had done a lot of research and had an itinerary in mind and Coleb helped us to put everything together to make this happen for a very reasonable price.  On the trip we had a private vehicle for the whole tour which was exactly what we wanted. Bryan was our driver and an amazing guide - really friendly and knowledgable, working hard to find the things that we wanted to see and quickly understanding what was of interest to us/how much information to give.

Would highly recommend a trip to Uganda with Standard Safaris. We are definitely coming back soon!

MUGAIGA KENNETH

18:01 27 Oct 23

The company has very courteous tour guides with wide knowledge of fauna and frola in the whole of East Africa.
The choice of safari Lodges is good with first class treatment.
Game drive security is assured.
Almost The whole of September I was traversing through DRC, Uganda,and Rwanda on a gorilla tour and wildlife expedition.
Everything was arranged and booked perfectly by Standard Safaris.
The owner, Coleb was always helpful whenever we needed to ask questions about this gorilla safari in Uganda and beyond.
It was a complex expedition but Standard safaris and Coleb made it look amazingly easy.
I’ll recommend Standard safaris 200%, for all gorilla safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and wildlife tours in east africa.

travel uganda

16:35 27 Oct 23

This is so far the best gorilla trekking company in Uganda, and africa, by far. I had a wonderful time with Standard Safaris as a solo traveler.
My guide was excellent and our safari planner, Coleb was quick with responses and the prices were very friendly.
I’ll definitely book with Standard safaris on my next gorilla tour in Rwanda and Uganda.