August in Uganda: A Murchison Falls Safari, the Rwenzori Marathon and a Closer Look at Entikko Safari Lodge

Uganda's gentlest month, from the field: the fifth Rwenzori Marathon in Kasese, three days in Murchison Falls National Park with first-time guests from Germany, the Spotlight Travel Expo in Kampala, and a full look at Entikko Safari Lodge near Paraa.

August is Uganda's gentlest month. The sun that hammered the country through June and July finally eases off, the first rains come through to soften the ground before planting, and the afternoon light turns long and gold. It is a good month to be out in the field, and we spent most of it there.

Four things filled the diary: a marathon in the mountains, three days in Murchison Falls National Park with guests from Germany, a trade expo in Kampala, and a longer look at a lodge worth knowing about.

Kasese, the Green City

Kasese sits on flat ground at the foot of the Rwenzori ranges. West of the town the Rift Valley rises abruptly into the jagged peaks that carry on into eastern DR Congo — the greenest and densest corner of the range. It is also where the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon is run each year, and this was the fifth edition.

It was our first time attending, and we did not go only to watch. Jeremiah arrived in town several days early to help the organising committee: moving runners to their start points, sorting accommodation for those flying into the country, and — unexpectedly — taking a slot on one of Kasese's radio stations.

Then he ran the 10km, his first ever.

The work involved sleepless nights and long days. In the end, it was worth every one of them.

Come 2027, we will be back to do it all again. We wrote up race weekend in full separately, if you want the detail: Twenty Thousand Runners at the Foot of the Rwenzori.

Three Days in Murchison Falls with Guests from Germany

Straight from the mountains came a very different job: showing a party of German guests around the Pearl of Africa. It was their first time in East Africa, which is its own kind of responsibility — a first safari quietly sets the standard for every one that follows it.

They had three days in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's largest, with one of our experienced guides throughout. Mornings went to game drives across the open savannah, which holds elephant, giraffe, buffalo, antelope in every direction and, for the patient, lion. One afternoon went to the hike up to the top of the falls, which is really the only way to understand what the Nile does there: the whole river forced through a gap barely seven metres wide before it is thrown down into the gorge. You feel it through the rock underfoot before you see it.

The third of the big three was the boat cruise up the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls — hippo pods surfacing beside the boat, crocodiles lining the banks, and elephant coming down to drink in the late afternoon. Evenings were spent at Nkundwa Nile View Lodge.

There is a business story behind this trip worth telling. It reached us through our agents in Germany, who know Uganda well enough to explain it properly to travellers who have never thought to consider it, and who then hand the ground handling to us. It is a good working model, and a flexible one: the agent keeps the relationship, we keep the country, and the traveller gets the benefit of both.

Spotlight Travel Expo, Kampala

A first safari quietly sets the standard for every one that follows it.

On 12 August the Spotlight Travel Expo came to the Kampala Sheraton, organised by the Kili Fair team who had given us such a memorable few days in Arusha back in June. Close to twenty exhibitors came in from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

The format was deliberate, and we thought it was smart. The exhibition stands went to the visiting operators rather than the local ones, and Ugandan operators were invited in numbers to come and meet them. Doors opened around midday, brunch followed shortly after, and the rest of the afternoon went to conversations and contacts — for us, mostly in the markets we send guests to: Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya.

A raffle ran through the day, with lodge nights, balloon flights and game drives on offer. Annabelle did not win. Annabelle has views about next year.

Entikko Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park

Worth knowing about if Murchison is on your list. Entikko Safari Lodge opened around 2024 as a small luxury boutique property, and it sits in the Paraa area, close to the southern bank of the Victoria Nile.

The position is the first thing in its favour. You are within easy reach of the southern gate, the top of the falls, the Nile Delta and the main game-drive circuits, while staying well clear of the busiest hubs. It is a five to six hour drive from Kampala, or a short flight into one of the nearby airstrips such as Pakuba.

It is deliberately small — around eleven units, taking somewhere near thirty guests at a time. There are singles, twins and doubles, plus newer deluxe cottages. Rooms are African-inspired and finished in wood and natural materials, with ensuite bathrooms, full-length glass or a veranda looking onto the bush or the pool, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and mosquito nets. Check-in is from 3pm, check-out at midday.

What else the lodge lists on site:

Planning Your Own Murchison Falls Safari

Murchison rewards three days far better than two: one for the game drives, one for the falls, one for the river. Which lodge you sleep in changes the shape of the trip more than people expect, and it is worth deciding that early, because the good small properties fill first.

We build each itinerary around when you can travel and how you like to travel. Our 4-day Murchison Falls adventure is the usual starting point, and it bends easily — add the Nile Delta for shoebill, or a second park on the way back. Browse every Uganda safari, or tell us your dates and we will put something together.

See you next month.

— The Everbased Tours & Travel team