Butterfly watching at Mabira Forest-Uganda - Uganda Safaris

There are many things that make Uganda the pearl of Africa and one of the precious things are the pretty splendid butterflies that dazzle and fly in the region. Mabira forest is found along Kampala-Jinja road and it has the highest number of butterflies with over 600 species of butterflies. These butterflies migrate from different parts of East Africa and converge in this old tropical forest.

Butterflies are forest dwellers and Mabira forest is their number one home in Uganda is host to 70% of African butterfly species but Mabira forest has 50% of the total butterflies in Uganda and some of the species found in this forest are;charaxes and swallowtails.

There are small roads through this thick tropical forest that lead tourists to the best view of the dazzling butterflies as they look for nectar from the flowers. They are best seen in the afternoon as they play in groups searching for friends and nectar.

Apart from Mabira forest, there are other places in Uganda where butterfly watchers can enjoy including;Kibale and Bwindi National parks which are also greatly forested and Serenada Eco Resort that teams with over 15 species of butterflies a day.  

Facts about butterflies

Butterflies are cold-blooded colorful insects whose colors and patterns change depending on the weather (darker during cold times and lighter during hot times).Unlike other insects, butterflies are harmless to crops and farmers don’t mind if they visit their gardens. They always fly in large numbers in the afternoon when it’s warm to make themselves warm since they are cold-blooded. For migrant butterflies, they fly over a long distance to colonize new areas abandoning unproductive habitats. To avoid predators, they sleep beneath leaves at night.

In order to survive, butterflies have learnt tricks in that they fly in jerky patterns making it hard for the predators to hit the target. Some hide in the surrounding vegetation. They also have eyes on their wings to confuse birds letting them to attack from the wrong side.

Though these lovely, harmless butterflies have these tricks, they are preyed upon by birds, reptiles, ants and spiders while their eggs are eaten by hover flies and beetles. Apart fro predators, butterflies are also killed by diseases and bad weather.

It is also noted that larger butterflies double the lifespan of the small ones.

How to get there

We can help you fly into this butterfly world by picking you at Entebbe International Airport and take you to Mabira forest where these butterflies like to stay in huge numbers. Mabira forest is found in the east of Kampala and it is about 30km from town. The journey takes about 90 minutes.