Uganda: Of rains and thunderstorms…

Musicians Karl Wolf and Culture, sang a song about the rains in Africa that gets you thinking about how blessed Africa is, every time you listen to the lyrics. They truly are showers of blessing. The African rains can be heavy, light, sometimes expected, sometimes totally abrupt, they wash the dust off the roads, soak into the soil and refresh it, flood some low lands, and sometimes create mudslides, but more than that they make agriculture on the continent easier. But after the rains, the sun always comes out, the beautiful scent of wet earth is all around, and children come out to play, it’s like there was no rain at all. There is no gloom and doom after the rains.

Children playing in the rain...Does Uganda experience tropical rains?

Uganda the pearl of Africa is one place you need to visit to have the ultimate tropical rain experience. When scheduling safaris in Uganda most people always try very much to time the dry season, but safaris in the wet season can be enjoyable too, if you don’t mind getting wet a little bit. The country experiences two rainy seasons annually; the short rains and the long rains.

The short rains fall from April to May while the long rains fall from September to November. Both seasons are characterized by thunderstorms.

During the long rainy season it usually rains at night or in the morning, but never the entire day. The sun eventually comes out during the day.

Unlike some areas in North America, where you can experience drizzles for an entire day, in Uganda when it rains, it often pours and there is nothing as powerful and amazing as a tropical downpour. The rains are usually quite heavy and it is very common to see people putting different kinds of vessels such as basins and water drums to collect water as the rain pours. The thunderstorms add to all the excitement especially if they happen at night.

Can you do outdoor safari activities in the rainy season?

While the rains are exciting, it’s usually better if the rain doesn’t catch you out gorilla trekking or on a game drive, you will definitely get very wet, and have to cut short your time outside. The good thing about the rains in Uganda is that it often rains at night, or in the early morning, leaving you free to go about your safari business during the rest of the day with little interruption. But the surprise rains and thunderstorms are not such a bad thing either.

The African rains and rainy seasons in Uganda are something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. You visit Africa and not experience a tropical thunderstorm; it enriches your safari experience in an unexpected way.