CTC Conservation Center | Up close with wildlife

Located just one hour and 20 minutes away from Kampala, CTC Conservation center is one of the top conservation centers in Uganda at the moment. The conservation center is best explored on a 1 Day Tour and can also be a great stop for a short visit before heading out to the national parks while on safari in Uganda. The center combines uninterrupted landscape views, an encounter with wildlife and a glimpse into the conservation efforts that CTC is doing in Uganda.

CTC conservation center is located atop a hill and is a large property so prepare for a 2 hour walk or more to exhaust the property and see all the wildlife at the sanctuary.

Zebras at CTC Conservation Center

Wildlife at CTC Conservation Center

One might wonder what wildlife they would expect to see at the center on arrival, well the conservation center is home to different wildlife species. Wildlife that you should expect to see at the center include Crocodiles, Lions, Impala, Zebras, Tortoises, Baby crocodiles, A resident Iguana, African Grey Parrots, Black backed Jackals, Side Striped jackals, African palm civet, African Golden cat, Snakes, Chameleon, Striped Hyena, Black and white ruffed Lemurs, and Bat eared foxes. The Conservation center also has dogs that you will come across as you do the tour, they are friendly dogs and if you like you can pet them. The wildlife at CTC Conservation center is in sections, some of the wildlife is free roaming in fenced sectors at the facility while other wildlife like zebras and impalas free roam in a larger section with grass that they feed on.

One of the lions at CTC

Experience at CTC Conservation Center

The experience at CTC is great for visitors that would like to spend time up close with the animals as opposed to a game drive in the national park where you would ideally see them a distance away from the car. During the day tour you are able to interact with the animals, get close to them, take photos with the animals, feed some of the animals and in the previous months visitors were even able to carry the lion cubs (there has been however a change in this because during our last visit the cubs had gotten bigger and they now weigh heavier so it needs a strong person to be able to carry them.)

The tour around the facility is carried out by experienced site guides who also double as caretakers to the wildlife at CTC Conservation Center. Before you start the tour you sign a document adhering to the rules and regulations of the facility, they set up this document to protect the wildlife as this is a conservation facility so you are expected to respect the animals even in your interaction with them. Once the document signing is done, you go through disinfecting before entering the facility, this is also still to protect the wildlife from any infections that might come from the outside environment.

Clients at the beginning of tour taking photos

The tour starts with seeing the large crocodile whose home is right next to the entrance of the facility, after this you continue to see the Black backed jackals and African Golden cat. Then you walk towards an open area where you find the property dogs relaxing on a sunny day, the dogs are friendly so you can pet them if you like. This area has the snakes, tortoises, African Grey Parrots, baby crocodiles and chameleon. The site guides will let you carry the harmless snakes and take photos if you would like.

You then continue to another wide area with stone walkways surrounded by beautiful trees and green fences. The CTC Conservation Center has beautiful lush surroundings that attracts some bird species like Common Bulbuls, Sun birds and Humming birds, if you are a keen bird watcher you might spot some species in the fences or trees. This area is where you see the Iguana.

The tour then heads to the free roaming area where you will see wildlife like Zebras, Impalas and a resident donkey. This is arguably one of the best experiences at CTC Conservation Center for most visitors as here the site guide will guide you on how to interact and feed the animals. The guide will offer you animal pellets that you will then feed to the zebras and Impalas, the animals usually get closer and you are able to capture some great photo moments. The area also has stunning uninterrupted views of the landscape and surrounding communities.

Feeding an Impala at the facility

You get to spend some good time feeding the animals after which you continue to another section of CTC Conservation Center with a raised wooden walkway viewing point, Here you will see the lions and the striped hyena (very shy and easy to miss especially during the day but the site guide will try to call it.) The viewing point overlooks the surrounding landscape and the free roaming area for the lions. You then go down with the site guide who then guides you on how to interact with the lions after which you spend time here, seeing them and also taking photos near them.

Photo session at CTC Conservation Center with the guidance of site guides

Best Time to visit CTC Conservation Center

CTC Conservation Center is open all year round so you can visit at any time. The best time to visit is usually during the weekdays and on Sunday. The main reason for visiting on weekdays and Sunday is there is less traffic out of Kampala on these particular days however if you can sit out the traffic then you can also visit on Saturday. We usually get questions of clients wondering if they will have a private experience when visiting the center – YES it will be somewhat private. The center makes sure that on days when they receive a more than usual number of guests, they split the guests into groups so that they have a more private experience but also prevent overwhelming interaction for the animals.

CTC Conservation Center – Location

The conservation facility is located in Butambala – Mpigi district. It’s a one hour and 20 minute drive from Kampala city that is without stop overs along the way. If there are stop overs to probably grab a cup of coffee or for a bathroom break, you can add the minutes spent at the stop over place to the time mentioned above. You drive along Masaka Road to get to CTC. The route used is Kampala – Kyengera – Nabbingo – Katende – Mpigi town – Butambala (where CTC Conservation Center is located.)

What to keep in mind before visiting CTC Conservation Centre

We thought to share what to consider as you prepare for your 1 Day CTC Tour. First we recommend that you wear comfortable shoes as the walk can take between 2 – 3 hours so it will be better for the trip if you wear comfortable closed shoes to make your experience smoother. When you get to the facility and during the tour, please respect the wildlife, keep your voices low and make sure that you follow your site guide’s instructions. The CTC Conservation Center is situated atop a hill so if you are doing self-drive, ensure that you have a good driver and car as the hill up to the facility is very steep. We also recommend that you avoid any littering at the property for the protection of the animals and environment. If you have all this in check then you will be more than ready to enjoy your experience at CTC Conservation Center in Butambala, Uganda.

You can watch the detailed video documented by one of our safari specialists – Ritah below;