Uganda is a land gifted by nature. Winston Churchill called it ‘the Pearl of Africa’ which is perhaps an understatement considering its vast array of riches.
The allure of adventure and discovery accompanies you as you travel around Uganda.
A country of huge diversity, it is home to the endangered Mountain Gorilla and is a primate paradise. The 10 National Parks and wildlife areas play host to Africa’s ‘Big 7’: Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Buffalo, plus Gorilla and Chimpanzee.
The Equatorial climate provides permanent year-round temperatures of 27 degrees Celsius yet the Rwenzori mountain range, Africa’s highest, is snow-capped. Uganda is also the source of the world’s second-longest river, The Nile, which starts its journey at Africa’s largest lake, Victoria, dotted with tropical islands and their sandy white beaches.
Uganda has a network of 10 national parks that protect amazing wildlife.
Uganda National Parks
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This lush rainforest in the lofty Kigezi Highlands is home to 340 Mountain Gorillas, half of the world’s population, making it a “must visit”. Eleven
habituated gorilla families can be found in Bwindi with a further family resident in Mgahinga. There are four locations where you can gorilla track:
Buhoma in the north, Ruhija in the east, Nkuringo in the southwest, and Rushaga located in the south. The rain forest is also a sanctuary for chimpanzees, forest elephants, and 350+ bird species.
Kibale National Forest Park
This forest has one of the highest concentrations of primates in Africa, with 13 recorded species. The highlight is outstanding chimpanzee trekking and
habituation experiences that provide spectacular sightings. There are almost 1,500 chimpanzees in the forest including the habituated Kanyantale group. The forest is home to around 335 bird species including four species not recorded in any other national parks.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Little visited and unexplored, Kidepo lies in the far northeast of Uganda, and as such is the most isolated of parks in the country. Dominated by rugged mountain scenery and savannah it is traditionally considered the only national park where cheetah is present. With a significant bird checklist, including 60 species recorded in no other national park, birders are richly rewarded.
Lake Mburo National Park
Conveniently located between Kampala and the Kigezi Highlands, Mburo is a much overlooked and underrated national park which has prolific plains
game year-round. The lake itself offers outstanding birding including the Africa Finfoot, whilst Shoebills are also present.
It is also the only national park where you can game view on foot and on horseback in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park
Uganda’s most popular safari destination provides classic big game. A total of 95 mammal species can be found in Queen Elizabeth, the highest of any Ugandan national park, including ten primate species and more than 600 bird species. The park itself is divided into three major sectors: Mweya Peninsula, Kyambura Gorge, and Ishasha.
Mweya is the main tourist focus of the park and offers excellent game viewing by vehicle or boat on the Kazinga Channel. Kyambura Gorge is most notable for the habituated chimpanzees that visitors can track within the forested river gorge.
The Ishasha Plains is a natural route between QENP and Bwindi, providing varied wildlife sightings including tree climbing lions.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda’s most popular safari destination provides classic big game. A total of 95 mammal species can be found in Queen Elizabeth, the highest of any
Ugandan national park, including ten primate species and more than 600 bird species.
The park itself is divided into three major sectors: Mweya Peninsula, Kyambura Gorge, and Ishasha. Mweya is the main tourist focus of the park and offers excellent game viewing by vehicle or boat on the Kazinga Channel. Kyambura Gorge is most notable for the habituated chimpanzees that visitors can track within the forested river gorge.
The Ishasha Plains is a natural route between QENP and Bwindi, providing varied wildlife sightings including tree climbing lions.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga, at 34 square kilometres, is Uganda’s smallest national park but arguably one of it’s most beautiful. Protecting the Ugandan side of the
Virunga Mountains, visitors enjoy breath-taking views of the three extinct conical shaped volcanoes.
Although one of Uganda’s mountain gorilla reserves, Mgahinga offers a diverse range of activities: track golden monkeys (endemic to this park within Uganda); hike to the volcanic peaks; or a cultural experience at the Batwa Trail where visitors will witness a variety of activities intrinsic to the lifestyle of these former forest dwellers.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
The Rwenzori, known as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ stretch 120km along the DRC border. A world-class hiking and mountaineering destination, the mountain range is the highest in Africa, while Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley is the third highest point in Africa.
It is often described as being a prettier and more picturesque climb that it’s more famous neighbors.Although known primarily for hiking, the national park supports a diversity of mammals and bird species found more commonly in the lower forest zone.
Mount Elgon National Park
In the east, adjacent to Kenya, Mount Elgon’s Sipi Falls are a series of stunning waterfalls that can be seen on a days hike up the slopes. The highlight here is seeing cave dwelling elephants drawn to the vast caverns by the nutritious deposits found deep underground.
Semliki National Park
The national park protects a practically unspoilt lowland forest within the Albertine Rift Valley, offering an extraordinary diversity of fauna: at least
300 species of butterfly can be found while birders will be challenged to find the 441 bird species identified, including 45 species that are found nowhere else in Uganda.