Uganda’s best wildlife parks to explore.
As the gem of Africa, Uganda is renowned for its stunning wildlife and for having the most freshwater lakes of any country in the world when it comes to safari locations. Uganda Wildlife Authority is a government programme that is in charge of managing, protecting, and overseeing all wildlife-related activities in and around Uganda’s game reserves and national parks. Before deciding on a safari itinerary, one should consider visiting Uganda’s ten national parks. Moreover, among these national parks are
Murchison Falls National Park.
Murchison falls is the most significant national park which encompasses about 3900square kilometers and it is situated in Masindi district. This Park includes five districts in Uganda and these include; Packwach district, Masindi district, Kiryandongo district, Bulisa district and Nwoya district. Murchison Falls National Park was gazetted in 1926 and established as a national park in 1952. The drive to the national parks takes about 4-5hours and it is located about 290 kilometers from Kampala city, Uganda Safari National Parks.
It is regarded as the oldest conservation area and is home to over 76 animal species, including chimpanzees, giraffes, hippos, leopards, lions, and Nile crocodiles. It also has 450 different bird species, including water birds like the endangered shoebill stock, making it an ideal tourist destination. The devil’s cauldron is the park’s main draw, and it is home to savannah grasslands, wetlands, forests, and riverine areas.
Along with these, visitors are also encouraged to partake in a variety of safari activities with the assistance of the tour guides. These activities include guided nature walks, boat rides on the Nile, game drives in the early morning and late afternoon, bird watching, wildlife viewing, rhino tracking, hot air balloon safaris, sport fishing, and cultural interactions. Other places where tourists can visit and discover more about the wildlife are Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary because it is seen as the haven to the endangered rhinos in the country and Budongo forest where tourists can do chimpanzee trekking from.
Kidepo Valley National Park.
Uganda’s Masai Mara, also known as Kidepo Valley National Park. It is 1442 square kilometres in size and is situated in the Kaboong district of northeastern Uganda, close to Karenge. It was established as a national park in the year of 1962. It takes ten hours to travel 571 kilometres from Kidepo Valley National Park to Kitgum district from Kampala via Gulu.
Kidepo valley National Park presents over 77 mammal species like; African buffaloes, bat- eared foxes, wild dogs, lions, cheetah, spotted hyena and 475 bird species. The common ostrich and secretary bird can be seen in their majestic glory in Kidepo Valley. More so, it is a fascinating location with semi- arid savanna, seasonal rivers and low mountains, Uganda Safari National Parks.
Activities done by tourists at Kidepo national park include; Bird watching, hiking, community cultural tours, wildlife walks, and morning and night game drives.
There are an array of tourist safari attractions at Kidepo valley national park that grasp everyone’s attention to go visit the park and these attractions include; Narus valley and river, vast and serene savannah plains, Lomej hills, Kidepo valley river, Kanangorok hot springs, spotted leopards, Ostriches and many more.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is so far the smallest national park in the country and it is located in Kisoro district in southwestern part of Uganda as it covers only 34 square kilometers. The national Park was established in the year of 1991. The national park is roughly 15 kilometres south of Kisoro town and 55 kilometres west of Kabale district. This park has three conical volcanoes which are marked as its primary sights and these include; Mount Muhabura which is 4127 meters high, Mount Gahinga which is 3474 meters high and Mount Sabinyu which is 3645 meters high.
Activities done at Kidepo National Park include; Gorilla trekking, golden monkey trekking, cave expeditions to Garama caves, hiking at mount Gahinga, nature walks, Batwa community visits, bird watching.
Lake Mburo National Park.
Lake Mburo national park is located in Lyantonde district from the east of Mbarara town and it is known as the smallest savannah national park in Uganda covering 370 square kilometers. It was inaugurated as a national park in 1983, Uganda Safari National Parks.
Tourists can either use road or air transport to access Lake Mburo national park and it is a 3hours drive from Kampala the capital city of Uganda which is 228 kilometers.
Visitors to the national park can engage in a variety of exciting safari activities, including boat cruises on Lake Mburo, horseback riding, hiking, birdwatching, mountain biking, camping, sport fishing, and morning and night game drives.
Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth national park was first identified as Kazinga channel national park and later after the visit of Queen Elizabeth in 1954 and its name was changed to Queen Elizabeth national park in 1952. The second-largest national park in Uganda, spanning an approximate area of 1980 square kilometres, is situated in Kasese district in the western region.
The park is recognized because of its distinctive tree climbing lions which can be seen roaming the savannah grasslands in the Ishasha sector which is situated in the southern part of the park and Kazinga channel which connects lake Edward to lake Gorge in the south western part of Uganda , Mweya peninsular, lake Katwe explosion craters, lake Katwe where salt mining takes place, Kyambura Gorge, Maramagambo forest, Kyambura Wildlife reserve, Kalinzu forest which is the best destination for chimpanzee trekking.
Queen Elizabeth national park is a home for 95 animal species; Zebras, antelopes, Nile crocodiles, Nile monitor lizards, warthogs, baboons, leopards, antelopes, giraffes and 600 bird species.
The national park offers a variety of safari activities, including boat cruises on Kazinga Channel, game drives, chimpanzee tracking, cave excursions, and bird watching.
Semuliki National Park.
Situated in the western region of Uganda, in the Bundibugyo district, Semuliki National Park is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda, spanning 220 km and bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo close to Rwenzori. Through Mubende and 465 km Masaka, Mbarara, and Kasese roads, Uganda Safari National Parks, it is situated approximately 180 km from Kampala.
This park hosts about 53 animal species; hippos, pottos, bush babies, forest elephants, monkeys, zebras, buffalo, giraffes, and 441 bird species.
Semuliki National Park offers a variety of safari activities, such as hiking, game drives, nature walks, birding, and cultural experiences.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable national park is found in the southwestern part of Uganda in Kanungu district and it spans over an area of 331 square kilometers and is situated in the highest parts of Kigezi highlands. In 1991, it was declared a national park. On the western side of Kabate Town, it is bordered by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bwindi national park is also known as the a haven for the endangered species of Mountain Gorillas and it harbors 468 mountain gorillas and 120 animal species, 400 planet species and over 350 bird species. This is one of the parks where tourists will be able to trek mountain gorillas and the other park is Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
Several activities that tourists can participate in the National Park include; Gorilla trekking, the Batwa trail experience, birding, forest walks, Gorilla habituation, biking.
Kibale National Park.
Kibale national park is located in Kabarole district in the western part of Uganda. The total size of this park is around 795 square km. The largest town in the Kabarole district, Fort Portal, lies close to this park. This territory has a rich cultural legacy, with the Batooro tribe making up the majority of the population and owning the Kings Palace in the centre of Fort Portal.
This park is home to 375 different bird species, 70 different mammal species (including forest elephants, antelopes, duikers, Sitatunga, bush bucks, buffaloes), and 13 different primate species (including olive balloons, colobus monkeys, and vervet monkeys), which make it the most chimpanzee-friendly park in the world.
The park offers a variety of safari activities that draw a lot of attention from visitors and pique their curiosity, such as hiking, natural walks, community visits, cultural interactions, and chimpanzee experiences.