Bwindi National Park
Location: Kisoro, Southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley
Attractions: Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest and Park is rich in biodiversity, making it the perfect home for the prized Mountain Gorilla. Uganda is home to half of the world’s Mountain gorilla population.
You will part with US$700, payable to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), to track the gorillas. With the cost, comes an informed guide. You might want to hire some escorts who, at a cost, carry luggage and tourists whose energy levels drop along the excursion.
Trekking is no mean feat. You will manoeuvre through some rugged terrain of the jungle, some slopes too sharp, should the gorillas choose to station at hilly angles.
With that mind, you might want to plan for adequate footwear and protection gear for your camera as well as a raincoat. Bwindi is a rainforest where it rains anytime, almost every time.
To get there, you can fly. Eagle Air (https://www.eagleair-ug.com) has daily flights. By road, you can make a booking through a tour and travel company. The park is close to the Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border.
It is one of the National Parks that is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site and is within sight of Virunga National Park, in Rwanda, another tourism destination with Mountain Gorillas.
If you care for birding, Bwindi is inviting with 346 recorded bird species, seven of them endangered. Its forest walls are therapeutic. They lead to scenic beautiful waterfalls, draughty Ruhija sector and positions to see the beautiful rift valley.
Lake Mburo National Park
It is the park closest to a town- Mbarara. Lake Mburo has the biggest number of burchell’s zebras in Uganda. It is the main attraction in the park. The national park, covering the size of 260 square kilometres, takes its name after the lake which is one of the excursion conduits that is relaxing to a tourist as they watch several birds, wildlife, and beautiful views of landscapes.
Lake Mburo is the biggest lake then Lake Kigambira, Kabikwa, Kazuma and Bwara. According to the park warden, Moses Matsiko, all the five lakes share the same water only divided by wetlands.
While you drive through, be sure to see eland antelopes, or Southern Elands, buffaloes, warthogs, herds of hippopotamuses, crocodiles which account for some 70 mammals, 450 bird species and 400 plant species.
Lake Mburo National Park is approximately four hours from Kampala, by road. You can choose to stay in Mbarara or at one of the facilities within the park. Your tour operator will be happy to help you spell out the options.
Kibale National Park
There are about 1, 500 chimpanzees in the 766 square kilometres of Kibale Forest in western Uganda. There are also 12 other primates, including the red colobus and L’Hoest monkey.
You can make a booking through UWA or a tour and travel company to track the primates. The guided forest walks will also bring you face to face with forest hogs, plant and tree varieties, buffaloes, butterflies, antelopes and more.
Birding is a major activity with 325 species. One of the recommended places to enjoy an excursion in search of the songbirds is within the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, Queen Elizabeth National Park, is a destination of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel, diverse ecosystems, classic big game, 10 primate species including chimpanzees and more than 600 species of birds.
At its Ishasha sector, you can see the tree climbing lions in addition to baboons. The park was originally known as Kazinga National Park. The cruise along the Kazinga Channels which connects lakes Edward and George takes you on wildlife expeditions of hippos, birds, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, elephants and more.
Murchison Falls National Park
Located in Masindi District, there is a variety of game to see advisably on an early morning park drive. The spectacular smoky falls plunge on the southern banks through a seven-metre, narrow rocky gorge.
You can also do a boat ride along the Albert delta for a good view of hartebeest, Rothchild’s giraffe, crocodiles, elephants walking by the grassland shoreline, kobs and lions among other animals.
The park is home to 424 bird species including the kingfisher, goliath heron and shoebill stork.
Rwenzori National Park
It is located close to the Uganda-DR Congo border and listed as a UNESCO’s World Heritage site. It has waterfalls, glaciers, lakes and of course the ice-capped third highest mountain peak in Africa. Its beauty is also defined through five distinct vegetation zones, including bamboo, in addition to almost 100 bird species, butterflies and animal life too, of four primate species, forest elephant, chimpanzee, hyrax, black-and-white colobus monkey and other types of monkeys et cetera. If you want to go hiking, this can be arranged.
Semliki National Park
It is in Bundibugyo District in western Uganda, seated at the Ituri Forest conservatory, popular for both flora and fauna, particularly the birds. There are 400 species of birds which include unique types such as the Forest Ground Thrush and Sassi’s Olive. Greenbul.
Elgon National Park
It is in eastern Uganda and is home to wildlife, painted caves, hot springs and a crater at Budadiri. Within driving distance are the Sipi falls. According to Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Mount Elgon National Park is home to over 300 bird species, including the endangered Lammergeyer.
“The higher slopes are protected by national parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating an extensive trans-boundary conservation area which has been declared a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve,” UWA explains.
A climb on Mt. Elgon’s deserted moorlands unveils a magnificent and uncluttered wilderness without the summit-oriented approach common to many mountains: the ultimate goal on reaching the top of Mt. Elgon is not the final ascent to the 4321m Wagagai Peak, but the descent into the vast 40km² caldera.
Mgahinga National Park
Mgahinga National Park shares borders on Uganda, Rwanda, and Congo in the Southwestern town of Kisoro, taking its name from Mountain Mgahinga. It is home to the endangered mountain gorillas spectacular Virunga Volcanoes at Mt. Muhavura, Mt. GahInga, and Mt. Sabinyo. Kagera Safari observes that Mgahinga adjoins Rwanda’s Volcano national park and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national parks and is part of the Virunga conservation area.
“The park takes its name from “Gahinga” – the local word for piles of volcanic stones cleared from farmlands. It covers an altitude between 2227m – 4127m above sea level. While in the park, you will experience six vegetation types, Afromontane, tree heathers, montane forest, bamboo, montane woodland, and former farmland,” information of the safari company’s website states, in part.
It offers packages for tourists to visit trek the Nyakagezi gorilla group, excursion during which you can see bush pigs, South African porcupines, forest buffaloes, bushbucks, forest Elephants, golden cats etc.
If you are a birder, the itinerary includes birding expeditions with a chance to see the Kivu Ground Thrush, Cinnamon Bracken Warbler, White Starred Robin, Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Batis, Archer’s Robin Chat, Olive Pigeon, and Black headed waxbill, Western Green Tinker bird, Cape Robin. More species include; White-starred Robin, Brown Woodland Warbler, Striped breasted Tit, Malachite, Scarlet-tufted, Greater Double Collard Sunbirds
Mgahinga also has golden monkey trekking as well as nature and hiking walks up Gisozi hill and experience with great views of Kisoro and Bunagana town as well as Lake Mutanda. You will also view the Calderas while atop this hill.Walk along Congo border and transcend different vegetation zones.
You can also do mountain and volcano climbing and more. visit the safari website on www.kagerasafaris.com.
Kidepo National Park
It is in Karamoja and is one of Uganda’s major parks. There are eye-rousing savannah tree stretches and landscapes that run afar and into the horizon. It is home to 500 plus bird species. This semi-desert park that is also home for over 80 mammal species.
These include the black-backed jackal and side-striped jackals, bat-eared foxes, lions, giraffes, spotted hyenas, cheetahs and over 500 bird species. You can also go hiking on Lamoj Mountains just a few kilometres from the Park Headquarters.
Kidepo Safaris, www.kideposafaris.com, recommends you take a hike on Lamoj Mountains, a couple of kilometres from the park headquarters. You can also visit the Kidepo River Valley covered with Borassus palm forest whose broad flatbed is dried out through the biggest part of the year.
“From the Kidepo Valley, also you can visit Kanangorok Hot Springs that are situated just 11 km from the Kidepo river valley.The mountain as well as the Savannah landscape of this park is breath-taking. The Narus valley is found within the Southwest part of this park; the rocky Napore Nyagia mountain range actually forms the western boundary,” it adds.
The park is home the Hunting dog, Bat-eared Fox, Cheetah, Striped Hyena, Caracal, elephants, oribi, burchell’s zebras, Jackson’s hartebeests, bush pigs, bohor reed buck, warthogs, Rothschild’s giraffes, defassa water bucks, cape buffaloes, elands, bush duskier, bush bucks, lions, side-striped jackals, leopards, black-backed jackals, various small cats as well as spotted hyenas.
The safari company lists the pygmy Falcon, Varreaux’s Eagle plus the Egyptian Vulture, in addition to many other species. It also recommends a visit to the nearby Karamojong and Acholi communities for a showcase of traditional, energetic, and entertaining dances.
