Uganda Safari National Parks

Uganda Safari National Parks are some of the most interesting wildlife centers that a traveler should try out when they decide to go on a Uganda tour. Uganda, the pearl of Africa has been widely known all over the world because of its tourism sector that is boomed by the existence of the national parks in the country. Fortunately, Uganda is blessed to have over 10 national parks that have been established as protected areas in various parts of the country. The national parks are rich in natural diversity making them consist of a wide variety of animal species and bird species making them the number one spot for the wildlife safari experience.

Uganda as a country straddles on the equator making the country have some of the best climatic conditions that favor the tourists visit the country all year round. The topmost tourism activity in the country is gorilla trekking safari which has attracted many tourists hence flocking the national parks to spot these fascinating primates. Here below are some of the best national parks that you can visit to have the best wildlife experience of a lifetime.

Mgahinga National Park

Mgahinga National Park is one of the known Uganda Safari National Parks situated in the Kisoro district in the south western part of Uganda. Mgahinga National Park is among the three parks in the Virunga conservation area and it is the smallest national park in Uganda. Mgahinga National Park covers an area of 13.1 square miles within three extinct volcanoes that is Mt. Gahinga, Mt. Muhavura, and Mt. Sabinyo.

Attractions and activities in Mgahinga National Park

Gorilla trekking: Gorilla trekking is one of the best, memorable and thrilling moments in Mgahinga National Park. The fact that Mgahinga National Park has bamboo and alpine forests, it has largely influenced the existence of the mountain gorillas that now reside in the park. Although Mgahinga National Park has a great number of other wildlife such as the blue, rare red colobus plus black and white colobus monkeys, forest elephants, giant forest hogs various species of birds, mountain gorillas are the main attraction at Mgahinga National Park. The best time to visit mountain gorillas is during the dry season and tracking can take around 2 to 5 hours or sometimes the whole day.
Golden monkey tracking: With a population of about 4000, these endangered monkeys reside in Mgahinga National Park. They are used to the presence of tourist so it is one of the remarkable experiences you can encounter on a visit to Mgahinga National Park.
Bird watching: Mgahinga National Park has over 115 species of birds making it a great experience for the birders. Mgahinga National Park is good for bird watching all throughout the year and some of the species that are mainly present are such as Black-Kite, Pin-tailed whydah, Double-collared sunbird, waxbills, Grey-capped warbler, Archer’s robin-chat, Blue-headed coucal, and Paradise flycatcher among others. The best time for bird watching is from April to May and October to November.
Mountain climbing: Mountain climbing or volcano climbing is done on the three dormant volcanoes that is Mt. Gahinga which can take around 6 hours depending on speed. As you move to the top, you are able to view the piles of stones in the gardens and a swamp at the top. Secondly, there is Mt. Sabinyo which is the hardest and most challenging and adventurous during climbing. The distance covered is about 8 km long. Additionally, there is Mt. Muhavura which covers about 12km and as you move to the top, you pass through small shrubs, grasses, and the rocky ground.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most visited Uganda Safari National Parks situated in the western part of Uganda and one of the famously visited national park because of its splendid landscape and a rich bio-diversity filled with a great number of wildlife and natural sites such as the crater lakes, the savannah grassland and the tropic forest. Tourists can view the flora and fauna during game drives and in the aerial view of the park using the chartered planes in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park consists of the Maramagambo forest which borders Kigezi Game Reserve and Kyambura Game Reserve. The park is filled with a number of mammal species such as the lions, African leopards, Chimpanzees, Nile Crocs, Kobs, Hippopotamus, and about 500 bird species have been recorded in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Activities and tourist attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The Flora and Fauna: Queen Elizabeth National Park is covered by different vegetation zones which include the tropical rain forest, savannah grasslands, bushy grasslands plus acacia trees of which act as habitats to the different animals and bird species plus the butterflies.
Chimpanzee trekking: In Queen Elizabeth National Park, Chimpanzee trekking is among the top activities that are highly done all year round. This fascinating activity is carried out in the Kyambura gorge which consists of stunning natural forest and bordered by the Great Rift Valley escarpments.
Birding: Tourists that come to Queen Elizabeth National Park have the chance to spot some of the fascinating bird species that are endemic to the area such as the Lappet-faced, Long-created Eagle, Wahlberg’s Eagle, African White-backed Vulture, African Wattled Plover, Clowned Plover, and Senegal Plover Hooded Vulture among others.
The Lion tracking experience: Another spectacular activity is the lion tracking experience that gives the tourists thrilling and memorable moments in the jungle. The lion tracking experience is usually done in the morning and late afternoons. It involves tracking the lions in a given pride because the lions have trackers attached to their bodies, this makes it easy to be spotted and researchers plus the tourists can get to learn the different behaviors done by the lions while in the wild.
Game drives: Another yet stunning activity carried out in Queen Elizabeth National Park is game drives that take place in the savannah landscape of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The activity is so magical in that you get to view a lot of mammal species such as the kobs, antelopes, zebras and if lucky you can also spot the lions that prey on the other animals, for example, the Ugandan kobs and antelopes.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is the biggest of all Uganda Safari National Parks situated in the northwestern part of Uganda and it is the largest national park in Uganda covering about 4000 kilometers squared. Murchison Falls National Park consists of the savannah grasslands, forests, and swamps. Murchison Falls National Park has some of the best adventure activities such as the following.

Attractions and activities in Murchison Falls National Park

Wildlife: Murchison Falls National Park consist of different vegetation zones that have enabled a lot of animal species, for example, the giraffes, warthog, Cape buffalo, Uganda Kob, jackson’s-hartebeest, elephants and more. The wildlife experience will give you the best magical feeling of the wild.
Birding: Murchison Falls National Park is a birder’s paradise because of the existence of the numerous bird species that are over 400 in number that tourists can spot while on their Uganda National Park tours. Some of the bird species you will find in Murchison Falls National Park include; Giant Kingfisher, yellow billed stork, great cormorant and many more.
Murchison Falls: The name of the park is derived from the Murchison falls itself and sometimes it is called the Kabalega Falls. The Murchison Falls offers a stunning view to the tourists when they make their way through a narrow gorge forming violent falls that can be spotted giving the visitors a magical experience of the falls.
Wildlife rafting: Murchison Falls offer super high speed running waters on top of the falls providing the opportunity for water rafting done by the tourist on their visit to Murchison Falls National Park. The running water makes it suitable for the tourists using an inflatable raft to navigate the White Nile. Other activities you can encounter in Murchison Falls National Park include; Water body viewing, Boat cruises, hiking and many more.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park is a special park of all Uganda Safari National Parks and is situated in the far North-Eastern part of Uganda in the district of Kaabong. Kidepo Valley National Park covers an area about 1442 kilometers squared. Kidepo Valley National Park has two major valley systems that is to say Kidepo and Narus rivers and the valley basins lay between 3000 ft and 4000 ft respectively. Kidepo Valley National Park has a hot spring in the far north of the park known as the Kanangarok. Most parts of the Kidepo Valley National Park consist of the Savannah trees because of the variation in rainfall received in the area. The animal population also varies and you will find that Narus has more animals compared to the Kidepo basin. The park has about 77 species of mammals and about 475 bird species.

Attractions and activities in Kidepo Valley National Park

Birding: Tourists can visit Kidepo Valley National Park to spot different bird species such as the Hoopoe, Nubian woodpeckers, vinaceous doves, Scarlet-chested sunbirds, mosque swallow superb starlings, Karamoja Apalis, Red-billed oxpecker among others.
Wildlife: Some of the wildlife you will find include the buffalos and it is recorded to be the fact that Kidepo Valley National Park has the biggest number of buffalos in Uganda, you will also get to spot the cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, bat eared fox, bush duskier ostriches, pangolins, caracals and many more.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most unique and selling park among all the Uganda Safari National Parks. Located in the south western part of Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is part of the Bwindi Impenetrable forest. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers an area about 321 sq km which encompasses a variety of ecosystems from the tropical rain forests to montane highlands. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park borders the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it is a home for the mountain gorillas.

Additionally, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers a great number of activities such as mountain gorilla trekking about 17 groups of mountain gorillas to trek, forest walks, cultural sites, game drives, and golden monkey trekking among others. The diverse eco-system in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has made visitors have memorable, exciting and adventurous experiences during their stay in Uganda. All this said the question that challenges many people who try to visit Uganda during their Uganda safaris is how to get to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is among the smallest national parks found in Uganda and it covers approximately 370 square kilometers. Lake Mburo National Park is home to a number of mammal species such as the leopards, Hyenas, Zebras and more. Tourists have the opportunity to spot the different bird species in the park and it is one of the best national parks for bird lovers

Attractions in Lake Mburo National Park

Tourists can visit the Rubanga forest for a nature walk through the park while they get the pleasant views of the closed canopy of the tropical trees in Lake Mburo National Park. You can also enjoy the boat cruise with features an extensive view of the aquatic animals on the shores like Hippos and crocodiles.

Semliki Valley National Park

Semliki National Park covers an area equaling to 220 kilometers and visitors have a chance to view different wildlife such as the 60 mammal species such as the leopards, buffalos, bush babies, elephants, and the pigmy flying squirrel, the primates you can find in Semliki National Park include baboons, black and white colobus monkeys plus the chimpanzees and about 400 bird species such as capuchin babbler, pale fronted ant-pecker and crested malimbe, and blue-headed flycatcher among others.

Activities and attractions in Semliki Valley National Park

Hike the Nyaburongo gorge: Hiking Nyaburongo gorge is the number one activity for the bird enthusiasts which is about 7 kilometers walk that passes via variety of insights such as the swamps, lowland tropical forests that consist of different bird species that live within the forest such as the Tropical Boubal, Arrow-marked babbler, Black-headed bushrike and some primates such as Olive Baboons, and chimpanzees among others.
Primate walks: In Toro Semliki Game Reserve, primate walks take about 3-4 hours and take place next to Semliki Safari Lodge. You will be assigned a professional game ranger who will lead you through the jungles of Semliki National Park. Some of the primates you will find include; Black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys.
Boat rides: Visitors have the opportunity to have a guided boat ride on River Semliki which is about 160 kilometers long and runs from the Rwenzori Mountains and continues to Lake Albert and the Nile. Visitors can get to spot hippos, Nile Crocodiles, lizards along the banks of the River Semliki. Visitors can view the river meander within the Rift Valley while on their way to and from Semliki National Park.

Kibale Forest National Park

Kibale Forest National Park best known as the primate capital of the world is located in the western part of Uganda and the national park has an area which is about 795 square Kilometers with a diverse ecosystem filled with different wildlife such as the black and white colobus, olive baboons, pottos, bush baby, endemic Uganda Mangabey, red tailed monkeys, forest elephants, antelopes, different bird species such as green breasted pitas, noisy hornbills and African grey parrots among others.

Activities and attractions you will find in Kibale National Park include; the Amabere Caves, Hikes and Nature walk, Nocturnal forest walks, and Bigodi wetland Sanctuary, Bushcraft children activities and many more.

Rwenzori National Park

Also known as the mountain of the moon, Rwenzori National Park is located in the western part of Uganda in the district of Kasese covering about 1000 square kilometers. Rwenzori National Park is home to 60 mammal species and 200 bird species of birds. In this national park, visitors get to physically climb Mount Rwenzori up to the peak known as Margherita. The activity can take you up to 7 days with a couple of stops in between. Other activities you will find in Rwenzori Forest National Park include wildlife viewing, birding, cultural experience and many more.

Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon National Park covers approximately 1122 square kilometers located within Mount Elgon in the eastern part of Uganda and the national park harbors about 250 bird species and other mammal species such as the buffaloes, monkeys and many more. Hiking Mount Elgon unfolds a beautiful and spectacular view of the wilderness. Tourists have the opportunity to reach the Wagagai peak on top of Mount Elgon and also the slope into its beautiful caldera.

Conclusion

In general, the Uganda safari parks will give you the ideal experience of the wildness since they are filled with some of the best, fascinating and spectacular attractions and activities making your African safari worthy the experience got from the visit to the jungles of Africa.