This park lies at the northern end of the Albertine rift valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro
escarpment tumbles into vast palm-dotted savannah. First gazette as a game reserve in 1962, it is
Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area, hosting over 70 species of mammals and 451 birds.
The
park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating
the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of
rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad,
placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into the Albert. At Murchison Falls,
the Nile squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and plunges with a thunderous roar into the Devil’s
Cauldron, creating a trademark rainbow.
This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most
remarkable wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes,
buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents.
A wilderness park, dry hot and isolated, yet spectacular, magnificent and virgin, waiting to e
discovered. Traversed by large sand rivers, the park is renowned for its distinctive composition of
wild game co-existing with the dry mountain, forest, open savannah and hilltops capped by rock
kopjes. Enjoy the isolated wilderness dominated by the 2,750m mount Morungole and transected by the
Kidepo and great Narus rivers.
Perennial rains may make Kidepo an oasis in the semi desert, but its tract of rugged savannah
is home to 77 mammal species and almost 500 birds. Game viewing is exciting all year round and so is
bird watching, foot safaris and mountain climbing. And even in dry season. It is worth the drive
just to visit the seasonal Kidepo river and stroll along its 50m wide bed of sand between banks
covered with Borassus palm trees.
The 1442km is located in the Karamoja region of northern Uganda and borders the South Sudan in
the north west and Kenya in the north east.
Queen Elizabet national park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourists’ destination. The
park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savannah, shady, humid forest, sparkling lakes
and fertile wetland, make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including
chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.
Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas
include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills. Panoramic views of
the Kazinga channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffaloes and elephants and the endless
Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lion ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kobs.
As well as its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth national park has a fascinating
cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy
storytelling, dance, music and more, the park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, and
renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.
As early as 150 AD alexandrine photographer, Ptolemy wrote of snowcapped mountain range deep in the
heart of Africa, which he clamed was the source of the world’s longest river, the Nile. He called it
“mountains of the moon.”
Indeed, over the centuries, mountaineers who later explored Ptolemy’s mountains found the high
Rwenzori glaciers and snow peaks whose melt waters certainly represent the highest springs off the
Nile, the alpine highland of glaciers snow fields, hot spring and blue cirque lakes makes Rwenzori
one of Africa’s most beautiful mountain parks. Reaching an elevation of 5109m, Rwenzori is Africa’s
tallest mountain range exceeded in altitude by mt Kilimanjaro and my Kenya, carrying Africa’s third,
fourth and fifth highest peaks that are visible for miles around. Some of its peaks incomparable,
beautiful and mist-shrouded carry permanent snow and glaciers, while the lower slopes are covered
with dense forest.
The mountain’s slopes above 1600m are the preserves of hikers who are rate the Rwenzori to be
the most challenging of all African mountains. A variety of large mammals inhibit the lower slopes
but the Rwenzori’s are notable more for their majestic scenery and varied vegetation. Its five
distinct vegetation zones montane forest, bamboo forest, tree heath-bog, hagenia-rapanea scrub and
afro-alpine moorland provide a unique backdrop to one of the most magnificent national parks in the
world. Several endangered species and veery unusual cloud forest flora like giant heathers,
groundsels and lobelias, characterize the ranges as ‘Africa’s botanical big game.
In 1991, Rwenzori mountains were gazette as a National Park and is both a world heritage and
Ramsar site.
At 331sqk it is home to half of the world’s mountain gorillas, whose encounter and consequent eye
contact is the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter in the world of Africa. With mist
covered hillsides, this impenetrable forest is the oldest and most biologically diverse rainforest,
with over 400species of plants. It lies on the edge of the rift valley in southwestern Uganda, and
protects at least 120species of butterflies, 163species of trees, 100 species of ferns, 27 species
of frog, chameleons, geckos, among many endangered species. It’s a UNESCO designated world heritage
site popular for mountain gorillas and chimpanzee, the two great African apes listed as endangered
animals in the IUCN red data book.
Bwindi has gorilla tracking as the major tourist attraction with 4 gorilla tracking trailheads.
Also, over 10 groups of mountain gorillas have been habituated and only 8 tourists booked per day.
Forest trails in the park lead to various attractions including rivers, waterfalls, swamps and high
level of wildlife concentration.
Birding is another attraction that provides great opportunities to see various Albertine rift
endemics such as the short- tailed warble. A 6hour bamboo trails leads to Rwamunyonyi peak, at
2607m, is the highest peak and notable spot for birding. While a 3hr descend to Mubwindi swamp could
lead a visitor to endemic and localized African Green Broadbill.
Other rewarding activities are mountain biking and nature walks to waterfalls and parts of the
forest. A short drive north to Buhoma, which sits on the Congo border, offers wonderful hikes along
the hill crests and rivers to discover waterfalls, glorious views and the traditional lifestyle and
folklore of the Kigezi people.
Mgahinga is part of a larger ecosystem, the Virunga Conservation Area (434sqkm) which includes two
adjacent parks in Rwanda and Congo. Mgahinga gorilla national park sits high in the clouds, at an
altitude of between 2227m and 4127m. It was formed to protect the rare mountain gorillas that
inhabit its dense forests, and it is also an important habitat for the endangered golden monkeys.
Its most striking features are its three conical, extinct volcanoes, part of the spectacular Virunga
range that lies along the border region of Uganda, Congo and Rwanda. Mgahinga forms part of the much
larger Virunga conservation area which includes adjacent parks in these countries.
The park offers a sooth aura of majesty with cool temperatures owing to the mountainous nature
of the park. Its home to part of the 300 gorillas located in the Virunga massifs. Its indeed where
gold meets with silver where gorillas are housed in the same habit with golden monkeys. The cultural
heritage featuring folklore and traditional healing practices for local people covers the north
slopes of the three northern Virunga volcanoes- Muhavura, Gahinga and Sabinyo.
The park derives its name from Gahinga a Kinyarwanda word for a pile of volcanic lava stone
heaps around which cultivation is carried out. On the other hand, Muhavura means guide and Sabinyo
means the old man’s teeth. It bordered to the south by Rwanda and to the West by Congo.
While Sabinyo is deeply eroded with jagged crown and deep gorges and ravines, Gahinga has a
swamp filled- crater about 180m wide and Muhavura has a small crater lake about 36m wide at its
summit. While at the top of Sabinyo, you get to be set foot in all three countries of Uganda, DRC,
and Rwanda at the same time. Its views of the volcanoes and gorges with the cool breeze of freshness
is unrivaled. On some of the steep mountain slopes are caves formed by lava tubes, one of them being
the famous Garama cave located near Ntebeko, the park Headquarters.
In the middle of an extensive rich acacia woodland lies one of Uganda’s most spectacular and
breathtaking game parks in the country; lake Mburo national park. This park is a gem of a park
indeed, conveniently located close to the western high way that connects Kampala to the parks of the
western part of Uganda. It is a very special place with a medley of habitats ranging from dry
hillsides, rocky outcrops bushy thicket, open and wooded savannas to forest, lakes and swamps. Its
sculptured landscape, rolling hills ad idyllic lakes shore, forest galleries, seasonal and permanent
swamps and grassy valleys all support a wealth of wildlife in a tropical setting.
The park is remarkably different from other pars. It’s the best park to view the gigantic
eland, impala, zebras, and acacia associated birds. Common mammal’s species include warthogs,
buffalos, oribis, defassa waterbucks, reed bucks and the eland antelopes. Leopards and hyenas are
also present.
The five lakes within the park attract hippos and crocodiles while fringing swamps hide
secretive papyrus specialists such as the sitatunga antelope and red, black and yellow papyrus
gonoleks. The park also has an impressive bird lit with 332 species reordered including Shoebill,
papyrus gonolek. Yellow warbler, African finfoot, saddle billed stork, tabora cisticola, great
snipe, Abyssinian ground horn bill etc.
Though just 371sqkm in size, lake Mburo has a varied landscape full of interest and color. The
park is refreshing and full of life given its strategic location near the Kampala – Mbarara highway.
Semuliki National Park sprawls across the floor of the Semiliki valley on the remote, western side of
the Rwenzori. The park is dominated buy the eastern most extension of the great Ituri forest of the
Congo basin. This is one of Africa’s most ancient and bio-diversity forests; one of the few to
survive the last ice age, 12-18000 years ago.
The Semiliki valley contains numerous features associated with central rather than eastern
African. Thatched huts are shaded by west African palms, the Semiliki river (which forms the
international boundary) is a miniature version of the Congo River, the forest is home to numerous
central African wildlife species, and the local population includes a Batwa community that
originated from Ituri forest. As a result, this park provides a taste of central Africa without
having to leave Uganda.
While Semuliki species have been accumulating for over 25000 years, the park contains evidence
of even older processes. Hot springs bubble up from the depths to demonstrate the powerful
subterranean forces that have been shaping the rift valley during last 14million years.
Semuliki forest reserve was created in 1932 and upgraded to a national park status in 1993.
Kibale national park is the most magnificent of Uganda’s tropical rain forests and one of the most
rewarding areas to explore. Established at the end of the 18th century, Kibale boasts of 13 species
of primates including the localized red colobus, L’Hoest’s monkeys and the endemic Uganda mangabey.
Kibale’s major attraction is the chimpanzees, the delightful apes, closest to humans than to
any other living creatures. These can be seen swinging in tree branches as on treks through the
forest trails. While you enjoy your tour in this sunny side of nature, you have a life opportunity
to sight over 300 bird species. The 180km long migration corridor for wildlife also habits mammals
like the elusive forest elephants, buffalos, giant forest hogs and several antelope’s species;
thereby making it one of the most stunning parks in Uganda.
Situated ideally in the heart of the Tooro kingdom in western Uganda, near fort portal, the park
lies close to the tranquil Ndali- Kassenda crater area and is within a half days’ drive of queen
Elizabeth national park, Rwenzori mountains and Semuliki. The park became a government forest
reserve in the early 1940s.
Mount Elgon at 4000sqkm has the largest volcanic base in the world and is a massive solitary volcanic
mountain on the order of eastern Uganda and western Kenya, its vast form, 80km in diameter, rises
3000m above the surrounding plains. Its mountainous regional landscapes and cool heights often
respite for humans from the hot plains below and its higher altitudes provide refuge for flora and
fauna
The park is home to over 300 species of bird, including the endangered lammergeyer. Small
antelopes, forest monkeys, elephants and buffalos also live on the mountainside. The higher slopes
are protected by national parks in Uganda and Kenya, creating an extension trans-boundary
conservation area which has been declared a UNESCO man and biosphere reserve.