10 Best List of Uganda National Parks – Uganda Safaris
The 10 best list of Uganda national parks; Uganda was once nicknamed ‘’The Pearl of Africa’’ and is a landlocked country very hospitable and secure. The reason as to why Uganda was nicknamed as the pearl of Africa because it wonders with beautiful nature and warm climate, rich in ecosystem, bird species, scenic landscape and the biodiversity of animals that attracts millions of visitors yearly to get fascinated with a visit. Above all, it features with ten ‘’10’’ national parks that will make you fall in a visit with Uganda again and again and these beautiful national parks are habitat of wide range of plants, bird species and animal species such as lions and tree climbing lions, elephants, leopards, waterbucks, kobs, Jackson water beasts, buffaloes, warthogs, famous primates the Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Colobus monkeys among others.
Below is the list of the best national parks in Uganda as highlighted;
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park sits in southwestern region and was named after the royal Queen Elizabeth 11 of England .The park was established in 1954. Furthermore ,Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest among the ten national parks with an area covering about 1978 square kilometers inhabiting over 95 mammal species and more than 600 bird species and other species .The park is famously known worldwide because of the diversity of wildlife species include elephants ,hippos ,Congo lions ,African leopards ,chimpanzees among others. The main tourist attraction are the tree climbing lions and its volcanoes features -cones and deep craters lakes that connects to Kazinga channel. However, the park can easily be accessed both by road or air by help of reorganized tour operator. The park’s activities include Game drive, Boat cruises, Lion tracking, cultural tours, sport fishing, Guided nature, chimpanzee tracking among others.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Rwenzori mountain National Park is a home to one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, a place worth a visit. The park is located in the Rwenzori mountains to nearly 1000 kilometers squared in its size and it’s on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its extra ordinary natural beauty. Rwenzori mountain is a great stopping area for hiking lovers and hiking is done on Rwenzori mountain till summit and if you’re lucky, you climb up and reach its summit you will be able to enjoy the beauty around, breath taking waterfalls, high waterfalls, high glaciers, valley of nine lakes, a variety of flora and fauna and various endangered species and more captivating scenery. Rwenzori mountain a majestically snow caped is located in western region of Uganda in Bundibugyo district, approximately 6 to5 hour drive to access the destination.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo national park is the smallest game park among the ten Uganda national park, covering an area of around 270 kilometers and can easily be accessed by road since it’s a close national park to Uganda’s Kampala Capital city. The park is famous as home for variety of antelopes and its stunning scenery for photographers and bird enthusiasts. Lake Mburo is inhabit to a variety of Leopards, hippos, zebras, hyenas, impala and other mammals and a best location for birding with over 350 species of birds. Note, Lake Mburo is not only for animal adventurous but also have attractive surface with ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks that have been existing for over 500 million years old thus making geologist’s dream tour. The park also has 13 lakes and among them Lake Mburo is the biggest which forms part of a 50 kilometers wetland system and woodland. The park is Isingiro –Uganda. Major activities done here include; Game drive, Horse bike riding, Birding, Guided nature walk, Night game drive, Cultural encounter among others, 10 Best List of Uganda National Parks .
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park is the most famous and visited national park because of the beautiful creatures of great Mountain Gorillas and being home to world’s half remaining population of mountain gorillas in the wild. The park houses over 600 individuals of the total of 1064 individuals which can be seen on Gorilla trekking or habituation in one of the four gorilla trekking sectors that is; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo sector and each sector comprises with a gorilla group .Bwindi is not only home for the endangered mountain gorillas but also has biodiversity of other different fauna and flora contained within the park elephants ,colobus monkeys ,chimpanzees ,the notable bird species , steamy forest .You can as well get amazed has you hike deeper in search for mountain gorillas and watching them which is an hour is more worth in their nature habitat. Just know Bwindi has a stunning and rewarding nature around and quite unforgettable creatures. Main key done activity here is Mountain Gorilla trekking, birding and Nature walk.
Murchison Falls National Park
The park is Uganda’s largest game park ‘’3897 square kilometers ‘’with the most beautiful attractive thundering and bubbling waterfalls, where its Nile water spray dramatically and violently out of the narrow gap between the rocks, covering its surrounding in a fine layer of a spray. You can drive a boat to devil cauldron, which gives excellent sights of the thundering waterfalls and below the cascade, the Nile widen out on both sides of the river where visitors can be able to see animal species on shores feeding and some linking for water such as buffaloes, kobs, waterbucks, elephants, crocodiles and hippos many more. However, the park is a home of big four of the big five with only rhinos missing in the park. The best way to enjoy the Victoria Nile and its beautiful surrounding landscape of the park drifting before your eyes is book a boat trip. Murchison Falls national park is located in northwest region of Uganda, approximately 4 to5 hour drive. It can be reached by both road and air transport.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the smallest among the Uganda’s national parks, though it’s the smallest and boosts with wide range of unique wildlife species to encounter and things to do, such as the great mountain gorillas and the golden monkey species. The park also hosts the three volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains, that rewards the park its distinctive and beautiful features and making amazing hikes to their top.
The lush vegetation and verdant forests are home to groups of gorillas and trekking experience through the undergrowth to catch glimpse of gorillas in their nature environment is quite exciting and memorable experience.
Cultural experience in Batwa community /people who call these forest their home, on visit to the community, you will be able to learn about a bout their culture and history of life in the area. It’s beautiful scenery also attracts tourist on visit.
Mount Elgon National Park
The park is big in a way that it bisects the Kenya -Uganda border with the highest peak on the Kenyan side. Mount Elgon beholds a spectacular long extinct volcano, that makes trekking more interesting.
Descending into its caldera is worth an experience, passing waterfalls, gorges, hot springs and plunging cliff faces only adds to the beauty of the park.
You can also visit the ancient caves where you will enjoy painting, the breathtaking and amazing viewing of the vegetation.
Kidepo Valley National Park
The park sounds as a true unmatched game park with diversity of unique species, it is located in northeastern region in the semi-desert region on the border with South Sudan.
Kidepo Valley National Park ranks with wide range of animal species such as herds of zebra, buffaloes cross the plain and elephants, giraffes and lions can be explored wandering beneath the beautiful blue skies. You can visit the Mount Morungole a home to IK people who migrated from Kenya and originated from here for over years, around the mountain, you can climb to top which offers rewardable view of Kidepo valley. The park’s wildlife on offer will leave you with exciting story to tell the rest, 10 Best List of Uganda National Parks .
Kibale National Park
The park has a beautiful forest home for primates that cover the hill and valley of Kibale National Park. Kibale National Park is best location to see chimpanzees and other primate’s species, you will enjoy their playfully experience while swinging on tree branches. Chimpanzees are delightful species that are the major key attraction in Kibale and many tourists flock here to encounter Chimpanzee and the red colobus monkeys and birding, the scenery is rewarding.
Semuliki National Park
Located on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in western region of Uganda in Bundibugyo district. The park is a home of variety of fauna and flora that attracts number of different species of bird that flock to the forest and undergrowth of the park. Semuliki has attractive scenery very stunning with the Sempaya hot springs that amazes with its bubbling water between fissures in the ground.
Semuliki national park is a home of large animals like elephants, forest buffaloes and leopards among others, you can visit local communities around and glimpse into their amazing lives and culture of the Basua people who live as hunter gatherer within the forest.
