Best Places to See Wildlife in Uganda; Well, if it comes to which destination in Africa is best to see diversity of wildlife, our minds bring Kenya and Tanzania yet Uganda has got a lot to offer that even ranks it to be called the Pearl of Africa. And what makes Uganda one of the best places for safari are the diverse landscape of savannahs, lakes, mountains, waterfalls and forests all being habitant to interesting wildlife. Moreso, Uganda boosts with 10 national parks and 12 wildlife reserves. For the above question, below are the most remarkable wildlife experiences in Uganda!
Visit Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park sounds as the most tourist’s destination because it stuns with the world’s most powerful waterfalls. More fact, the park is the largest and oldest created in 1926 as a national park in Uganda, located on the northwestern region of Uganda, spreading from the shores of Lake Albert around the Victoria Nile till Karuma Falls and Karuma Wildlife Reserve on the North. Murchison Falls National Park has got the main attraction which is spectacular Murchison Falls – which was known as Kabalega Falls and it’s where the Nile flows through a narrow rocky gorge of 7 meter to tumble 43 meters into the Devil’s Cauldron, creating the impressive trademark rainbow.
The Victoria Nile which flows its water into Lake Albert through an 80kilometers stretch of rapids and a great fabulous place to see wildlife species. Murchison Falls National Park is a home to over 76 mammal like elephants, giraffes, buffaloes are regular visitors around the riverbank, hippos and Nile crocodiles and 451 bird species – a quatic bird species can be seen regular residents. Apart from game drive being the main activity of the park and followed by boat trip on the Nile to attract the wildlife around the riverbank. You can as well do hikes and nature walks in Rabongo or Budongo forests that are perfect places to see primates like chimpanzees.
Best Places to See Wildlife in Uganda : Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Visit Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and be able to meet up with our closest cousins the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural inhabits. However, in the world mountain gorillas can be seen in three countries; Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic of Congo are the only home to the last remaining mountain gorillas in the wild. Mountain gorillas in Uganda live in two different parks the most popular -Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and both located in southwestern Uganda region, approximately 8 to 9 hours’ drive.
Fact, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is renown as misty ancient rainforest a home to the world’s largest population of mountain gorillas of around 650 individual of total number of 1100 mountain gorillas in the wild. The park is also home to over 120 mammals especially primates and around 350 bird species.
The main activity in both parks is gorilla trekking, Batwa visit -Batwa pygmies who are the ancient people of the forests, birding as well as guided nature walk.
Visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park that lies in the Virunga Mountains, which encompass 3 mountains volcanoes ranging between 2,227 to 4,127 meters. Other national parks to see mountain gorillas is Virunga National Park in Congo and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, the one of the most famous places to see gorillas in the world.
Best Places to See Wildlife in Uganda : See variety of wildlife at Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most famous safari destination to adventure wildlife on Uganda Safaris because it harbors the highest concentration of wildlife. The park is home to more than 95 mammals and around 600 bird species and it’s a diverse landscape; sprawling savanna, fertile wetlands, lakes, humid and shady forests among others. The highest points of the park are the Katwe explosion craters and impressive places to drive around and also visit the Katwe Salt Lake.
The park has a lot to offer; Game drives, nature trails and hikes, chimpanzee trekking, bird watching trips and hot air balloon tour.
Regarding wildlife, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home of big four of the big5 ,10 primate species and over 600 bird species like black bee -eaters, martial eagles, African skimmers and white- winged warblers. It boasts with largest mammals ,5000 hippos ,3000 African elephants and over 10,000 buffaloes are the inhabitants of the park. Other wildlife species to see on trip includes Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, Topis, warthogs and many rare primates to see are the chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons which roams around Kyambura gorge within the park.
Visit Kibale National Park – Capital of primates- Chimpanzees
Kibale National Park popularly known as kingdom of primates in Africa with more than 1,500 individuals ,60 mammal’s species and over 350 bird species. The park highlights with 13 different primates including L ‘hoests, blue monkeys, red colobus, olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabeys, black and white colobus and chimpanzees. Take guided walks in the lowland forest area, swam walks around the Bigodi wetland sanctuary which is a beautiful place for bird viewing, primates viewing among many.
Best Places to See Wildlife in Uganda : Visit the Kidepo Valley National Park
Visit the Kidepo valley National Park in far northeastern Uganda Sem- rid regions, approximately 10 t0 12 hours drive and best travel arrangements to access the park is use of chartered domestic flight from Entebbe Airport to land you to Lamej with in 1:40 hours. Take a visit to this untouched wilderness of Kidepo and be able to experience endless beautiful savannah -landscape with mountains and diverse of wild animals, however, the wildlife adventure is very rewarding and is considered as one of the best national parks in Uganda. Though it is less visited national park yet it boosts with wide range of mammals ‘’86 species’’ and over 500 bird species, with endless plain of savannah and mountains in the background where animals can be seen freely moving. Some of animals to see; elephants, lions, buffalos and giraffes however cheetahs can be seen as well as variety of Ostriches that can only be seen in Kidepo in Uganda.
Best Places to See Wildlife in Uganda : Birdwatching in Uganda
Uganda is perfect destination for birdwatching. All Uganda’s national parks harbors with wide range of birds from different species especially forests and wetlands. It boosts with over 1100 bird species thus making it a truly birding destination worldwide. The best places to visit while on birding safari in Uganda around the Lake Victoria on boat trips and Lake Bunyonyi the most beautiful site with many islands to spot birds. Other places include; Mabamba bay wetland, Murchison Falls National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Kibale Forest National Park, Semuliki National Park, Lake Mburo National Park among others.
Experience mountain wildlife while hiking in the Rwenzori Mountain;
Rwenzori Mountain sounds as the third highest peak in Africa and before it was referred to as the Mountain of the Moon. One can be able to climbing -trek the Margherita peak which is the largest point of the mountain it takes 9 to 12 days to reach the summit. However, the park’s lower slopes of the mountain contain bamboo and moist montane forest that houses several mammal species including elephants, leopards and chimpanzees more than 200 bird species and 9 reptiles among others.
Get started now! A visit to Uganda’s beautiful nature vibes you with lots to see which marks it to be called ‘’the Pearl of Africa’’.
