UGANDA NATIONAL PARKS | UGANDA SAFARI DESTINATIONS
Striding across the equator, Uganda Uganda boasts a network of 10 national parks, game reserves, birding sanctuaries and several other protected areas. Uganda is also a very beautiful destination where the east African savannah meets the West African jungle. It boasts a thrilling array of wildlife, ranging from gorillas and chimpanzees to lions and elephants and its 1000-plus bird species make it Africa’s most rewarding safari destination. Managed by the Uganda wildlife authority, these national parks consist of various vegetation zones which range from tropical rain Forests, Savanna grasslands and woodlands and Montane vegetation offering wildlife enthusiasts a thrilling opportunity to experience a wide range of fauna habituated in these habitats. From the Forest national parks tourists have the chance to track primates including the rare Mountain gorillas that can only be tracked from Bwindi and Mgahinga or else in Congo and Rwanda alone. The three montane national parks are important in protecting montane and bamboo forests, and are important for hiking while the savanna parks are teeming with wild animals such as antelopes, buffaloes and elephants among others. In addition the lush wetlands, shimmering lakes and rivers heaving with aquatic life, and the glacial peaks of Africa’s tallest mountain range make these national parks-must-be-visited destinations in Africa.
TOP NATIONAL PARKS IN UGANDA
Gorilla National Parks in Uganda
BWINDI IMPERNETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
Famous for hosting more than half of the remaining mountain gorillas in the world, Bwindi Impenetrable Gorilla Forestis located in South Western Uganda occupying 331 sq km. It lies on the edge of the Western Rift valley (Albertine rift) and is shared by Kanungu, Kabale and Kisoro districts. The park occupies different vegetation zones but predominantly a tropical rain forest. This ancient rainforest is one of the few remaining forests in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age.
MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK
This is another famous gorilla park in Uganda. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the far south western part of Uganda bordering Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It occupies an area of 33 sq km and it is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. The Park covers the northern slopes of the three northernmost Virunga Volcanoes: Mt. Gahinga (3,474 m), Mt. Muhavura (4,127 m), and Mt. Sabiny (3,645 m). Despite of its small size Mgahinga national park is of great importance given that it is a home to the endangered mountain Gorillas.
Chimpanzee National Park in Uganda
KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK
Kibale is the most famous chimpanzee tracking destination in Uganda. Kibale National park is located near the foothills o the Mountains of the Moon in western Uganda. It occupies an area of 776 sq km. It is the most accessible of Uganda's major tropical rainforests. Kibale forest national park is a home to a remarkable 13 primate species with both nocturnal and diurnal species. These include chimpanzees, the localized red colobus monkey, L'Hoest's monkey, black and white colobus monkey, pottos, Guereza Colobus, Olive Baboon, Grey-cheeked Mangabeys, and Red-tailed Monkeys among others.
Wildlife Parks in Uganda
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Murchison Falls National park is located in the northwestern part of Uganda, approximately 90km from Masindi town. The park is the largest amongst all Uganda’s national park. It protects a chunk of untamed African savannah and many tourists who have visited Uganda’s national parks say that it is the hottest safari destination in the country. The park adopts its name from the dramatic Murchison Falls which are found within the park. The spectacular Murchison falls are formed at a point where the world's longest river explodes violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to plunge into a frothing pool 43m below. The Murchison falls National Park together with Bugungu and Karuma Falls Wildlife Reserves form the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Queen Elizabeth National park is located in the south western part of Uganda. It covers an area of 1,978 sq km. It is the most popular national park in Uganda with abundant game which attracts thousands of tourists interested in viewing big game. Its vegetation which varies from open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, make it a little wonder that it is the highest biodiversity conservation game reserve in the world.