Uganda, located in the east of the African continent, is a little country with a total surface area of about 241,037 sq km. It is a very pivotal place in African tourism with an abundance of flora and fauna and other natural resources that run from its border to border.
The country has many titles because of its natural endowment, for example, the “pearl of Africa”, “gifted by nature”, “motherland” and “mini Africa” to mention but a few. Of all its natural wonders, its national parks are the most mesmerizing ones.
The national parks in Uganda are full of different unique wildlife species that live on amazing landscapes hence making them utopian to nature lovers.
The national parks in Uganda are only ten but each park is distinctive in its own way. Each national park gives tourists a different experience because of the different terrains, vegetation, and wildlife species embedded in them.
These national parks are spontaneously distributed in an even way whereby each and every region in Uganda at least has one or two.
For instance, in the northern region, there is Murchison Falls National Park in the north and Kidepo National Park in the far northeast, In the western region, Kibale national park, Mountain Rwenzori Mountain National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semliki National Park, in the east- Mountain Elgon national park, in the southwest, Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga national park and in the central region, Lake Mburo National park.
Within the national parks of Uganda, there are unique and interesting wildlife species to encounter for example the different species of primates like mountain gorillas, bush babies, baboons, chimpanzees numerous monkey species, and the big five animals (lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and Rhinos), common grazers like giraffes, different antelope species, Zebras, warthog, carnivores like hyenas, cheetahs, jackal, wildcats and also different bird species.
The Uganda national parks can be visited at a one-off self-drive safari or tourists can opt to visit one or more choices. However, the tourists have to spend more than 3 days on a self-drive safari since all of these national parks are located in remote areas that require traveling for long hours to reach them.
For instance, if a tourist is to visit all the national parks in Uganda, he/she has to spend 15 days or more on the Uganda self drive trip since there are over a thousand miles between the national parks.
Below are the ten national parks in Uganda in detail:
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has gradually become one of the most popular national parks in Uganda and the whole of Africa due to the rapid development of primate tourism. Bwindi is nestled in the hills of the Kigezi region in the southwest of the country.
This is a national park known for inhabiting almost half of the total population of mountain gorillas in the world hence having the gorilla trekking experience as the main activity for tourists to engage in on a safari.
There are also other attractions in the impenetrable forest like monkeys, elephants, birds, and eye-catching flowers and butterflies, The vegetation cover and the flowing streams are also something to explore and enjoy. The Batwa community at the edges of the park is worth visiting for tourists interested in digging into culture.
Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale National Park is a gazetted tropical rainforest area in the western region of Uganda. This national park has the highest concentration of different primate species in Africa and it is universally known as the capital of primates.
Kibale has 13 different species of primates and these include the different monkey species like red-tailed monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus, blue monkeys, De Brazza monkeys, and other small primates are baboons and chimpanzees.
The chimpanzees are the star attractions in Kibale Forest National Park. The chimpanzees belong to the family of the great apes and are one of the closest relatives of mankind.
The chimpanzees are very intelligent animals that have the ability to use tools, show compassion to one another within the family, and also have a very organized family order.
The aforementioned traits always leave visitors awestruck, yearning for more time to interact with the chimpanzees. Around Kibale National Park, there is an interesting cultural community in Bigodi where travelers go to look at the different community projects done by different vulnerable people like widows and orphans.
These vulnerable people make craft items in the form of bags, shoes, bangles, necklaces, and different body accessories.
Kidepo Valley National Park
This is a renowned natural habitat in the far northeast of Uganda at the borders of Kenya and South Sudan. It is regarded as the true African wilderness due to its short brown grass fields which enable game seekers to clearly see the animals.
It has been internationally recognized by different media content organizations as one of the best African destinations for wildlife viewing.
Kidepo Valley National Park has animals like buffaloes, elephants, lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, bat-eared foxes, jackals, and ostriches. In addition, Kidepo Valley National Park is the only natural habitat in Uganda with ostriches.
Within the vicinity of Kidepo National Park, there are unique cultural villages that depict the ancient African traditional society.
These societies comprise the Karamojong and Ik tribes. These societies are very vulnerable and live primitive life but they value so much their traditional values and norms.
They resemble so much the Masai people in Kenya, they are nomadic pastoralists and most of their housing settings are hut structures.
The fortunate thing is that these societies live with the wild animals in Kidepo Valley National Park harmoniously as they treasure nature and the animals around them.
Lake Mburo National Park
This is one of the youngest national parks in Uganda as its protection came in 1983 and fully became a park in 1993. It has a surface area of 260 sq km, making it the smallest national park in Uganda. 20% of the park is comprised of wetlands and lake Mburo and other lakes in the park making a 50 km stretch.
Mburo is the most strategically located wildlife destination on the Mbarara highway from Kampala making it the nearest park to the start-up point of almost every wildlife safari in Uganda.
Although small Lake Mburo has lots of wildlife species to encounter like the zebras, giraffes, elands, impalas, buffaloes, and hippos on lake Mburo and it has over 350 bird species.
While at Lake Mburo National Park, the visitors engage in activities like game drives, boat rides at Lake Mburo, and horse riding at some gazetted areas that are predator-free.
Mburo offers a different experience from other national parks in Uganda as it is relaxed and compacted and the wildlife species are easily encountered without so much hassle.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
This is a newly established national park in Uganda and it is one of the least known by travelers but gradually gaining momentum.
Mgahinga National Park sits on the Virunga massif which is straddled by the three countries of Uganda, Rwanda, and DR Congo. It is an alternative park for gorilla trekking in Uganda though it has only one gorilla family to track in Nyakagezi.
Although Mgahinga National Park has very few mountain gorillas, it has lots of other attractions to experience while on a safari. It has an endangered unique species of monkey, the golden monkey.
These monkeys have a gold color on their back and around their cheeks and this makes them one of the most beautiful animal species to watch.
Mgahinga national park being situated in the Virunga region has numerous mountains to hike, for example, Mount. Gahinga, Muhavura and Sabyinyo.
These are scenic volcanic mountains where different wildlife species hide and while hiking one of them, a traveler is likely to encounter some of these interesting living species. Also at the summit of these mountains, a tourist is rewarded with a 360 view of the Virunga massif and its biospheres.
The Mgahinga area is the original habitat of the Batwa people, the most marginalized group of people in Uganda. These people are very short in stature and live a traditional way of life.
While at Mgahinga, a tourist can find time to go and engage with these interesting races of people as he/she gets involved in the different social activities and also takes part in the Batwa trail experience. at the Batwa trail experience, a traveler visits the former homes of the Batwa people in the forests of Mgahinga.
A safari to Mgahinga National Park is a memorable one as a traveler gets to experience different attractions in one place with the gorilla trekking experience being the main highlight.
Mount Elgon National Park
This national park is a lot different from most of the popular parks in Uganda since the main attraction is not the wildlife species but the mountain itself. Mount Elgon National Park is located in the eastern part of Uganda at the borders of Kenya and Uganda.
It is the 8th highest mountain in Africa and one of the most famous volcanic mountains. Its relief and terrain are very enticing to the eye and give travelers the urge to hike and explore the mountain.
Since it is a volcano, it has very fertile soils, and different crops are grown on its slopes most notably is the Arabic coffee around the lower slopes which makes it more scintillating.
The calderas also make it a special place to hike. With its beautiful vegetation, there are some amazing animals to encounter for instance the buffaloes, elephants, duikers, bushbuck, civets, and small primates.
On the mountain, there are some other physical features like mystical caves and water streams. one of the iconic water features around Mt. Elgon is the Sipi Falls, which is a picturesque area of nature.
The waterfall is a spectacle to watch, it takes one minute and minutes to get eyes off it. It is such a beautiful and wonderful feature for sightseeing.
Murchison Falls National Park
This is one of the oldest and largest biodiversity areas in Africa. It is found in the north of Uganda 6 hours away from Kampala the capital of Uganda.
Apparently, it is the most visited national park in Uganda with over ten thousand visits to its name throughout the year. Murchison Falls National Park currently has the highest concentration of big mammals as it has taken over Queen Elizabeth National Park which has been greatly affected by the settlement of people around the park leading to the loss of habitat and the killing of animals.
We can confidently say that Murchison Falls National Park is a Big Five destination if you add the Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary to your bucket list when visiting it.
Murchison Falls National Park has four of the big five (lions, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards) in its savannah plains and the rhinos that make up the big five are found at Zziwa Sanctuary just a few miles away from the park.
Murchison Falls National Park has other animals like giraffes, elands, bush pigs, hyenas, and a variety of bird species to enjoy and experience.
Murchison Falls National Park is divided by the river Nile the longest river in the world and as the river flows through the park, it leaves some great water features such as Murchison Falls and Uhuru Falls.
These two falls are tourist attractions on their own and are pivotal in Murchison Falls National Park’s greatness. Also at the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, a boat ride experience is carried out where travelers happen to encounter different marine species. A trip to this huge national park is full of exciting moments and 3 days trip is recommended for every traveler.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a very historical natural habitat in Uganda because of its flora and fauna and also its famous visit by the Queen of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
It is commonly known as the medley of wonders by many tourism enthusiasts. It has numerous attractions to encounter for instance the different wildlife species in its savannah plains, the two lakes of Edward and George, the Kazinga channel, the Katwa explosions and crate lakes and mining site, the Maramagambo forest, and the Kyambura gorge.
We cannot forget to mention the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. These lions are one of the natural wonders in the tourism world.
Tourists can never get enough of Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is always exciting from the word go till the end of the trip. Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the western part of Uganda in the Kasese district.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
This is one of the most famous features in Uganda. The Rwenzori Mountains are known worldwide and many people are intrigued by its snow-capped peak.
It is very peculiar to find a place in the equatorial region that experiences hot temperatures throughout the year having snow. Rwenzori Mountain is the largest and highest block mountain in Africa and the third-highest of all mountains on the continent.
Its snow-capped peak Margherita is the main feature that compels tourists to hike and explore this amazing national park. Within its vegetation, on the lower slopes, there are different wildlife species to encounter like Angolan colobus, red-tailed monkeys, leopards, civets, wild cats, elephants, buffaloes, and over 216 bird species. The heather vegetation cover is also great for the eyes.
Semuliki National Park
With a total surface area of 220 sq km, Semuliki was first gazetted as a forest reserve in 1932 and later in 1993 turned into a national park.
It is found in Bwamba County in Bundibugyo District in the western part of Uganda. This is at the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and it is said to be an extension of the Great Ituri Forest in Congo. In its tropical rainforest, there are 53 mammal species and over 400 bird species recorded.
It also has a very interesting natural wonder in Sempanya hot springs. Here the hot water comes from the ground sprouting up. Many people come to the hot springs to observe them and others for body skin therapy as the salty hot water is said to have different minerals that can embellish the body skin.
