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Where to go in Uganda

Uganda, often called the “Pearl of Africa,” offers numerous national parks with wildlife, breathtaking landscapes, and beautiful lakes.

Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for close encounters with the majestic mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Queen Elizabeth National Park is renowned for its stunning savannah landscapes, tree climb lions and biding on the Kazinga Channel. Murchison Falls National Park is home to the world’s most powerful waterfall and offers the opportunity to see the rare shoebill storks. Kibale Forest National Park has a high concentration of primate species, including chimpanzees.

Each Uganda park offers unique experiences, offering an unforgettable Ugandan safari that invites nature lovers to explore and discover in the heart of East Africa.

Uganda National Parks

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

The Virunga mountain range dominates the National Park, and the landscape is dotted with waterfalls and lakes. With a high annual rainfall, the rainforest deserves its name as it is truly impenetrable. Bwindi Forest is most famous for being home to half the world’s endangered mountain gorillas. A gorilla encounter is said to be one of the most emotional wildlife adventures you will ever have. The biodiversity in the forest is impressive as it provides a home for over 310 species of butterflies, 200 tree species, 88 moth species, and 120 species of mammals, including 10 species of primates and 51 reptile species. Apart from the mountain gorilla, other primates include the red-tailed and blue monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus and baboons. The Bwindi forest has over 350 bird species. Natives living in this area are called the Batwa Pygmies. They are the oldest inhabitants of the great lake region of Central Africa. These hunter-gatherers have a rich culture and history that they are happy to share. A visit to their community is a unique cultural experience unlike any other and will assist in helping to conserve their community and way of life.
There are four areas within the Bwindi Impenetrable forest where you can trek 12 habituated gorilla families (costs US$700 per permit with a maximum of 8 persons per gorilla family).

KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL PARK

The Kibale National Park lies in western Uganda, southeast of the Fort Portal town. With lush tropical rainforests and a fascinating diversity of animals, Kibale National Park is one of the most beautiful forests in Uganda. Located between the wet rainforests of the Congo basin and the drier East African forest, Kibale supports a vibrant array of tropical plants and animals from both areas. One of the highest concentrations of monkeys and apes in the world is found here, including the endangered chimpanzee and the red colobus monkey. Kibale's varied altitude supports different habitat types, ranging from a wet tropical forest on the Fort Portal plateau to woodland and savanna on the Rift Valley floor. With 351 tree species being recorded in the park, some rise to over 55m and are over 200 years old. The Kibale forest is the best place to spot chimpanzees in Uganda and Rwanda, with a 90% chance of seeing them. The park contains the largest population of forest elephants found in Uganda but rarely sighted. Kibale has the highest primate density of any area on earth, including the red-tailed monkey, blue monkey, olive baboon, chimpanzee, colobus (black, white and red) and white-cheeked mangabey. Other mammals found are bushbuck, red and blue duiker, Ugandan kob, scaly-tailed flying squirrel, tree pangolin, buffalo, waterbuck and hippo, and many birds.

QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park is undoubtedly one of the most visited parks in Africa. Located in western Uganda, the park boasts one of the highest biodiversity location ratings in the world, featuring tropical forests, volcanic craters and grassy plains. 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. The park's diverse ecosystems make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, 10 primate species (including chimpanzees) and over 600 species of birds. Ishasha, in the southern part of the park, is home to the famous tree-climbing lions. You can spot many buffaloes, giant forest hogs, warthogs, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, horned Ugandan kob, waterbucks, leopards, topi and elephants. A relaxing boat ride on the channel is a popular attraction and a great way to see the hippos! The sunset over the water is spectacular.

MURCHINSON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Uganda’s largest national park, Murchison Falls National Park, is in north-western Uganda. The park, combined with the Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the Karuma Wildlife Reserve, forms the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. Murchison Falls National Park derives its name from the Murchison Falls, where the mighty Nile River explodes through a narrow gorge and flows down to become a placid river whose banks are thronged with hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck and buffaloes. The vegetation is characterised by savannah, riverine forest and woodland. Wildlife includes lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hartebeest, oribi, Ugandan kob, chimpanzees and many bird species, including the rare shoebill. The best bird-watching time is January to March, when there are fewer tourists and heightened bird activity.

RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

The Rwenzori Mountains National Park is located in southwestern Uganda. The park covers over half of the Rwenzori Mountain Range, commonly known as the "Mountains of the Moon". The rugged landscape of these magnificent hills is often covered by snow, making them highly visible from far away. The mountain chain comprises three mountains: Albert, Alexandra and Africa's third-highest peak, Margherita (5109m). The Rwenzori Mountains are an extremely steep and rugged mountain range with over 25 peaks above 4500m high. The region's glaciers, waterfalls and lakes make it one of Africa's most beautiful alpine areas. The park is a habitat to a few endangered species and has a rich, unusual flora that includes giant heathers, groundsels, and lobelias, now known as "Africa's botanic big game". The vegetation changes as one enters the five different vegetation zones found in the mountains, namely: grasslands, montane forest, bamboo or mimulopsis zone, heather or Rapanea zone and lastly, the afro-alpine moorland zone. The mountain range is home to roughly 220 bird species and 70 mammals, such as forest elephants, L'Hoest's monkeys, eastern chimpanzees and black-fronted or red duikers. Other animals that call this beautiful region home are leopards, bushbucks, giant forest hogs and buffaloes. This picturesque mountain range offers varied levels of hiking difficulty and would please all avid hikers and mountaineers.

SEMLIKI NATIONAL PARK

Semliki National Park is one of Africa's most ancient and biodiverse forests. Geological processes show the age of the forest, with hot springs bubbling up from the depths, demonstrating the powerful subterranean forces that shaped the rift valley millions of years ago. The park is in the Semliki Valley on western Uganda's remote western side of the Rwenzori Mountains. The easternmost extension of the great Ituri Forest of the Congo River basin in DR Congo forms part of this national park. The Semliki river is a miniature version of the Congo River, and the forest is also home to many central African wildlife species. The fauna includes over 400 bird species, of which 216 are actual forest birds, such as the Sassi's olive greenbul and the ground thrush. The park is also home to over 53 mammals, including 11 endemic species like pygmy antelopes, two flying squirrel species, hippos, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and the unique water chevrotain (mouse-deer) also known as "fanged deer".

LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK

Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks, with underlying ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Among the 350 bird species found here, you should see malachite kingfishers, pied kingfishers, African fish eagles, Rufous long-tailed starlings, blue-headed weavers, green-necked doves, hammerkops, pelicans, herons, cormorants and even the rare shoebills. Other animals roaming this beautiful park are zebras, impalas, eland, buffaloes, oribis, defassa waterbucks, leopards, hippos, hyenas, topi and reedbucks. Along with 13 other lakes, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges, while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes.

MABAMBA BAY WETLAND SYSTEM (SWAMPS)

This papyrus swamp is characterised by small channels of marsh-filled water and lagoons and is located close to Kampala and Entebbe. Lying on the edge of Lake Victoria, Mabamba Bay is a massive 16,500 hectares and is part of the list of wetlands of international importance chosen by the Ramsar Convention. The site supports an average of close to 190,000 birds. It is part of the wetland system, which hosts approximately 38% of the global population of the blue swallow, as well as the globally-threatened papyrus yellow warbler and other birds of global conservation concern. This wetland system supports productive fishery activities that provide fish for home consumption and commercial use. The area is also a source of raw materials for local crafts, building materials, water for domestic and livestock use and non-wood products.

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