KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the magnificent National Parks found at the border of Sudan and Kenya in the northeast corner of Uganda covering an area of 1,442 sq. km and was gazette a national park in 1962. Kidepo Valley National Park is comprised of savannah vegetation, hills, valleys like Narus valley, mt. morungole among others.
It is one of the most spectacular parks with scenery that is no doubt the most eyes catching in all the protected areas in Africa.
Is the most beautiful national park in Uganda with charming landscape, unique and abundant wildlife among others.
It has a variety of 80 mammal species and some of these are only found only here like the Bat-eared Fox, Caracal, hunting Dog, both the Greater and Lesser Kudu among others.
It is home to 465 bird species, 58 of these being raptors and among the 58, 14 are only found in Kidepo valley National Park e.g., African Swallow-tailed Kite, Lammergeier, Verreaux’s Eagle, Fox Kestrel, Pygmy Falcon, Eleonora’s Falcon among others. Other specials include Stone Partridge, Clapperton’s Francolin, Quail-plover, White-bellied and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Black-faced and Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, Eastern Yellow-billed, Red-billed and Jackson’s Hornbills, Black-breasted Barbet, Pink-breasted Lark, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark, Golden Pipit, Red-pate and Rock-loving Cisticola, the globally vulnerable and RARE Karamoja Apalis, Amethyst Sunbird, Taita Fiscal, Emin’s Shrike, Three-streaked Tchagra, Grey-capped Social-Weaver, White-headed and White-billed Buffalo-Weavers, Black-cheeked Waxbill, Eastern Paradise-Whydah and Yellow-rumped Seedeater among others.
If you know the Masai, Karamoja area where Kidepo Valley National Park is found is inhabited by their casines the Karamojong. Their lives centered on cattle just like the Masai, they still live a very simple lifestyle.
For your eyes only: Whether a cow is the US or Australia, it belongs to a Karamojong. Just like their Masai casines, the Karamojong to have the love for colorful clothing.
The magnificent scenery makes one lose a Heartbeat.
When you get into the valley, you will be surrounded by the Mt. Morongole, Napore ranges, Kitenga and Kidi Rwot rocks.
A visit to the manyattas (Karamajong homestead) will give you a big lesson about the Karamajongo’s traditional ways like every man carrying his own one legend stool everywhere he goes, the dancing, and jewellery among others.
There are only two accommodation places, the new Apoka Lodge and Apoka Rest Camp. Apoka Rest Camp offers 14 cottages known as bandas here, but you need to take your own food to last you the duration you are there and pay someone to cook for you.
Kidepo Valley National Park is access both by road and by air. By road, you can use the Gulu-Kitgum road. You can use the Mbale-Soroti-Kotido-Kabong route. However, a 4wd is recommended because the road conditions are sometimes terrible. It’s approximately 410km from Kampala capital city to Kidepo valley national park. This may take you around 11hr drive.
BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK
It was at first Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Reserve set up in 1942 before it was later gazetted as a national park in 1992. Later in 1964, it was turned into an animal sanctuary in order to protect the mountain gorillas.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of those nature’s unspoiled National Parks found in southwestern Uganda covering an area of 331 sq km. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has vast diversity of mammals and bird species and a home to a number of endangered wildlife species. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is also home to a special group of bird species only found in the western rift valley popularly known as the Albertine Rift Endemics.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to 23 Albertine Rift Endemics. These bird species are only found in Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. These are Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Nightjar, Dwarf Honeyguide, African Green Broadbill, Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground-Thrush, Oberlaender’s Ground-Thrush, Grauer’s Rush Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Grauer’s Warbler, Collared Apalis, Mountain Masked Apalis, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Rwenzori Batis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing and Shelley’s Crimsonwing.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to half the world’s rare apes the Mountain Gorillas.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the only protected area where Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees live together.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has 4 visitor centre locations, and these are:
Buhoma where the park headquarters are located and so a little developed, Ruhija where most of the Albertine Rift Endemics are easily seen, Rushaga and Nkuringo which are the other Gorilla trekking beginning spots.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has vast expanses of a virgin forest and a number of other attractive components.
There are various accommodation facilities like, Gorilla Forest Camp, Buhoma Lodge, Engagi Lodge, trackers Lodge, Volcanoes Lodge, and Silverback Lodge among others.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is about 550 km from Kampala. This takes about 9-10hr drive and can be accessed from Kabale, Rukungiri and Kasese-Queen Elizabeth National Park.
MT. ELGON NATIONAL PARK
Mt. Elgon National Park covering an area of 1,145 sq km is found in eastern Uganda on Mt. Elgon itself where it got its name from which Uganda shares with Kenya. There is a National Park on the Kenyan side as well accessed via Kitale town.
Uganda part of Mt. Elgon was gazetted in 1992 while the Kenyan part was gazetted in 1968.
Mt. Elgon was once Africa’s highest mountain, far exceeding Kilimanjaro’s current 5,895m. Millennia of erosion have reduced its height to 4,321m, relegating it to 4th highest peak in East Africa and 8th on the continent.
The highest peak of this Mt. However, is in Uganda on the Wagagai peak at 4,321 meters above Sea level.
Mt Elgon is home to two tribes, the bagisu and the sabiny with the marginalized Ndorobos forced to dwell deep within the forest of Benet.
The Park is home to 305 species of birds most of which are only found here e.g., Jackson’s and Moorland Francolins, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Black-collared Apalis, Cape Rook and Streaky-headed-Seedeater among others.
Mt. Elgon National Park is home to 24 mammal species and not easily seen. These include Elephants, Buffaloes, Leopard, Bush Pigs, Duikers, Blue monkey, Black and white Columbus, and a few primates among others.
Its 234 km from Kampala the capital city to mt. Elgon national park which takes approximately 6-7hr drive.
MGAHINGA GORILLA NATIONAL PARK
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is one of Uganda’s new parks and the smallest one covering 33 sq km. It is found in the southern end of Uganda on the volcano Mountains that are composed of three ranges. The highest peak in these rages is on Mt. Muhavura at an altitude of 4,127meters above sea level.
Gahinga where the National Park got the name is the oldest but the shortest at 3,474 meters above sea level. The 3rd one is Sabinyo at 3,669meters above sea level which is shared by the three Countries Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mountain Gorilla and Golden monkey trekking plus bird watching are the main activities here. Mountain climbing and caving are the other popular activities in this park.
This is one of the sites you have to go looking for the Albertine Rift Endemic species like the Handsome Francolin, Rwenzori Turaco, Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin-Chat, Kivu Ground-Thrush, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, and Shelley’s Crimsonwing among others. However, there are other birds of interest like Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Dusky Turtle Dove, Fraser’s Eagle Owl, Malachite Sunbird, and Rwenzori Double-collared Sunbird among others.
There is Gahinga Lodge that belongs to Volcanoes Safaris a km from the visitor’s center, Travelers’ rest, Tourist Hotel among others in Kisoro town.
The park is 14 km from Kisoro town. It is 555 km from Kampala the country’s Capital, and it takes about 8-9hr drive.
LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
This is one of the small National Parks in Uganda covering 260 sq km but still special in its own way. It got the name from the lake that has got an interesting story behind it. This originated from two brothers, Kigarama and Mburo who lived in the low-lying Savannah plains. There are five lakes lying within the park borders among which include the famous lake Mburo which forms the part of the wetland system.
Lake Mburo was previously settled by the Banyankole-Bahima Pastoralists before being gazetted to a game reserve in 1963. While the residents were resettled, you can still find cultural landmarks within the park.
Lake Mburo National Park is made up of a variety of habitats like the euphorbia/acacia trees being part of the savannah formation, it’s got a forest within, swamps and water bodies among others.
Lake Mburo National Park is home to 320 bird species and 68 mammal species. The parks special birds include African Finfoot, Brown-cheasted Plover, Red-faced Barbet and Long- tailed Cisticola among others.
Here there are mammals like the Eland, Mac Donald’s franchise Impala, Zebra, Topi, Oribi, and Bohor Reedbuck among others.
There’re two tented camps, Mihingo being the number one, then Mantana Tented Camp. There is Arcadia cottages and the rustic Rwonyo Camp and Kigambira Lodge, Rwakobo Lodge for accommodation.
Lake Mburo National Park is the nearest National Park to the country’s capital Kampala which takes 3-4hr drive from Kampala on the Kampala-Mbarara Road. Access the first gate by turning left 13 km after Lyantonde Township and it is 9 km after the turn off to the Nshara gate.
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Murchison Falls National Park is the country’s largest protected area covering 3,840 sq km that protects a vast savannah land bisected by the mighty river Nile.
It is one of the two oldest national parks that were gazetted in 1952 and it is home to a variety of mammals like the Graceful Giraffe, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Uganda Kob, Bohor Reedbuck, Oribi among others.
Murchison Falls National Park is also home to primates like Chimpanzee, Patas Monkey, Black and white Colobus Monkey among others.
Murchison Falls National Park is home to 450 bird species among them the pre-historic Shoebill, Heuglin’s Francolin, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White-fronted Chat, Silverbird, Beautiful Sunbird, Speckle-fronted Weaver, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Bar-breasted Fire finch and White-rumped Seedeater among others.
Murchison Falls National Park is about 310 km from Kampala the capital city, it takes approximately 4-6hr drive to Murchson headquarters paraa (85 km from Masindi) and you can access it via Masindi-Kicumbanyobo southern gate which is the short route or Masindi-Biiso-escarpment overlooking Lake Albert-Bugungu gate which is long but scenic.
There are several accommodation places like Paraa Safari lodge on the northern bank of the Nile River, the Nile Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge and the Red Chilli Camp all on the southern bank.
KIBALE NATIONAL PARK
In 1948, Kibale forest was gazetted as a forest reserve under the British control who continuously cut down trees; however, they planted the exotic tree species in the area where they had cut the trees. However, in 1993, Kibale forest reserve was formally established to be Kibale National Park.
Kibale National Park is one of the rainforests in Uganda and more to that, it is famous for its primates.
It is home to 13 primate species making it the number one protected area with the biggest primate numbers on the African continent.
These primates include Chimpanzee, Red Colobus, Black and white Colobus, Red-tailed Monkey, Grey-cheecked Mangabey among others. Chimpanzee trekking being the major attraction of the park.
It is a home to 325 species of birds like the stunning Forest Francolin, Red-chested Owlet, Green-breasted Pitta among others.
Kibale National Park is not only home to primates because it is home to 60 mammals. There are other mammals that inhabit here like Forest Elephant, Forest Buffalo, Leopard and other cats, Bush Pigs among others.
Kibale National Park is in western Uganda and can easily be accessed via Mubende -Mityana -Fort Portal Road in about 5 hours.
There are several accommodation places like Ndali Lodge, Primate Lodge Kibale located right at the visitor’s center, Mountains of the Moon in town among many others.
Take a forest walk and you will get to confirm that Kibale National Park has a magical or mythical beauty. Drop us a line and we will arrange a trip to Kibale National Park is for you.
SEMULIKI NATIONAL PARK
Semuliki forest reserve was created in 1932 and upgraded to national park status in 1993. It is the only tract of true lowland tropical forest I East Africa; it’s located in Bwamba County, a remote part of the Bundibugyo District in Western Region of Uganda. It covers 219 sq. km, which 670-760m above the sea level. This is an extension of the Ituri forest, or you can say that it is where the eastern savannah plains meet the western forests.
Semuliki National Park being the only lowland tropical forest around the East African area. It has a variety of tree species some of which may not be found in any other East African forest.
This is another birders paradise with 435 species with some only found here in the whole of East African. Some of the African sought after are found here like Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Sarpent Eagle, Nkulengu Rail, Grey-throated Rail, Black-Throated Coucal, Lyre-tailed Honeyguide, and Yellow-throated Nicator among others.
There are other special like the hornbills which are well represented like Piping, Red-billed Dwarf, Black Dwarf, White-crested, White-thighed and Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill among others. There are others like African Green and Spot-breasted Ibis, Hartlaub’s Duck, Forest Francolin, Red-rumped Tinkerbirds, White-throated Blue Swallow, Lowland Akalat, Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin among others.
Semuliki National Park has 63 mammal species, primates taking the bigger percentage. Though rare, the De Brazza’s monkey is found here. The beautiful and rare Dent’s monkey has been seen here a few times by one of our tour leaders. It’s about 465km which take about 7-8hr drive from Kampala capital city.
RWENZORI NATIONAL PARK
The Ruwenzori, also spelled Rwenzori and Rwenjura, are a range of mountains in Eastern Equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches 5,109m (mt. Stanely or mt. Ngaliema), and the range’s upper regions are permanently snow-capped and glaciated, it was formed by the process of tectonism. It was gazetted in 1991; the park is considered a model for integration of cultural values into the protected Area management framework as an innovative approach to resource management, the first of its kind in Africa. The snow-capped Mountains of the Moon (Rwenzori Mountains) are found within this very national park that got its name from the same Mountains. It covers an area of 998 sq. km located on the Democratic Republic of Congo border in western Uganda with unique panoramic scenery. Rwenzori was called the mountains of the moon by Greek explorers (Henry M. Stanley) trying to locate the source of the Nile. A merchant called Diogenes reported that the source of the Nile came from a group of mountains which the indigenes of the land called mountains of the moon because of their snow-capped whiteness. Henry M. Stanley, a European explorer called this range after an African native word that means ‘rainmaker,’ and its indeed rainmaker as rain feeds the dense foliage and falls on the Rwenzori mountains for up to around 350 days each year. Bambang, Vanoma and Babwiisi. The three ethnic groups have lived together on the western slopes of the mountain Rwenzori and Semuliki Valley in present day Bundibugyo District, since the mass movement of between the 12th and 16th centuries. Rwenzori Central Circuit Routes take 6-7days; it’s the shortest trek to reach to the peak of the mountain in Rwenzori Mountain. Though there can be some variations on the route, the trail will take typically 6-7days to reach the peak and descent back. The mountains are well-known for their unique flora which includes many species endemic to the Albertine Rift in the higher altitude zones including Giant heathers, groundsels and Lobelias. The park also supplies local communities with various wild resources and is an important cultural heritage.
Being in the Rift Valley area, there are several Albertine Rift Endemic species found here like the Rwenzori Turaco, Rwenzori Nightjar, Rwenzori Batis, Handsome Francolin and Strange Weaver among others. The Long-eared Owl and the Rockefeller Sunbird are believed to be found here.
When it comes to the plants, this is when you will know that you are in paradise. You could even think that the Garden of Eden is in Uganda. From the Giant Lobelias to the formation of the Bamboo Forest, the heath and the Afro Alpine Mooreland make it a paradise. It’s about 335 km from Kampala capital city to Rwenzori Mountain National Park; this may take 5-6-7hr drive depending on the situation of the roads used.
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest national park covering an area of 1978 sq. km.
This park that was named after the Queen of England is located in the western part of Uganda. It was gazetted in 1952 and opened officially by the Queen herself in 1954.
The park has the most incredible ecosystem from the habitats to the animals found there. It is one of the most visited protected areas in the country.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has a big bird list said to have more bird species than any other protected area on the African continent. Indeed, a birder’s paradise with over 600 species of birds. Among these is, Shoebill, spotted redshank, Heuglin’s gull, Crab-plover, Black bee-eater, African hobby, African Skimmer, Caspian plover to mention but a few.
With close to 100 mammal species, Queen Elizabeth National Park is a superb territory for game drives. These includes African Elephants, African Buffalo, Uganda Kob, Hippopotamus, Topi, Waterbuck, Warthog, Giant Forest hog, Nile crocodile, Leopards Spotted Hyena and the Ishasha sector is famous for its tree climbing lions and the Kyambura gorge lies here as well offering chimpanzee trekking.
There are various accommodation facilities here like the famous Mweya Safari Lodge found at the peninsular overlooking the Kazinga Channel, Jacana Safari Lodge located in the Imarabigambo forest, Katala Lodge atop the Kichwamba escapement among others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 400km from Kampala and can be accessed both by road and by air. By road, it can be accessed via Mbarara or via Fort portal-Kasese in about 6-7 hours. The runway is 150meters away from Mweya lodge.