List of national parks in Uganda
List of national parks in Uganda : Uganda is home to ten national parks each offering unique wildlife experiences and breathtaking landscapes found across the country.
The national parks in Uganda are renowned for their rich biodiversity, including rare and endangered wildlife species and endemic bird species. Below is a list of the national parks found in Uganda;
1.Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
Bwindi national park is famous for its population of mountain gorillas and is among the destinations for gorilla trekking in Uganda.
The national park consists of dense forests which are the natural habitat for the mountain gorillas of Bwindi. There is a lot to experience when visiting Bwindi impenetrable national park including gorilla habituation, cultural tours with the Batwa people, hiking, guided nature walks and also bird watching.
2.Queen Elizabeth National Park:
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in the southern part of Uganda and is made up of savannah, wetlands, and forests.
There is a wide variety of wildlife found in Queen Elizabeth national park including elephants, lions, hippos, buffalos, antelopes, warthogs among others. Chimpanzees can also be seen in the Kyambura gorge.
Activities carried out during safaris around Queen Elizabeth national park include morning and afternoon game drives, boat rides on Kazinga channel, guided nature walk, chimpanzee tracking, hiking and also bird watching.
3.Murchison Falls National Park:
Murchison falls national park is located in the northwestern part of Uganda and is a famous safari destination in the country.
The national park is named after the Murchison Falls which are formed along the River Nile where it squeezes through a narrow gorge. Murchison falls national park offers excellent game viewing opportunities and is home to large populations of elephants, giraffes, buffalos, hippos, impalas, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, dik dik, hartebeests, lions, leopards among others.
Duirgnn game viewing experiences around Murchison falls national park, tourists can take part in hiking to the top of the falls, viewing of the Murchison falls, game drives, boat rides to the bottom of the falls, chimpanzee tracking in Budongo forest and bird watching.
4.Kidepo Valley National Park:
Kidepo valley national park is a remote safari destination which is located in the northeastern part of Uganda.
The national park is made up of open savannah plains and Kidepo national park also has rugged landscapes and is home to numerous wildlife species.
Some of the wildlife species found in Kidepo national park include predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards, as well as giraffes, zebras, impalas, elephants, elands, hyenas, dik dik, jackals, oribis, hartebeests, klipspringers, waterbucks, bushbucks among others.
Kidepo national park offers exciting community tours during which tourists can interact with the locals such as the Karamojong people, the Ik people, the Dodoth among others and get to know about their culture, way of life and also visit their homesteads and kraals.
Activities to do during safaris around Kidepo national park include game drives, guided nature walks, hiking, bird watching and cultural tours.
5.Semuliki National Park:
Semuliki national park is located in western Uganda and is famous for the Sempaya hot springs which are a popular tourist attraction during safaris in the country.
The national park consists of lowland tropical rainforest where various bird species can be seen as well as primates like red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others. The Sempaya hot springs which are male and female hot springs can be seen in Semuliki national park.
Safari activities to do around Semuliki national park include bird watching, visiting the hot springs and guided forest walks.
6.Rwenzori Mountains National Park:
Rwenzori mountains national park is located in the south western part of Uganda and is named after the Mount Rwenzori which is also known as the “Mountains of the Moon.” because of its snow capped peak.
The national park is made up of alpine landscapes, glaciers, and unique vegetation adapted to high altitudes. Hiking is among the activities carried out in Rwenzori mountains national park and the summit of the mountain is the Margherita peak.
Different routes are used during climbing expeditions in Rwenzori mountains national park and they include the central circuit route, the Kilembe trail and the Bukurungu trail.
7.Mount Elgon National Park:
Mount Elgon national park is located in eastern Uganda and the Mount Elgon is part of the attractions in the national park situated near the border with Kenya.
This park consists of diverse ecosystems ranging from montane forest to moorland along the slopes of Mount Elgon national park. There are various wildlife species and another attraction found in the national park is the stunning waterfalls.
Climbing Mount Elgon is among the activities to do around the national park where tourists can also engage in community tours with tribes such as the Bagisu people and bird watching can also be carried out during tours at the destination.
8.Lake Mburo National Park:
Lake Mburo national park is a safari destination which is located in western Uganda and is one of the smallest safari parks in the country.
The national park is characterized by open savannah and another attraction is Lake Mburo where boat rides can be done in the morning or afternoon during safaris in Uganda.
The activities carried out during safaris in Lake Mburo national park include game drives, boat cruises, bird watching, cultural tours and guided walking safaris. Tourists visit the national park and observe wildlife species such as zebras, impalas, hippos, buffalos, hyenas, topi, reedbucks, elands and other wildlife.
9.Kibale forest National Park:
Kibale forest national park is known for its population of chimpanzees and is located in the western part of Uganda.
The national park is a destination for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda as well as chimpanzee habituation, bird watching, guided forest walks and also community tours. Kibale forest national park is home to other primates including black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys among others.
10.Mgahinga Gorilla National Park:
Mgahinga national park located in south western Uganda and is also home to mountain gorillas in Uganda.
The national park offers gorilla trekking experiences, golden monkey tracking and habituation, climbing the Virunga mountains like Mount Gahinga, Mount Sabyinyo and Mount Muhabura.
In summary, the above article entails a List of national parks in Uganda