7 Best Places to Safari in Uganda
Famed for its gorilla trekking, Uganda is an incredible safari destination with rushing rivers and powerful waterfalls, startling wildlife and wonderfully warm people making it a wonderful place to visit in Africa.
Named the Pearl of Africa by Winston Churchill, Uganda offers endless adventures, from gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, watching the endangered golden monkeys leaping from one bamboo branch to another in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, to watching the stunning cascades at Sipi Falls or Murchison Falls in Murchison Falls National Park.
As you plan to visit Uganda, this blog lists the 7 Best Places to Safari in Uganda.
-
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
The remarkably stunning Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most visited destination in Uganda and the best place to see mountain gorillas in wild. Located in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley, the 25,000 plus old rainforest has over 400 known species of flora.
Most of the visitors to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park come for a chance to see around half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorillas. Here you will find half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population with over 400 individuals roaming the forest. Besides mountain gorillas, you will be surprised to stable across some of other 120 mammal species including baboons, chimpanzees, elephants and antelopes among others.
-
Sipi Falls
Located in Eastern Uganda on the border of Kenya, the beautiful Sipi Falls is a stunning series of three waterfalls. Its natural beauty, lush greenery, and excellent trekking opportunities make it worth a visit.
This beautiful destinations is named after the red “sep” flower that grows on the river banks. Situated at the edge of Mount Elgon National Park, Sipi Falls is a population spot for hikers on their way to scaling Mount Elgon.
The three falls making up Sipi Falls are consecutively 328 feet, 278 feet, and 246 feet tall.
-
Murchison Falls National Park
Situated at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley in northwestern Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park is the oldest conservation area and the largest park in Uganda at 3840 square kilometers. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile which forms the most powerful waterfall in the world and an impressive attraction in Murchison Falls National Park as it squeeze through the narrow gorge of the rocks. The thundering cascade of water reaches 148 feet tall and then flows quietly across the river valley floor into Lake Albert.
Murchison Falls National Park is home to 76 species mammals including giraffes, buffaloes, leopards, lions, elephants, Nile Crocodiles, warthogs as well as 451 bird species.
-
Kibale Forest National Park
The primate capital of the world, Kibale Forest National Park is home to the world’s highest population of chimpanzees together with 12 other primate species. With about 1,450 chimpanzees, Kibale Forest National Park is the best place to trek chimpanzees in the world.
Other primates you can spot in Kibale Forest National Park include I’Hoest’s monkey; endangered red colobus monkey, bush baby, and potto among others. While trekking through the rainforests, you may stumble upon elusive mammals like buffalo, leopard, bush big elephant and duikers. For bird watchers, Kibale Forest is home to 325 bird species from the blue-headed sunbird to Crimsonwing. On an 8 Days Uganda Safari you will have an exhilarating adventure in Kibale Forest and other incredible Uganda Safari destinations.
-
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Part of the larger Virunga Conservation Area spreading over three countries that is Uganda, Rwanda and DR.Congo known for hosting the second population of mountain gorillas, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is one of the only four best places to see mountain gorillas.
The park’s landscape is dotted by three of the 8 Virunga Volcanoes that is Mount Mgahinga, Mount Sabinyo and Mount Muhabura.
In addition to gorilla trekking to meet mountain gorillas and hiking the Virunga Volcanoes, you will can also track the golden monkeys on which you can spot these bright orange – gold bodied primates with cheeks and tail, contrasting with its black limbs.
-
Lake Mburo National Park
The smallest of Uganda’s national parks at 260 sq km, Lake Mburo National Park is the nearest game park situated close to Kampala – the capital city of Uganda in western Uganda. The park is located along the highway to southwestern Uganda, hence a great stopover for safaris en-route to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
With a chain of over 14 lakes with Lake Mburo as the biggest, Lake Mburo National Park is part of a wetland system linked by a swamp. The park’s landscape is also dotted with ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back over 500 million years.
A safari to Lake Mburo National Park offers plentiful birding opportunities (over 350 bird species), as well as large game like zebras, impalas, elands, buffaloes, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi, giraffes, and reedbucks among others.
-
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is not only the most popular game park in Uganda, it is one of the best places to see lions in Uganda, hosting one of the only two populations of the rare tree climbing lions. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the only two places in Uganda where you can see the rare tree climbing lions, these animals are see lounging on fig tree branches in the Ishasha Sector – the southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The other place you can the tree climbing lions in ththe re world is Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania.
Queen Elizabeth National Park was initially known as Kazinga National Park until 1952 when it was renamed following the visit of the Britain Royal Family. This beautiful park is one of the top Uganda safari destinations located in western Uganda astride the Equator with monuments on both sides of the road marking latitude 00.
In addition to the tree climbing lions, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to other wildlife species including herds of elephants, buffaloes, leopards, topis, hyenas, warthogs, bushbucks and waterbucks among others which you will see on your safari in Uganda.