Uganda National Parks
Uganda is gifted by nature that is why it called the pearl of Africa. For tourists yearning to see a variety of wildlife should not hesitate to visit Uganda – many birds and animals found no where in the world can be found in Uganda. Uganda legalized a number of national Parks like Murchison falls- this is the largest in Uganda with a variety of animals and birds- the park covers a total land surface of 3840 square kilometres – this is where you can see the perfect beauty of the Nile where it squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and pluges with a thunderous roar into the “Devil’s Cauldron”, creating a trademark rainbows. Murchison falls became one of Uganda’s first national park in 1952. The biggest section of the park contains savanna and borassus palms, acacia tree and riverine woodland. The south is dominated by woodland and forest patches.
Elephant - Queen Elizabeth National Park
The second largest is Queen Elizabeth National Park with 1978 square kilometres – it is spans the Equator line; monuments on either side of the road mark the exact spot where it crosses latitude 00. Queen Elizabeth was initially called Kazinga national park and renamed Queen Elizabeth after two years to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth hosts over 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the most important in Uganda- this is because it hosts mountain Gorillas – which earns the country a lot of foreign exchange. Gorilla trekking is the major tourist activity in Uganda followed by chimpanzee trekking and wildlife viewing.
Chimpanzee Kibale Forest
Kibale forest National Park is yet another park situated in western Uganda. The park is famous for hosting the exciting chimpanzees, birds, among other wildlife. Kibale covers 795 square kilometers -351 tree species have been recorded in the park , some rise over 55m and are over 200 years old.
Lake Mbura is the smallest savannah park in Uganda with 260 square kilometres. The park hosts over 315 bird species and a variety of wildlife dominated by zebras. Lake Mburo National park is drained by 13 lakes.
Kidepo Valley national park is the most isolated and situated in far North Eastern Uganda. The park is found in semi -arid region with much sunshine and low rainfall amounts. Kidepo valley is the best site for game viewing.
Mountain Elgon National Park is situated in Eastern Uganda bordering Uganda and Kenya- the mountain is shared by the two countries and the major activity here is mountain climbing, birding, nature walks to different waterfalls among others.
Mountain Rwenzori National is situated in western Uganda with Magherita as the highest peak. The mountain takes the biggest position of the park with 996 square kilometers. Mountain Rwenzori is the highest in Uganda with a snow capped peak which amuses tourist- the major activity here is mountaineering.
Semliki national park is situated in Bundibujo district. it sits on 22o square kilometres with an altitude of 670-760m above the sea level. Major attractions in the park include hot springs, birds, wild animals among other. It is only in semliki where night game drive are conducted- night game drives enable tourists view nocturnal animals like leopards, bush babies among others.
