BWINDI IMPENETRABLE
NATIONAL PARK
The park is located in south
western Uganda, covering parts
of Rukungiri, Kisoro, and Kabale
Districts. It is situated in a
hilly country-side that,
together with some remnant
lowland forest outside the
boundary constitutes an
important water catchments area
for many rivers, supplying the
agricultural land of the
surrounding region. Bwindi's
Impenetrable Forest is a true
equatorial jungle, inhabited by
four gorilla groups. Amongst the
dense vegetation the Columbus
Monkey jumps from branch to
branch, chattering its warning
to its fellows hidden by the
foliage. Chimpanzees, in
families of 20 or 30, make the
rounds, searching for fruit and
edible plants.
It is situated in a hilly
country-side that, together with
some remnant lowland forest
outside the boundary constitutes
an important water catchments
area for many rivers, supplying
the agricultural land of the
surrounding region. The best
time to visit Uganda is late
December to late February, and
from June to September, as the
weather at this time of year is
generally dry, and warm.
Temperatures average at around
25 degrees Celsius.
KIBALE FOREST NATIONAL
PARK
Once this tropical rainforest
provided a (very substantial)
dinner, bed and breakfast for
large herds of migrating forest
elephants and, even now, the
park contains the largest
population of this subspecies in
Uganda. Although they're rarely
seen, and dangerous, the signs
of these elephants' presence are
abundant.
However, Kibale's claim to fame
is its enormous variety of
primates and its families of
habituated chimpanzees - it's
home to an astonishing 12
species of primate and provides
one of the highest primate
densities in the world. Here, on
a daytime or evening guided
forest walk, you may find
families of chimpanzees and red
colobus monkeys chattering and
swinging through the ancient
forest trees.
The sightings of birds in the
forest are no less impressive -
there are at least 325 species,
many of which are found nowhere
else. In addition there are over
144 species of butterflies.
LAKE
MBURO NATIONAL PARK
Lake Mburo National Park lies in
a rain shadow between Lake
Victoria and the Rwenzori
Mountains, and receives an
average of only 800mm of rain a
year. The park got its name
from the two brothers, Kigarama
and Mburo lived in a large
valley. One night, Kigarama
dreamt that they were in
danger. When he awoke the next
morning, he told his younger
brother Mburo of his dream and
said they should move. Mburo
ignored this advice, but
Kigarama wisely moved up into
the hills. The valley flooded
and a lake was formed, drowning
Mburo. Today the lake is named
after him, and the hills are
called Kigarama after his
brother. The word Mburo is
similar to the "mboro", the
Runyankole name of the cassine
tree which has a powerful
aphrodisiac effect. One such
tree, showing signs of bark and
branch removal, may be seen
close to the Kigambira Loop
crossroads.
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL
PARK
Murchison Falls National Park is
one of the most spectacular in
Uganda, and indeed in the whole
of Africa. This is the largest
game park in the country (3,840
sq.km.) and has the most intense
concentration of animals along
the river. Here is the
awe-inspiring Murchison Falls,
where the River Nile hurls
itself in appalling convulsions
through a narrow crevice and
then plunges 40 metres in one
breathtaking leap. Before the
Murchison Falls themselves, in
the eastern sector of the Park,
are the Karuma Falls where the
Nile cascades over 23 kilometres
of rapids in a breathtaking
sight. This is some of the most
exciting white water in Africa.
A launch trip up stream to the
falls is one of the great
experiences in Africa.
Elephant, hartebeest, giraffe,
buffalo, crocodiles and
countless antelope and birds
(including the rare Shoebill
stork) can be admired at the
water's edge as the launch
glides along The Murchison Falls
National Park, with its variety
of vegetation ranging from
riparian forests and swamp lands
to broad Savannah, provides the
opportunity of seeing many of
the animals found in Uganda.
QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL
PARK
The Queen Elizabeth National
Park provides an unforgettable
and unique experience.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is
1,978 Km2 in area and is
situated astride the Equator in
the Western Rift Valley of South
West Uganda, close to the
Southern most tip of the tabled,
mist covered "Mountains of the
Moon - Rwenzori Mountains and is
contigious with Virunga National
Park in Democratic Republic of
Congo (Zaire).
It is a region of varied
habitats including, open
grassland with thickets, thick
bush, forest, swamps and
lake-shore. Queen Elizabeth
National Park together with
Virunga National Park in (DRC)
completely encircles Lake Edward
which is connected to Lake
George by the Kazinga Channel.
KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL
PARK
Kidepo Valley National Park is a
1436 km² national park in
Karamoja region in northwest
Uganda. Kidepo is rugged
savannah, dominated by the 2750
m Mount Morungole and transected
by the Rivers Kidepo and Narus .
Perennial water makes River
Kidepo an oasis in the
semi-desert which hosts over 86
mammal species including lion,
cheetah, leopard, bat-eared fox,
giraffe — as well as almost 500
bird species. The Kidepo Valley
National Park was established in
the 1960s under the rule of
Milton Obote. The forcible
eviction of the Ik people out of
the fertile Kidepo valley
contributed to a famine among
the Ik. In contemporary
protected area management, this
case is often used as an example
of the unacceptable consequences
of not taking community needs
into account when designating
reserves
SEMLIKI VALLEY
NATIONAL PARK
Semliki National Park, contains
a secluded forest area at the
base of the Ruwenzori Mountains
on the border of The Democratic
Republic of The Congo. The
park's out of the way location
makes it an ideal place to spend
a few days relaxing away from
the rest of the world. Semliki
is the only park in Uganda to be
composed primarily of tropical
lowland forest. The land is
flat, creating a startling
contrast to the rugged Ruwenzori
Mountains nearby. The forest
contains a mosaic of different
microhabitats, which provide for
diversity of wildlife. There are
also a number of natural hot
springs in the area, which
attract a large number of birds,
and supply salt for other
animals. Some of the animals
present in the park include:
elephant, buffalo, leopard,
civet, scaly tailed flying
squirrel, and bush baby.
MT. ELGON NATIONAL PARK
Mt. Elgon National Park is
located on the Kenyan-Ugandan
border. Mt Elgon is an extinct
volcano mountain. Its highest
peak is Wagagai (4321 m), but
it’s on the Ugandan side. The
highest peak on the Kenyan side
is Koitoboss. The main
attraction of Mt Elgon is its
spectacular caves in its slopes.
These saline caverns are
beautiful by themselves, and
there’s a chance you could even
see elephants inside them,
getting their daily allowance of
salt. The three caves open to
tourists are called Kitum,
Chepnyali, and Mackingeny. Mt
Elgon’s flora is incredible, and
there are a few ways to
experience Elgon’s beauty on
foot. Most trekkers start from a
town called Kimilili, 36 km
south of Kitale on the road to
Kisumu. From here get a matatu
to Kapsakwany, then hike five km
to Kaberua Forest Station. From
here it’s another 20 km to
Chepkitale Forest Station, which
is abandoned. Seven km past this
station is an ugly mountain hut.
From this hut, it’s about a four
hour walk to Lower Elgon Tarn, a
small lake. From here you are
close to Lower Elgon Peak, and
around the crater rim lies
Koitoboss peak and the Suam hot
springs.