Uganda is blessed with almost every type of wildlife for your game safaris while on your tour. Whether you are interested in game drive safaris in search of the Big Five or primate safaris in search of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, you have it all here.
Below are four of the best national parks that you can visit for gorilla and game safaris in Uganda:
Queen Elizabeth National Park
This national game park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda. It offers memorable Uganda safari tour experiences, and travelers have opportunities for game-viewing safaris on open savannahs.
This national park has two amazing sectors where you can enjoy game drives, including the southern and northern sectors. The southern part, commonly known as the Ishasha sector, is known for its tree-climbing lions, and a game drive in this region is truly rewarding.
Spending a minimum of two nights in this sector will provide you with a chance to look for tree-climbing lions and other wild games that are abundant here. To make your stay more memorable in Ishasha, you can enjoy sundowners and bush breakfasts.
The northern sector, also known as Mweya, is where you can enjoy a real game safari in the savannah plains of Kasenyi, or you can still go for an amazing game drive in the Crater Lake region.
Your stay in this sector also includes a 2-hour boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel.
This channel connects Lake Edward and Lake George, which is a highlight of Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are lots of local tour operators that can help you to organize both short and long trips ranging from three days to 30 days.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest of all parks in Uganda, located in the northern part of the country. It spans four districts of northern Uganda: Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi.
Murchison Falls has both beautiful savannah and forest environments and is crossed by the mighty River Nile. The boat safari to the bottom of the waterfalls is superb, as visitors will encounter a large number of hippos, crocodiles, beautiful birds, etc.
This gives Murchison Falls National Park an advantage over other national parks in Uganda.
You can also enjoy game drives on the northern banks of the Nile River, which is Paraa. Apart from the boat safari, this park is home to many wild animals such as giraffes, elephants, lions, and leopards that can be seen in their natural environment during game drives and boat trips.
You can plan to organize both short and long safaris to connect with the mighty Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.
Kidepo Valley National Park
This is the only park located in the northeastern part of Uganda. Kidepo Valley National Park sits on the extreme corner of Uganda and provides unique Uganda safaris such as game drive experiences, bird watching, cultural experiences, etc.
Game drives in this national park are punctuated with high chances of spotting the pride of lions, a large number of buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, etc. Kidepo also offers the feel of real African wilderness; you will feel that you are in the wild while in Kidepo Valley.
Accessibility is the only challenge with Kidepo Valley National Park because it is an isolated park and far away from Entebbe or Kampala. It takes the whole day to drive from Kampala or Entebbe Airport to this national park.
However, there are both chartered and scheduled flights to Kidepo Valley National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, the name “Bwindi,” is derived from a local Kikyiga word meaning impassable. Bwindi forest is regarded as one of the oldest and has an untempered tropical that dates back 25,000 years.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park was recognized by UNESCO in 1994 and made its status of being a world heritage. This tropical rainforest, Bwindi, receives approximately 1,500mm of rain per year because of its location, altitude, and influence of local winds.
Bwindi forest is where half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas live.
The total number of mountain gorillas is estimated to be 1063 individuals, and 559 of these are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, making it the only national park on the whole planet where mountain gorillas exist.
There are nineteen (19) habituated gorilla families in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park spread over four (4) sectors of the national park. The 4 sectors are; the Nkuringo sector, Rushaga sector, Ruhija sector, and Buhoma sector.
These are some of the names for habituated gorilla families in Bwindi; the Mubare family, the Habinyanja family, and the Rushegura family that live in the Buhoma sector. Oruzogo family, Bitukura family, and Kyaguriro family live in the Ruhija sector.
Nkuringo family lives in the southern sector of Bwindi known as Nkuringo, and the Mishaya family, the Nshongi family, the Busingye family, the Bweza family, and the Kahungye family live in Rushaga in the southern sector as well.
Bwindi has not only gorillas but also is home to over 350 bird species, chimpanzees, and other primates, making gorilla safari tours in Uganda an amazing and memorable African safari experience.
There are many amazing Uganda safari packages designed by local tour operators that combine Bwindi and other national parks such as 7 Days Gorilla, Chimpanzee, and Game Safari Package.
Gorilla trekking is one of the most popular tourist activities done in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where you get an opportunity to trek one or more of the habituated mountain gorilla families in the Bwindi (impassable) forest.
Gorilla permits are booked early in advance and by sector.
Each group has a maximum of 8 trackers who are escorted by experienced guides and trackers. The trek begins early morning into this dense rainforest on the mountain slopes, a journey that takes a minimum of two hours and a maximum of up to 10 hours.
It is an experience you won’t easily forget, also known as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.