Would you like to enjoy unrivaled game drives. Enjoy amazing game watching adventures in Uganda’s national parks and wildlife reserves. If you are looking to a great traditional safari, you will get exactly what you dream of in Uganda. Uganda has about 10 national parks, both in the southern and northern hemisphere. These parks are home to an abundance of wildlife and all offer different habitats and vegetation to support the survival of the various species. For example, the savannah grassland environment is suited to animals like antelopes, buffaloes and elephants among others, in the tropical forest areas hundreds of bird species, butterflies and primates including chimpanzees, and the lakes and rivers sustain many aquatic animals, reptiles and amphibians.
Where to Go Game Viewing
There are several places where you can enjoy a wildlife safari. The top places include
- Murchison Falls National Park in North Western Uganda
- Queen Elizabeth National Park in Western Uganda
- Lake Mburo National Park, the most accessible of all Ugandan parks
- Kidepo Valley National Park in the north east of Uganda and more.
Here is a small insight into what’s offered on a wildlife safari in Uganda.
Murchison Falls National Park
In Murchison Falls National Park, you can always find plenty of savannah wildlife including elephants, buffaloes, lions, Uganda Kobs, ground-dwelling Patas monkeys. The park is the ultimate destination to spot the localized Rothschild’s giraffes, one of the tallest and most endangered giraffe subspecies. Around Lake Victoria you will discover a huge population of hippos, expect to see crocodiles and for those that love birds. You will be amazed by the variety along the water banks and those you will see during the game drives through the park. One more interesting feature is the scenic Murchison falls, the dramatic falls formed by the Nile River on its way to Egypt. You can get to the bottom of the falls by boat filled with views of lots of wildlife and can also drive or hike up to the top of the falls to experience a beautiful vista of the surrounding topography.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Try game viewing in Kidepo Valley National Park. This is the only place where you can find cheetahs and ostriches co-existing with animals like leopards in Uganda. It has the highest population of buffaloes too and it is among the best national parks for wildlife safaris. Aside from these unique features, you will still be able to observe all the other wildlife species, and a night game drive is very rewarding and highly recommended for those wishing to encounter members of the big cat family.
Lake Mburo National Park
This is the most accessible of all Uganda’s national parks. It is located in Kiruhura District, 3 hours drive from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. In Lake Mburo National Park you will find plenty of animals and it is the best place to see the beautiful zebras! On a safari in Western Uganda, you can see the zebras along the Mbarara highway. Within the park, you will enjoy a horseback ride. While in the park, you don’t always have to search for wildlife by driving round the park. You can visit the salt lick areas where animals converge to lick the salty soil and meet lots of animals all in one place!
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth Park lies in the shadow of snow peaked Mount Rwenzori, flanking lakes Edward and George. This is one of the best savannah national parks in Uganda. It has plenty of wildlife including buffaloes, elephants, antelopes, water bucks, topis and kobs. There are also giant forest hogs, the renowned tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of the park and among others. Within the Kyambura gorge, there are resident chimpanzees that can be tracked.
Semuliki National Park
enjoy the ultimate freedom in Semliki Game Reserve in Western Uganda. This park throws off the chains of being constrained to one area in an ecosystem the size of “Switzerland”. With one of Africa’s greatest wildernesses enjoy game viewing and chimpanzee tracking. This is one of the few national parks that offers night game drives. With the lightweight and highly mobile camp, we can gain access and get a chance to explore (almost) the other 95% of animals.