List Of National Game Parks In Uganda
A Game Reserve, or Game Park (often called a Wildlife Park in East Africa), exists specifically for the preservation of wild animals. In these areas, wildlife like antelopes, rhinos, and giraffes are protected. There are activities like hiking and game viewing but hunting may also be permitted.
Below are the List Of National Game Parks In Uganda
Looking for the list of national parks in Uganda? There are a number of Uganda national parks and more could come up in the near future. So how many national parks are in Uganda? Uganda currently has 10 National Parks distributed in various parts of the country. These national parks harbor a wide species of mammals and birds. Talking about size, Murchison Falls National Park is so far the biggest of all while Semiliki Valley National Park is the smallest. However, to access any of these parks you have to pay the Uganda wildlife authority park fees (Park entry fees) which you can either purchase from the UWA headquarters in Kampala or from the national park entrance. Lets take a look at the national parks Uganda has one by one.
Murchison Falls National Park
Located Western of Uganda in a district called Masindi, Murchison Falls National Park is the biggest of all Uganda parks covering an area of about 3900 square kilometers. Its one of the best places for Uganda safaris tours apparently. Murchison Falls National Park comprises of Karuma Falls Wildlife Reserves which happens to be it’s main attraction. This is where the Nile bursts it’s way through a narrow gorge and flows down to become a river whose filled with a number of aquatic mammals crocodiles, hippos and water-bucks. Murchison falls national park is mainly filled with Savannah and woodland. The park harbors Buffaloes, Elephants, Crocodiles, Giraffes, lions, chimpanzees and a big specie of birds.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located South West in Uganda right at the border of DRC Congo and Republic of Rwanda. Mgahinga covers about 34 square meters and inhabits golden monkeys and mountain gorillas. Most of it’s attraction comes from it’s three conical volcanoes. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park was gifted with three beautiful volcanoes. These volcanoes are segments of the great Virunga volcanic range in the East Central of Africa, expands up to the Albertine Rift on the Uganda, DRC and Rwanda border. It’s claimed these three volcanoes were formed thousands of years ago via a deposition of ash layers of plus cinders from several lava flows.
Rwenzori National Park
Commonly referred to as the mountain of the moon, Rwenzori National Park is located in Western Uganda in a district called Kasese and covers about 1000 square kilometers. Rwenzori National Park harbors over 60 mammals and 200 species of birds. Rwenzori National Park sits on the equator along the Uganda DRC border. Rwenzori mountains fall slopes to the west of the famous Semliki River and Lake Edward. If you need a physical challenge for an adventure then i recommend trekking Mount Rwenzori up to the Margherita peak. The activity can take you up to 7 days with a couple of stops in between. Just like Queen Elizabeth National Park, Rwenzori National Park is also very common among the other Uganda national parks. This is simply because of the famous Mountain Rwenzori.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Covering about 1450 square kilometers, Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the most attractive national parks in Uganda harboring over 70 species of mammals and 400 bird species. The park has two rivers that disappear during the dry season. Kidepo Valley National Park is also one of the best places to carry out game drives from. Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s most isolated national park but the long journey north through the wild frontier region of Karamoja is worth it for a such an attractive park. The park also ranks among the best wildernesses in the continent.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is so far considered the most popular national park for safaris in Uganda with one of the best scenery. It covers about 1980 square kilometers and harbors primates, chimpanzees and over 500 species of birds. The park is located in Western Uganda. Besides it’s beautiful wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park is very rich in culture. There are very many chances of visitors meeting the people within the local communities and enjoy moments like telling stories, cultural dance and music plus more. It’s the best place to view lions from among the other Uganda national parks.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is among the smallest national parks of Uganda covering only 370 square kilometers. The park harbors leopards, Hyenas, Zebras and many more species of wildlife not forgetting the 300 plus species of birds it harbors too. Just like many of the parks, Lake Mburo National Park is located in western Uganda. Collectively with other lakes in the region, Lake Mburo slots a portion of a 50 kilometer wetland that is joined by a swamp. Five of the 13 lakes lie within Lake Mburo National Park’s borders. Despite the fact that it was once covered by a lot of savanna, Lake Mburo National Park now has much more woodland because of absence of elephants to destroy the vegetation in the area. It’s probably the best of Uganda national parks when it comes to birding activities.
Semuliki Valley National Park
Semiliki Valley National Park was previously a forest reserve not until 1993 when it joined the rest of the Uganda national parks. It’s the smallest of all the Uganda national parks covering only 220 square kilometers. The park is an extension of the great Congolese Ituri forest. Semiliki Valley National Park is located in western Uganda. Despite the fact that Semiliki Valley National Park’s species have been multiplying for the past twenty five thousand years, the park features attractions of very old processes. The Hot springs that boil up from depths show the strong forces that have been putting the rift valley in shape for the past thirteen million years.
Mount Elgon National Park
Covering approximately 1122 square kilometers, Mount Elgon National Park harbors over 250 bird species, buffaloes, monkeys and many more wildlife. The park lies within Mountain Elgon, one of the tallest mountains in the continent. Unlike the other Uganda national parks, Mount Elgon National Park is very isolated. Mount Elgon National Park is located far in Eastern Uganda in a district called Mbale, along the Kenya-Uganda border. A physical climb on Mount Elgon unfolds a beautiful and uncluttered view of wilderness. The target of reaching the Wagagai Peak on top of Mount Elgon is not the end milestone, the actual challenge begins with the slope into it’s beautiful caldera.
Kibale Forest National Park
Located in Western Uganda and north of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kibale Forest National Park is one of the loveliest Uganda national parks. The park harbors over 60 species of mammals, a number of chimpanzees and over 280 species of birds. Kibale Forest National Park is not far away from Semiliki Valley National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park and Rwenzori National Park. These 4 parks are right close to each other but all carry variant nature features. The park is covered by a lot of forest cover mixed with segments of grassland and swamps on a raised plateau. Among the other Uganda national parks, this is the best place for Chimpanzee trekking in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is located far south in western Uganda and is very rich in nature with over 500 species of plants. The park harbors over 200 mountain gorillas making it the best place for Uganda gorilla trekking tours among the other Uganda national parks. It also harbors over 100 mammals among including chimpanzees, primates and elephants. This park harbors the largest percentage of mountain gorillas in Uganda and is located south of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park covers approximately 318 square kilometers. Most of the gorilla trekking safaris in Uganda will be carried out from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
What is the most visited national park in Uganda?
The most popular park in the whole of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife make it a firm favorite with visitors to the country.
How many national game parks are in Uganda?
ten National Parks
The ten National Parks include Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Kibale, Mount Elgon, Rwenzori Mountains, Semuliki, Mgahinga Gorilla, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Parks. These parks display the best in East Africa.