Featured Destinations
Uganda is as diverse as it is beautiful, with friendly people, cosmopolitan cities, political stability and a progressive eco-tourism community with grassroots projects to enhance the local lifestyle and curb the spread of disease, as well as protect wildlife habitats.
Uganda is where east African savannah meets west African jungle ~ exquisite landscapes ranging from lush green hillsides to dark forests abound with birds and primates, dormant volcanoes, large lakes and rivers and open grass plains populated by lion, leopard, elephant and antelope. Uganda is one of the few places in the world where you can have up close encounters with the majestic mountain gorilla.
To see Safari Map of Uganda, click here
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Gorilla Trekking Safaris
A magnificent luxuriant swathe across the steep ridges of the Albertine Rife Valley, this
ancient rainforest – one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age
– is regarded to be one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has at least 90 mammal
species, including 11 primates and is ranked as one
of the best in Uganda for forest birding, with 23 highly
localised Albertine Rift endemics. Bwindi Impenetrable
National Park is renowned for it's Mountain Gorilla
population, slightly more then half the world's
mountain gorilla population is resident in Bwindi: an
estimated 280 – 320 individuals living in 15 groups.
Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these
gentle giants is an extremely special privilege and an
encounter unparalleled in most likely the whole of
Africa.
There are 7 gorilla families in BINP that are habituated and open to trekking by tourists.
In the Buhoma area there are the Mubare, Habinyanja and Rushegura family groups, in
Ruhija there is the Bitukula and Oruzogo group and on the southern Kisoro side, and in
the same area as Clouds Lodge, there are the Nkuringo, Mishaya and Nshongi family
groups.
8 permits per gorilla family are available daily for tourists to trek and share in the lives of
these amazing and endangered apes.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park: Batwa
Bwindi Forest is home to a fantastic diversity of flora and fauna, including some exotic plants
and rare and endangered animals. The forest was also home to an the Batwa pygmies. These
indigenous people were the original dwellers of the anicient forest and were known as the
'keepers of the forest'. The Batwa lived in harmony with the forest and survived by hunting
small game using bows and arrows and gathering plants for both food and medicinal purposes.
In 1992, the lives of the Batwa changed forever, when the forest became a national park and
world heritage site in order to protect the endangered mountain gorillas that reside within its
boundaries. The Batwa were evicted from the park and became conservation refugees in a
world that was very unfamiliar to them. Their skills and means of subsistence were not useful
in this modern environment and they began to suffer.
In 2001, when the Batwa tribe was on the edge of extinction American medical missionaries, Dr Scott and Carol Kellermanns
came to their rescue. They purchased land and established programs to improve the conditions and lives of the Batwa. This
included the building of a school, hospital and housing. The Kellermanns also developed water and sanitation projects and
found ways that the Batwa could generate income and sustain themselves.
These projects are now managed and operated by the Batwa Development Program (BDP). BDP works closely with the
Batwa community to try to ensure that their indigenous rights are respected and they also benefit from the forest being a
national park and tourist attraction.
Batwa Cultural Experience:
The Batwa cultural experience was created by the displaced Batwa pygmies to educate their children and to share their amzing
heritage and traditions with the world.
A day spent with the Batwa gives you the opportunity to enjoy the following:
- Hike in the forest with the people of the forest. You will have a Batwa guide and he will provide you with the chance
to see the forest and its habitants through their eyes.
- See how they lived and hunted in the traditional manner. Enjoy trying out your hunting techniques as the Batwa teach
you how to shoot with a bow and arrow.
- Visit a traditional Batwa homestead and learn from the women how to prepare, cook and serve a meal. You will also
have the opportunity it sample the dishes.
- Talk to a medicine men and learn about the medicinal properties of the forest flora.
- Hear ancient legends and traditional songs.
Activities in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park resides in a fertile, equatorial area and has beautiful scenery.
It is Uganda's most popular and accessible savannah reserve, with a total area of 1978km².
It is primarily associated with grassy savannah plains, but this impressive park also includes
within its boundaries, leafy rainforests, dense papyrus swamps and natural volcanic crater
lakes. As a result it has one of the highest biodiversity ratings
of any game reserve in the world, including a total of
95 recorded mammal species and more then 610 species
of birds.
The Kazinga channel, with its varied range of animals and
birds, has one of the worlds largest concentration of
hippos and cuts through the park connecting Lake George
to Lake Edward.
The Kyambura Gorge is home to habituated chimpanzees.
and is where memorable treks to visit these fascinating
primates take place. Maramagambo Forest harbours an alluring variety of monkey species
and birds and flocks of flamingos are resident on the crater lakes. While the remote plains
of Ishasha in the southwest of Queen Elizabeth National Park are blessed with some enticing
game-viewing areas as well as the most celebrated inhabitants; the tree-climbing lions.
Activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Kibale Forest National Park: Chimpanzees Safaris
Kibale Forest National Park is the most accessible of Ugandan's rain forests. It covers an area of 766 sq. meters, of which the dominant vegetation is lush and shady rainforest but is interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp.
This enchanting and exotic environment is home to at least 60 mammal species, remarkably 13 of which are primates. It also has a rich diversity of birds, with 335 species identified including the endemic Prirogrine's ground thrush.
The exploration under the shady, green canopy will brim with discoveries to delight botanists and butterfly lovers alike. The most alluring and rewarding activity in Kibale Forest is tracking for habituated chimps. The opportunity to gain a privileged and unforgettable insight into the daily lives of man's closet relatives is one which will be cherished and remembered for a number of years.
Activities in Kibale Forest National Park
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is an underrated gem of a park, dominated by the impressive Lake Mburo, from which it receives its name, with forest-fringed shores hemmed in by rolling green hills. Although the park is small, only 370 sq. meters, in comparison to other parks in Uganda, it has a total of five lakes within its boundaries. These lakes, along with another nine, form part of an important wetland system for the area.
There is a great diversity of plants and animals resident within the park such as Impala, slender mongoose and secretive bush rat which are not found in any other Uganda park. Burchell's Zebra is also widely distributed throughout the park and this unique animals is found in only 3 protected areas in Uganda, the other 2 being much harder to access. There have been 315 bird species recorded at Lake Mburo National Park and it is the best place in the country to see the gigantic Eland antelope, as well as Topi, Impala and several acacia-associated birds.
Activities in Lake Mburo National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park
Tucked into the corner of Uganda's border with Sudan and Kenya and isolated from the Ugandan mainstream by the harsh plains to the north of Mount Elgon, Kidepo Valley National Park is truly stunning, boasting a real sense of wilderness that enchants visitors. Kidepo is Uganda's second biggest National Park (1,442 sq. km) and one of the Africa's largest wilderness areas, a tract of rugged savannah dominated by Mount Morungole and broken by the Narus Valley in the south west and the Kidepo Valley in the north east.
Perennial running water in the Narus River makes Kidepo an oasis in the semi desert. This is wild, remote country with big skies, vast rocky mountains and golden green plains dotted with giraffe, zebra, lion, elephant, buffalo, ostrich, antelope and numerous other mammal and bird species. While the game viewing is excellent, it is the sense of supreme isolation that distinguishes this rare slice of wild Africa.
Culturally this part of Uganda is also fascinating. This is home to two distinctive ethnic groups with highly cherished traditions; the Karamajong and the Ilk.
Photos and info courtesy of Classic Africa Safaris
Mgahinga National Park
The Uganda portion of the Virunga Volcanoes, which form a border with Rwanda and the Congo, are hosted by the protection of Mgahinga National Park. Nine freestanding active and extinct volcanoes are an imposing sight to behold and offer refuge to the peaceful, giant mountain gorillas. The park also hosts habituated groups of rare golden monkey.
Murchison Falls National Park
Uganda's largest protected area, Murchison Falls National Park is most famous for it's scenic beauty, plunging waterfalls and high concentration of game. The seemingly never ending Nile River divides the park in half, attracting large numbers of game including: elephant, Rothschild giraffe, hippo, lion, leopard, buffalo, Nile crocodile, patas monkeys, and over 450 species of birds.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park: Hiking and Mountaineering Adventures
Known as the "Mountains of the Moon" for it's mist and sno-capped peaks, the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda are perfect for world class hiking adventures in large evergreen & bamboo forests. The higher moorland zone is known for its surreal cover of giant heathers, lobelias and groundsels. The Rwenzori mountain range has six peaks of permanent snow and glaciers that make for dramatic scenery and amazing photographic opportunities.
Mt. Margherita, Africa's third highest peak, reaching a height of 5,109M is an excellent destination for keen hikers and climbers, although the higher slopes are demanding and require some mountaineering skills. The best time of the year for hiking is during the dry seasons from mid December to end of March and from June to mid August. The park itself provides habitat to elephant, genet, Vervet Monkey, Rwenzori Colobus, Chimpanzee and Duiker.
