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Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the Western
region of Uganda and occupies about 1,978 square kilometers.
From Kampala, Queen Elizabeth National Park can be accessed
through Mbarara or Fort Portal. The park is approximately 410km from Kampala
and it takes about 6 hours to get there from Kampala by road. Visitors tracking
gorillas in Bwindi can easily access Queen Elizabeth National Park through the
Ishasha sector.
The park is one of
the most popular tourist destinations in Uganda mainly because it is home to a
variety of animal and bird species including the fascinating tree climbing
lions of Ishasha.
Other mammals include
hippos, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and leopards as well as chimps and
hyenas. Also included over 600 bird species which makes the park one of the
best spots for bird watching safaris in Uganda. Bird species include
Pink-backed pelicans, martial eagle, African skimmer, Chapins, Papyrus canary,
Shoebill stork among others.
It boasts a high biodiversity rating with landscapes
including savannah, bushland, wetlands and lush forests.
While on a typical Uganda safari through Queen Elizabeth
National Park, visitors are likely to encounter large numbers of elephants,
Uganda Kobs, lions, waterbucks, chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge, hippos, leopard,
hyena, among so many others.
Kazinga Channel
The Kazinga channel is a 40 kilometers long channel that
connects Lake Edward and Lake George and is popular for boat rides. Boat rides
give visitors great views of the park and animals especially those that lurk
round the banks like elephants, hippos, crocodiles among many others.
Crater Lakes
Crater Lakes in Queen Elizabeth National Park are a major
tourist attraction and these include Lake Katwe which is known for salt mining.
Tourists to Lake Katwe often meet salt miners who are both men and women each with
an individual mining area.
A few kilometers from Lake Katwe is Lake Munyanyage which is
another crater lake and this one is home to large numbers of flamingos and
other bird species.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has great accommodation
facilities suitable for all kinds of tourists from budget tourists to high end
luxury tourists.
Luxury safari lodges include Mweya Safari Lodge, Jacana
safari Lodge and Ishasha Wilderness Camp and Kyambura Gorge Lodge. Budget
accommodation facilities include Simba Safari Camp, Ishasha bandas among
others. There are also a number of camping sites in Queen Elizabeth National
Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in southwestern
Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed
by one of Uganda's oldest and most biologically diverse rainforests, which
dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More
famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 400 mountain
gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated
groups, which can be tracked.
It is a habitat for 348 species of birds, 220 species of
butterflies, 27 species of frogs, chameleons, geckos, and many endangered
species. Floristically, the park is among the most diverse forests in East
Africa, with more than 1,000 flowering plant species, including 163 species of
trees and 104 species of ferns. The northern (low elevation) sector has many
species of Guineo-Congolian flora, including two endangered species, the brown
mahogany and Brazzeia longipedicellata. In particular, the area shares in the
high levels of endemisms of the Albertine Rift.
This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a
further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and
chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species
of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.
The park is a sanctuary for colobus monkeys, chimpanzees,
and many birds such as hornbills and turacos. It is most notable for the 340
Bwindi gorillas, half of the world's population of the critically endangered
mountain gorillas. Four habituated mountain gorilla groups are open to tourism:
Mubare; Habinyanja; Rushegura near Buhoma; and the Nkuringo group at Nkuringo.
The neighboring towns of Buhoma and Nkuringo both have an
impressive array of luxury lodges, rustic bandas and budget campsites, as well
as restaurants, craft stalls and guiding services. Opportunities abound to
discover the local Bakiga and Batwa Pygmy cultures through performances,
workshops and village walks.
There are several lodges around both on a small budget and
luxary.
Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) is located north-western
Uganda, spreading inland from the shores of Lake Albert, around the Victoria
Nile, up to the Karuma Falls.
It is Uganda's largest national park and is bisected by the
Victoria Nile from east to west for a distance of about 115 kilometers. Adjacent
to the park along the Masindi-Gulu Highway, are the Karuma Falls.
Water Cruising At The Falls
The park is the location of the Murchison Falls, where the
waters of the Nile flow through a narrow gorge only 7 meters wide before
plunging 43 meters.
White-thighed hornbill
The launch trip upstream from Paraa presents an astonishing
display of wildlife and culminates with the memorable frontal view of the
Falls. Recommended for birders is a morning cruise downstream to the Nile-Lake
Albert Delta. Alternatively, a tranquil sundowner cruise offers the classic
view of an equatorial sunset reflected on the river.
Dwarf kingfisher
There are 76 species of mammals as well as Uganda's largest
population of crocodiles. 450 bird species are present ranging from easy
variety of waterbirds, including the rare shoe-billed stork, species, dwarf
kingfisher, Goliath heron, white-thighed hornbill and great blue turaco.
Goliath heron
Other activities include hiking, bird watching, and
experience of flying in a hot air balloon.
The driving distance from Masindi, the nearest large town,
to the Kibanda area of the national park is about 72 kilometers which is about 283 kilometers , by road,
north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda.
Shoe-billed stork
Like parks, there is plenty of hotels around MFNP.
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