On the following pages you will find a selection of parks and places of interest. If you want to see other areas, I can also integrate them in your trip.
The 1978 km² national park is located in the south-west of Uganda. It borders on the Edward and Georg Lake as well as the Kazinga Canal in the western area of the Great East African Rift Valley and at the foot of the Ruwenzoni Mountains. The middle of the park is traversed by the equator.
The park has a remarkable variety of ecosystems: from tropical mixed forests and green meadows to savannahs, crater lakes and marshes.
A remarkable variety of animals can be found here: elephants, buffaloes, hippos, antelopes, baboons, chimpanzees and the famous tree climbing lions. With more than 500 bird species, as e.g. blackbird-eater, eleven species of kingfisher, falcon, eagle and flamingo, the national park is a paradise for bird lovers.A boat trip on the Kazinga canal is highly recommended. From the boat you can discover elephants, hippos and countless bird species.
The northern sector has a beautiful crater landscape. The craters are partly filled with water.
In the Ishasha sector, named after the Ishasha River located in the south of the park, you can see lions on the wide spreading fig trees. It is not finally clear why the lions show this behavior only here and in the Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania, but it is assumed that the reason are the rarely occurring fig trees. Only they are suitable for the heavy and large lions.
Through the diverse landscape with open savannahs, tropical rainforests, lakes and marshes flock buffaloes, spotted hyenas and various antelope species.
The 551 km² national park in the south-west of Uganda, on the edge of the Central African Rift Valley, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1994. This sheltered habitat is home to a large population of mountain gorillas (about 300), which account for almost half of the entire world population.
The vegetation in the national park consists of dense mountain and rain forests with impenetrable undergrowth. There are several wetland areas. The Mubwindi Swamp in the southeast of the park, near Rihija, is the largest swamp area with 2 km².
The park can be visited all year round, but the conditionsduring the rainy season, in April and May, as well as from September to November, are more difficult.
The rainforest of the Bwindi is original and very old. It extends over hills and valleys at an elevation between 1160 m to 2607 m. Over 150 different species of trees, shrubs, ferns, mosses, grasses and orchids grow in the forest.
The threatened mountain gorillas are also protected in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. Other mountain gorillas live in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic Congo.
In addition to the groups of mountain gorillas, there are other species of primates in the park, such as chimpanzees, guerezas, anubis baboons, diadem, white-nose and perching moths, as well as several nocturnal lemurs. The number of forest elephants has declined very strongly in recent years, due to violent poaching.
Brush-pigs, giant-forest pigs, several species of ducks, gold-cats, strip-jackals, civet cats and various types of broom-cats scurrying through the undergrowth of the park. In addition, more than 350 bird species, 14 snake species, a further 43 reptile species and more than 200 butterfly species are native to the Bwindi.
Visiting one of the gorilla families is certainly the highlight of a visit to the Bwindi National Park. Observing the activities and social behavior of these great apes is one of the most impressive experiences of a trip to Uganda. Since the beginning of 2010, there are six groups of gorillas in the Bwindi National Park specifically for gorilla tourism. These groups are accustomed to being close to humans and accept the park visitors in their hunting grounds. Unfortunately, problems do not completely disappear. The numbers of visitors for the gorilla trekking are strictly limited and the stay is limited to an hour, in order to ensure to the protection of the animals and their habitat.
The Murchison Falls National Park is the largest wild animal park in Uganda with an area of 3840 km². In 1952, the park was created to protect the wildlife-rich savannah landscape at the Murchison Falls of the Victoria Nile.
The waterfalls are located in the west part of the park and fall at this point 43m deep through a 7m wide canyon.
On a boat trip to the foot of the Murchison Falls, hippos, crocodiles and many water birds can be observed along the river bank.
The park is crossed by grassland and bush savannah, hillside lands as well as swamps. The Nile divides the park into two sections. The southern, somewhat animal poorer part, consist of humid tropic Rabongo Forest with its numerous iron trees. The smaller, northern part houses a higher number of animals and is suitable for exciting game drives.
About 1400 elephants, small herds of kaffir buffaloes, Ugandan kobs, Jackson's cow antelopes and numerous Rothschild giraffes pass through the savannah.
In the park, there are the hidden and rare bushes, various species of ducks, shy Sitatunga antelopes, warthogs, bristle pigs, but rarely lions and leopards. The Rabongo Forest is home to a total of six species of primates, including a small population of chimpanzees. More than 420 bird species are registered in the park.
The White Nile, also known as Victoria Nile, is the most famous classic in the Rwenzori Mountains and it is reason enough to visit East Africa. The White Nile has sections of rapids in central Uganda, below the Murchison Falls. The most popular section of the river is right at the source where he leaves Lake Victoria. The canals of the river are mostly friendly and an eldorado for rafting.