By Alexandra Hankins, Safari Operations Specialist for The Wild Source
For most people, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Uganda is the mountain gorillas. What many people don’t realize is that the country is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife on par with its more popular neighboring safari destinations. Beyond the classic favorites, Uganda boasts some unique individuals that you won’t easily find elsewhere, such as shoebills, chimpanzees, tree-climbing lions, southern white rhinos, and the golden monkeys. This sets Uganda apart, offering far more than just gorilla trekking with a variety of flora and fauna that is well worth the trip.
Murchison Falls National Park was by far my favorite area (outside of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, of course). In the northern part of the Albertine Rift Valley, the park consists of savanna, woodland, and riverine forests, exhibiting one of the most dramatic landscapes in East Africa. At the heart of the park lies one of Africa’s most powerful waterfalls—Murchison Falls. This is where the Victoria Nile is squeezed into a narrow gorge before plunging 45 meters down, where it eventually ends at Lake Albert.
This is one of Uganda’s most impressive wildlife viewing areas. Attracting elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, Nile crocodiles, as well as lions, hyenas, warthogs, and diverse antelope species such as Ugandan kobs, Jackson’s hartebeests, waterbucks, oribis, and bushbucks.
Kidepo Valley National Park was a close second. As Uganda’s most remote and least explored national park, it can be a bit of a challenge to get to (and not cheap if you’re traveling with a small group). Still, the chance to experience such an untouched region was truly incredible. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s most breathtaking wilderness areas, Kidepo is located in a semi-arid valley teeming with big game.
Lions, leopards, cheetahs (the only place they can be spotted in Uganda), zebras, Rothschild’s giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, ostriches (Uganda’s only population in the wild), warthogs, hartebeests, waterbucks, oribis, bushbucks, and side-striped jackals, to name a few.
And then there’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Set against the backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains, the park has a remarkable variety of ecosystems, which include vast savannas, acacia woodlands, humid forests, wetlands, and waterways. Considered the best game viewing area in Uganda, this park is one of the few places in the world where lions climb trees. The Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George, also happens to be a magnet for wildlife
Some of which include elephants, hippos, buffaloes, Nile crocodiles, lions (tree-climbing), leopards, Ugandan kobs, and waterbucks, as well as a diverse array of primates such as chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, and baboons.
This, of course, is by no means an exhaustive list of the array of wildlife found in Uganda. Some notable parks not mentioned above include Kibale National Park, which has the highest number and diversity of primates in East Africa and is known for chimpanzee trekking, as well as Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, the home of the golden monkeys.
The next time you’re looking to plan your next safari adventure, I hope you consider Uganda, as there is so much beauty waiting to be experienced in the Pearl of Africa.