UGANDA NATIONAL PARKS
Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in Africa with fantastic natural scenery, half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population. Situated at the heart of the African continent, Uganda offers a range of safari activities ranging from gorilla tracking, white water rafting and game viewing within the the Uganda national parks. Uganda is relatively a small country but despite its small size, Uganda is the most attractive country given its features which include the penetrable and impenetrable , lakes and rivers,high mountains like mountain rwenzori which have also led to the development of national parks around these maountains. National parks in Uganda habour a high population of Wildlife and Birds in Uganda with the endangered mountain Gorilla which can only be seen in the bwindi National Park
Below is a lisiting of some of the Uganda National parks:
Murchison Falls National Park : Murchison falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda. This park is known for the big four animals and these are the Elephants, Lions, Buffaloes, Leopards and the most famous Giraffes. Murchison falls National Park lies at the Northern end of the Albertine rift. The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile for 100m as it flows west from the Kaluma falls to the Albert Nile.
Kibale Forest National Park : The Park lies east of the Rwenzori on the edge of the Rift Valley between Fort Portal and Queen Elizabeth National park. It is well known for its 560kmn primate- rich tropical forest. The forest contains 13 primates including the remarkable 9 diurnal species such as the Chimpanzee, Baboon, Grey-Cheeked Mangabey, Red Colobus, Black and White Colobus, L’hoest’s, Red tailed, Vervet and the Blue Monkey. Buffaloes and Elephants are also present though they are rarely seen during the ay time. Kibale forest is well-known for the great variety of primates including man’s closest living relative the Chimpanzees.
Semuliki National Park : Semuliki National park is located in the extreme western
corner of Uganda in Bundibugyo district. The park lies along the Uganda/Democratic Republic of Congo border with in the East African Rift Valley. This largely forested park presents the easternmost limit of the great lturi forest of the Congo basin and contains numerous species associated with Central rather than Eastern Africa.
Semuliki is one of Africa’s most Biodiversity forest and is particularly known for its varied bird population.
Mountain Elgon National Park : Mount Elgon National Park is one of Uganda's interesting parks for Mountain climbing or Mountaineering. It is a massive solitary volcanic mountain on the border of eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Mount Elgon has been a regional landmark for a long time: this extinct volcano is one of Uganda's oldest physical features. The mountain is a highly important water catchment area and this is because It’s forests receives up to 3000mm of rain each year, which they store and release to support flora, fauna with in the park and to the surrounding population. A climb on Mount Elgon is to explore a magnificent and uncluttered montane wilderness without the summit-oriented approach common to higher regional mountains.
Mgahinga National Park : The Park was gazetted in 1991 and it includes parts of Muhavura, Mgahinga and Sabinyo Volcanic Mountains. The summit of Muhavura has a small crater lake and forms the highest point (4127m) in the park. The summit areas are dominated by wart and dwarf heath vegetation. This emerges into bamboo and broad leaved montane forest down the mountains. The lower slopes have high altitude Savannah woodland with lost of lichens and mosses. The park has one habituated gorilla group, although this group sometimes crosses the border into Rwanda, which means Mgahinga is not a reliable spot for viewing gorillas.
Lake Mburo National Park : This is the smallest park among all the National parks in Uganda. The park is dominated by open and wooded savannah comprising of grasses, shrubs, trees and the dry hillside. The park harbors Lake Mburo swamps, forests and thickets providing diverse ecosystems for animals including Zebras, Impalas and Water bucks, Sitatungas, Buffaloes, birds, reptiles and crocodiles.
