Ajai Game Reserve is in northern Uganda and boasts a new deluxe safari camp now under construction just out side its border. A small reserve at 16,600 hectares, located on the east bank of the Albert Nile.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is the primary gorilla tracking location. There are troops reached from Buhoma (north) and from the south at Nkuringo.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is at the confluence of Rwanda and the DRC. One gorilla troop can be tracked from here, but its range sometimes takes it into one of the other two countries, so may not be accessible. The Virunga Mountains are the dramatic spine of the park, recently active volcanic peaks. Much other remarkable wildlife is in this often overlooked park.
Kidepo Valley National Park located in the extreme NE corner of Uganda on the South Sudan border. Incredible wildlife here that comes right up to the Apoka Lodge. Elephant, zebra, nile buffalo, kob often visit the lodge.
Murchison Falls National Park offers a very nice boat trip getting surrounded by crocodiles and hippos. The nearby waterfall is dramatic and beautiful, as the entire Nile river plunges down 45 m (150 ft) and through a 7 m (23 ft) wide crevice. It is possible to do safaris - Murchison is full of a variety of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes, hartbeast, buffalo, and a few lions and leopards. For now it is still a little bit difficult to get as independent traveller. Take an early bus to Masindi and then try to arrange for transport to bring you to the park. With some luck you could get a free ride with the rangers.
Fishermen at Port Belle on Lake Victoria
Queen Elizabeth National Park has several parts to it, but the main section between Lake Edward and Lake George is a more concentrated version of East African parks as far as animals are concerned, although with less splendid vistas unless the mist-shrouded Ruwenzori Mountains are visible. The Ugandan Kob is an endemic antelope (and is on the coat of arms along with the crested crane, including on currency). Worth considering is a drive among volcanic crater lakes on the south edge of the Ruwenzori Range. Kazinga Channel has the greatest concentration of Hippos in africa in this park and the park is home to the famous tree climbing lions.
Kibale Forest National Park near the town of Fort Portal is famed for chimpanzee tracking and is highly recommended. Twitchers will know that some of the best birding in central Africa is here too. The Kasese Crater Lakes are in the area.
Uganda has draconian anti-gay laws: homosexuality is punishable by up to 14 years in prison and as of 2011 there are plans to introduce the death penalty for some homosexual activities.
Rwenzori National Park is a mountain range in south-west Uganda bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is 120 km (75 mi) long and 48 km (30 mi) wide with its highest peak at Mt. Stanley (5109 m/16,761 ft). The range was first described in the 2nd century by ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy as the "Mountains of the moon", and first ascended in 1896 by Italian explorers. By the end of 2006, its ice cap has retreated from 6.4 square kilometres (2.5 sq mi) a century ago, to less than a 1.28 square kilometres (0.5 sq mi). In the Rwenzori Mountains near Fort Portal you find Mitandi. The place represents an unique opportunity to explore the mountains and get to know the culture of the local Bakonzo mountain people.
Ssese Islands is a beautiful stretch of islands on Victoria Lake with isolated beaches and a bit of jungle. Jungle walks you could easily manage on your own, spending half a day. Beware that there is bilharzia in Victoria Lake, so if you swim, go check up with the doctor afterwards. However, you can expect to spend around 8 hours getting to the Ssese islands. As an alternative, Busi island can be reached in around 45 minutes from Entebbe. there is a camp site, with a small number of beds in a dorm and some bandas which are presently under construction.
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Uganda - updated Apr 2024
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Uganda Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
