Best Safari destinations in Western Uganda
Best Safari destinations in Western Uganda When people speak of safaris in Uganda, they automatically think western Uganda. This is because almost 70% if not 80% of the Ugandan National parks are in western Uganda; which implies that most of the wildlife in country is in western. Well there is some degree of truth in this; however other parts of the country also have National parks with wildlife that you can view on your trip to Uganda.
That said since western Uganda is considered to have the highest number of wildlife in the country many tourists when they visit the country they are just eager to go to western Uganda and see all the region has to offer.
Well that’s the reason for this article. In this article we highlight the top 5 safari destinations in western Uganda from which you can choose to have a safari when you visit the western part of the country.
Bwindi National Park
This is one of the famous parks in the country. Bwindi National Park is known for being home to the famous mountain gorillas and the park hosts over half of the world’s total mountain gorilla population. When you visit Bwindi National forest you get the opportunity to take a trek up the mountain in search of the famous mountain gorillas, you also have the opportunity to bird watch, have nature and community tours among other activities.
Mountain gorilla trekking in the park costs USD 700 and it’s done all year round in the park.
Kibale National Park
Kibale National Park also known as the primate capital is another great destination in western Uganda. This park boasts over 5000 chimpanzees and is known as a destination for chimpanzee trekking. Chimpanzee trekking in the park takes place daily throughout the year and on these chimpanzees treks your assured of sighting several other primates. In the park you can also have forest walks, nature tours and bird watching sprees in the Bigodi swamps.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The most popular National Park in the country, this park is home to over 100 mammal species including four of the big five and tree climbing lions. Lately people visiting this park are very excited about the tree climbing lions but this park also has other great things to offer like boat rides on the Kazinga channel, chimpanzee trekking experiences in the Kyambura gorge, nature walks on top of the usual park game drives.
This park is also in close proxy with Bwindi National Park, so you can combine a safari to Bwindi and Queen Elizabeth.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchsion falls National Park is the largest park in the country and hosts over 100 mammal species, 450 bird species and of course the Murchison falls from which the park gets its name. Visitors to the park are treated to spectacular game drives through the park to view the numerous animals in the park, boat rides on the Nile River, bird watching sprees, top of the falls hike, sport fishing and other activities.
A bonus on this park, it’s in close proxy with Budongo forest and Ziwa Rhino sanctuary so on a visit to this park you can also make time and visit the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking and Budongo forest for a chimpanzee trekking experience.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is a great destination for people who don’t have a lot of time but would still love to have glimpse of the wildlife in the country. This park is about 3 to 4 hours from Kampala making it the closet park to Kampala. The park boasts about 50 mammal species, 300 bird species and the famous lake Mburo. At Lake Mburo National Park you will engage in activities like game drives, boat rides, community tours, horseback riding and others.
