Uganda is a landlocked Country located in East Africa. It is a renowned wildlife destination however many Uganda Tour destinations have not been fully explored. Mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda are the most sought-after Uganda tour destinations. Uganda is home to half of the mountain gorilla population remaining on the entire planet. Mountain Gorillas live in the forested mountains in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Southwestern Uganda and the Virunga massif. The Virunga massif is a stretch of Volcanic mountains near the Uganda, Rwanda & DRC border.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has 25 habituated mountain gorilla families. They are evenly distributed in the different sectors of the park. They include the Buhoma Sector in the north with 7 Gorilla families, the Ruhija sector in the east with 6 gorilla families, Rushaga & Nkurigo sectors in the south with 8 & 4 gorilla families respectively.
Chimpanzee trekking destinations in Uganda are also remarkable, especially Kibale National Park. Chimpanzees have over 98% DNA similar to humans making them man’s closest relatives. There are several Uganda Tour Destinations where you can trek to the chimpanzees and other monkey species. They include Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park, Kalinzu Forest, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and others.
All the above mentioned Uganda Tour destinations are remarkable but the country has more to offer. Several other less-traveled Uganda tour destinations offer more exclusive and intimate safari experiences. They include the following;
Lake Mburo National Park is located in western Uganda. It is among the smallest but very diverse protected areas in Uganda. This and Kidepo Valley National Park are the only two national parks in Uganda with zebras. Giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, waterbucks, and antelopes are also present in Lake Mburo National Park.
This park is home to several bird species and is among the best birding Uganda safari destinations. The park is strategically located along the western circuit route and can be visited on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. It is surrounded by farms of the native Ankole people who are predominant cattle keepers. The Ankole people rear Ankole long-horned cattle a prominent cattle breed that is restricted to Uganda. On a community visit there you experience the cattle-keeping process and get a chance to milk cows.
Lake Mburo National Park is best explored on game drives, nature walks, horse riding, boat cruises, and cycling. Our 10 Days Uganda Discovery Journeys Adventure features this park and it is among our best Uganda safari adventures.
This beautiful national park is located in western Uganda in the Semuliki Valley of the Great Rift Valley. The park has a diverse ecosystem but the most outstanding is the lowland tropical forest. Semuliki is home to over 440 Bird species and 53 mammals. Several primates occur here and notable ones include black and white colobus monkeys, red red-tailed monkeys among others.
Apart from wildlife, Semuliki Valley National Park has hot springs that are truly iconic. The ever-heated water sprouts out the earth’s surface with pressure at the female Hot Spring. Tourists who visit Semuliki boil eggs in the hot springs water for under 5 minutes. It is a great experiment to try out while visiting the park.
You can engage in various safari activities exclusively on a visit to Semuliki. They include nature walks, birding tours, game drives in the reserve, and a boat cruise on Lake Albert. There you get to see the various wildlife species the park has. It is easy to incorporate a visit to Semuliki on a Uganda Discovery Journeys adventure. From Kibale National Park you can visit Semuliki and explore the park before proceeding to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You would need at least 12 to 14 days for a Uganda safari featuring Semuliki Valley.
Mgahinga Gorilla Park is the other mountain gorilla trekking destination in Uganda. It is also located in southwestern Uganda with one habituated gorilla family. Mgahinga Gorilla Park is the extension of the Virunga massif on the Ugandan side. It has 3 iconic Virunga volcanoes that include Mount Gahinga, Mount Muhabura & Mount Sabyinyo. These mountains are attractions but also ecosystems and home to several wildlife species with mountain gorillas being the most outstanding.
What makes gorilla trekking in Mgahinga Gorilla Park exclusive is the presence of only one gorilla family. Gorilla trekking is strictly restricted to only 8 individuals a day. This means that in Mgahinga only 8 people get to visit the park for a gorilla trekking on a busy day. If you are fortunate in the low tourist season you could end up trekking to the mountain gorillas exclusively.
Other notable wildlife species here include golden monkeys, birds, and plant vegetation species. All these and the exclusivity of the Park make it one of the best Uganda Tour destinations. At Discovery Journeys, we mainly aim to explore such exclusive destinations. Mgahinga is therefore among our most recommended Uganda Safari destinations for mountain gorilla and golden monkey trekking, birding, and mountain climbing.
Pian Upe Reserve
Pian Upe Reserve is located in Eastern Uganda along the less traveled North Eastern tourism circuit. The reserve has a unique ecosystem similar to that of Kidepo Valley National Park. Pian Upe Reserve has had wildlife-human conflicts where several wildlife species went extinct because of human activities like poaching.
There have been efforts from the Uganda Wildlife Authority to restore the reserve and its wildlife. With this, several species have been reintroduced to the reserve. Some of the notable safari animals in Pian Upe include giraffes, Roan antelopes, elands, Kobs, and birds. Many of these can be seen while on game drives or guided nature walks in the reserve.
Pian Upe is in the process of being upgraded to a national park. Once this is done the reserve will be Uganda’s largest national park. We are confident that with time Pian Upe will top the list of the most visited Uganda Tour Destinations.
This is the most isolated national park located in the Karamoja region in northwestern Uganda. The park is truly iconic with beautiful landscapes and an undisturbed ecosystem.
Kidepo Valley National Park is located in a semi-desert area and some of the Rivers dry out in the dry season. The Narus Valley is the only place in the park with water and several animals gather here even on hot days to freshen up. The park is the least visited Uganda Tour Destination because of the time and distance it takes to get there. It takes a 9 to 10-hour drive from Kampala to Kidepo. There is an option of flying with scheduled flight routines that depart with minimum numbers or charter flights that are a bit expensive.
Uganda Safari is Kidepo are fruitful and we highly recommend this to people with more time to explore the Pearl of Africa.
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