Bwindi Impenetrable National Park – The Best Place in the World to See Mountain Gorillas
Ranked the best place in the world to see mountain gorillas in the wild, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park offers some of the most memorable wildlife experience in Uganda. The park is one of the only four parks in the world where you can enjoy close encounters with the mountain gorillas – an endangered subspecies that are amongst our closest living relatives.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is situated on the edge of the Albertine Rift Valley incorporating 124 square miles of untamed mountainous and lowland forest, the forest in Bwindi is over 25,000 years old and is also one of the most biologically diverse in the country.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is home to more than half the world’s population of mountain gorillas with over 300 individuals, the park has 20 habituated gorilla families open for gorilla trekking adventures.
Gorilla trekking is the premier Uganda safari activity to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, trekking takes place in four areas of the park – Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. To take part in gorilla trekking in Bwindi, you first need a gorilla permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority costing US$ 800 per person, this permit allows one hour of being in presence of the gorillas. Other safari activities to do in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park including guided nature walks, birding safaris and Batwa Cultural Encounters.
Murchison Falls National Park – Home of The World’s Most Powerful Waterfall
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest, oldest and most exciting wildlife park in Uganda best known for the magnificent Murchison Falls – the world’s strongest waterfalls on River Nile. The park is located in northwestern Uganda, about 300km by road from Kampala and straddles the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo and Masindi.
Murchison Falls National Park is one of top 5 places to explore in Uganda in 2025, the park covers about 3,840 km² of wilderness on both sides of River Nile west of Karuma Falls and east of Lake Albert. The park is dominated by savannah – woodland habitat dotted with beautiful Borassus palm trees, vast tracts of tropical forests, grassland and wetland habitats.
Murchison Falls – the prime attraction in Murchison Falls National Park, these falls are the most powerful falls in the world, the falls are formed as the Victoria Nile forces its way through approximately 7 meter wide gorge to plunge 43 meters below into a pool. This powerful water fall creates thunderous noise with a splashing cloud of fog offering a very breathtaking view worth enjoying and capturing.
Murchison Falls National Park is a Uganda safari destination to visit of wildlife experiences, the park is home to over 76 mammal species including 4 of the Big Five (lion, leopards, elephant and buffaloes). Other wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park include olive baboons, patas monkeys, Uganda kobs, Defassa waterbuck, Rothschild’s giraffes among others.
With over 450 bird species recorded in Murchison Falls National Park, the park is among the best places for Uganda Birding Safari and some of the birds to lookout for include Abyssinian ground hornbill, African jacana, African quailfinch, Black-billed barbet, Black-headed gonolek, Black-headed lapwing, Blue-headed coucal, Denham’s bustard, Eastern grey plantain-eater, Giant kingfisher, Goliath heron and Malachite kingfisher among others.
Uganda Safari activities to do in Murchison Falls National Park include game drives, chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, hike to top of Murchison Falls, launch cruise to the bottom of the falls, guided nature walks and rhino tracking in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Queen Elizabeth National Park – The Most Popular Wildlife Destination in Uganda
Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular Uganda Wildlife Safari destination located in western Uganda and lies astride the Equator with monuments on both sides of the road marking latitude 00.
The park lies in the Albertine region along with Kyambura and Kigezi Wildlife Reserve.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest and most biodiverse park in Uganda encompassing a huge array of different landscapes including wetlands, swamps and crater lakes, tropical forests, woodland and open savannah which support a diverse range of wildlife.
The park is home to four of the Big Five (elephants, lions, leopards and buffaloes) and 95 mammal species including 20 carnivores and 10 primates and more than 600 species of birds.
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park include lions, leopards, cape buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, Topi, hyenas, large families of banded mongoose, warthogs, bushbucks and waterbucks.
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s primate species include chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and olive baboons among others found in the adjacent Kyambura gorge.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is recognized as an Important Birding Area and according to Birding International, it has the highest number of birds found in any protected area in East Africa. These birds include African mourning dove, Swamp flycatcher, Grey headed kingfisher, pin-tailed whydah, slender-tailed nightjar and collared pratincole among others. Safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park include game drive safaris, birding safaris, chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, Nature and forest walks and community walks and cultural experiences.
Kibale Forest National Park – The Primate Capital of The World
Kibale Forest National Park is a premier chimpanzee tracking destination in Uganda located in western Uganda, the park is notable for its huge primate population with about 1,500 chimpanzees living in different communities with four habituated to human presence.
Kibale Forest National Park is located in western Uganda about 348 km from Kampala and about 26km south – east of the beautiful Fort Portal town, the park is situated close to the Serene Ndali Kasenda Crater area.
Kibale Forest National Park is among the top 5 places to explore in Uganda in 2025 offering visitors an accessible and enlightening insight into life in a tropical rainforest.
Kibale Forest National Park is one of the best primate destinations in Africa hosting the highest numbers and diversity of primates including chimpanzees living within its 795 km² protecting the most beautiful and most diversified tracts of tropical forest in Uganda.
Primates in Kibale Forest National Park include chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys, the endangered red colobus monkeys, the black & white colobus, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabeys, bush babies and potto among many others. Other wildlife found in Kibale include Ichneumon, Banded and Marsh Mongooses, Alexander’s Cusimanse, Swamp Otter, Ratel (Honey Badger) and African Palm Civet. Although Golden Cat, Serval Cat, Lion, Leopard, Warthog, Giant Hog and Hippopotamus.
Kibale Forest is ranked among the best Uganda Birding Safari Destinations with 339 species of birds recorded including Black-capped Waxbill, Africa Shrike-flycatcher, African Black-headed Oriole, African Emerald Cuckoo, African Green-pigeon, Black-crowned Tchagra, African Wood Owl, African/Rwenzori/Abyssinian Hill-Babbler, Alpine Swift, Ashy Flycatcher, Barn Swallow, Black Bee-eater, Black Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill, Black-and-white Mannikin, Black-and-white.
Chimpanzee trekking is the prime Uganda Safari activity in Kibale Forest National Park, other activities to do include Kibale forest hikes, birding safaris, cultural tours, crater lakes tour
Kidepo Valley National Park – True African Wilderness
Dubbed as home to the “True African Wilderness”, Kidepo Valley National Park is the most isolated national park in Uganda situated in the Karamoja region. Kidepo is also the most magnificent park in Uganda ranking among Africa’s finest wildernesses.
Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the rugged, semi-arid valleys between Uganda’s borders with south Sudan in the North West, only 5 km from the eastern border of Kenya and approximately 700 km from Kampala – the capital of Uganda.
The park covers an area of comprising of seasonal oases, open, savannah terrain and wetlands. The only permanent water in the park is found in wetlands and the remnant pools in the broad Narus Valley situated near Apoka. The valley is the park’s prime game viewing location in Kidepo Valley National with its dense populations of lions, buffaloes, elephants and many other animals.
Kidepo Valley National Park is an ideal destination to visit for Uganda wildlife safari, the park’s wildlife include elephants, African buffalo, Rothschild giraffes, lions, bat-eared foxes, cheetahs, zebras, antelopes among others.
With a bird checklist of over 476 species, Kidepo Valley National Park is a birder’s haven and some birds to lookout for include ostrich, kori bustard, secretary bird, red throated bee eaters, the Abyssinian ground hornbill, Verreaux eagle, Egyptian vulture and the pygmy falcon among others.
Uganda Safari Activities to do in Kidepo Valley National Park include Game viewing safaris, birding safaris, guided nature walks, cultural tours and hiking adventures.