Uganda National Parks and Natural Beauty
This is one of Uganda's most recently created National Parks and covers 331km2 of forest in the south west of the country. As you approach it is easy to see why it was named the Impenetrable Forest. It's one of the last wild habitats of the mountain gorilla as well as 90 other mammal species, 350 species of bird, 324 species of tree and a huge number of butterflies. The terrain is very hills and heavily forested. For photography, take a fast film – the dense trees let little light through!
Mgahinga National Park
Uganda's smallest park can be found at the confluence of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formally Zaire) and Rwanda. The park sits against the dramatic backdrop of the huge cones of the Virunga volcanoes, the last eruption of which was in 2006 on the DRC side of the range. There is one mountain gorilla troop, Nyakagezi, that can be tracked in this park but their range sometimes takes them over the border into the DRC or Rwanda.
Lake Mburo National Park
The home of Uganda's national bird, the crested crane and also the rare shoebill stork, this park is an excellent place for bird watching. The park encompasses 5 main lakes that are a big draw to the wildlife. The park sits in a basin in the centre of Uganda and during the wet season the basin floods creating a vast swamp-land that is teeming with life.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
This National Park is straddled by Lake George to the east and Lake Edward to the west and its main geological feature is the 32km Kazinga channel that connects the two. A boat trip along this channel is the perfect way to end the day and you can observe wildlife coming down to drink at the waters edge. The parks southern plains has an eccentric population of tree-climbing lion and to the north is the spectacular Chambura Gorge which provides superb chimpanzee encounters on an early morning trek.
Kibale National Park and the Bigodi Wetland.
The Kibale forest is just north of the Queen Elizabeth National Park and is one of the world's finest locations for watching primates. Chimp tracking takes place twice a day and we would highly recommend the night walks offered by the park rangers, in search of nocturnal primates. There is also an elusive herd of forest elephant in Kibale. The forest elephant is smaller and hairier than its savannah counterpart. Some of the best birding in central Africa can be enjoyed here too. Knowledgeable guides led walks through the Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary that was founded to protect the Magombe Swamp. The walks take around 3 hours and are best taken in the early morning or late afternoon.
The Sesse Islands
There are 2 groups of islands in Uganda and both excel in natural beauty. The Sesse Islands are a group of 84 islands that sit just off the north west shore of Lake Victoria and provide the opportunity to relax for a day or two in the tranquility of deserted sandy beaches and enjoy light walks through the jungle. Lake Bunyonyi (meaning 'Place of many little birds') is in the south west of Uganda, near the border of Rwanda. It is rumored to range in depth from 44m to 900m which would make it the 2nd deepest lake on the African continent. It has 29 small islands and is very good for water sports.