Wildlife of Uganda : Uganda is home to a variety of wildlife species which can be seen in different parts of the country across the wildlife reserves and national parks.
There are many large wildlife and small wildlife species found around different wildlife safari parks in Uganda including the big five such as elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and also buffalos.
The western and south western region of Uganda in particular offers thrilling safari experiences including both wildlife viewing and primate tours in destinations which include Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Mburo national park, Bwindi national park, Mgahinga national park, Kibale forest national park. Murchison falls national park is another destination to visit and is allocated in north western Uganda.
In the north eastern part of Uganda, wildlife safaris can be spotted in the remote Kidepo valley national park and also around Pian Upe wildlife reserve.
Wildlife in Uganda can be spotted throughout the year although the best time for wildlife safaris is during the dry season around June to October and around December, January and February when the animals are easy to spot in the savannah plains.
- Primates in Uganda
Primates are among the key wildlife attractions found in Uganda which are over 13 in number including chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.
Other primates in Uganda include baboons, patas monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, De Brazza’s monkeys, Golden monkeys, Grey cheeked mangabeys, Black and white colobus monkeys, Red tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys, L’hoest monkeys.
Chimpanzees in Uganda can be seen in destinations such as the Ngamba island chimpanzee sanctuary located on Lake Victoria and the locations where chimpanzees can be seen in their natural habitat include Kibale forest national park, Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park and also the Budongo forest in Murchison falls national park.
Gorillas in Uganda can be seen in Bwindi national park and also Mgahinga national park which are located in the south western part of the country. The type of gorillas which can be seen in these destinations are the mountain gorillas which can be seen throughout the year. Tourists get to spend time with gorillas during gorilla trekking tours and also gorilla habituation experiences.
Golden monkeys can also be seen in Mgahinga national park during wildlife safaris in the country. They are considered an endangered species and can be encountered during golden monkey trekking and golden monkey habituation tours.
- Nocturnal wildlife species
Uganda is also home to different wildlife species which can be seen during the night and they include bush babies among others.
Nocturnal wildlife species can be seen during game drives around national parks such as Lake Mburo national park and can take about 2 hours of exploring the dark in search of the wildlife.
- Predators in Uganda
Some of the predators which can be seen during tours in Uganda include lions, leopards and cheetahs. There are also serval cats, African wild cats, jackals, African hunting dogs, Bat eared fox, spotted hyenas, African civets, genet cats, African otters, honey badgers among others.
The interaction between predators and prey during wildlife safaris is an exciting encounter as tourists get to watch as the predators like lions hunt their prey in the vast wilderness of the national parks. In destinations such as Queen Elizabeth national park, tourists can encounter the unique tree climbing lions in the ishasha sector.
- Herbivores in Uganda
There are different wildlife species which are herbivorous in nature that can be seen during safaris in Uganda and they include over 29 antelope species as well as elephants, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, pigs among others.
Antelope species which can be seen around Uganda include oribi, dik dik, klipspringers, pygmy antelopes, forest duikers, common duikers, lesser kudu, impalas, reedbucks, Grants gazelles, stitatunga antelopes, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, Roan antelopes, Defassa waterbucks, hartebeests, Greater Kudu, common elands among others. These antelopes are easy to spot during game drives around national parks in Uganda in search of the various wildlife species.
Herbivores such as elephants, rhinos and buffalos are part of the big 5 which are among the most difficult wildlife species to hunt on foot. Rhinos in Uganda can be spotted in the Zziwa rhino sanctuary which is home to white rhinos.
Activities during which wildlife species in Uganda can be encountered include game drives, guided nature walks and also boat safaris.
Game drives in Uganda take place in the morning and afternoon and are carried out across the national parks which are home to various wildlife species such as elephants, lions, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, antelopes among others. 4×4 safari vehicles are used when searching for the different wildlife species which can also take a full day. There are also night game drives carried out in Uganda in Lake Mburo national park.
Guided nature walks in Uganda bring tourists closer to the wildlife species in the savannah plains and they can also enjoy the beautiful views of the surroundings while exploring the wilderness on foot with ranger guides.
Tourists visiting Lake Mburo national park can also enjoy wildlife viewing on horseback during safaris in Uganda. Boat safaris are also another way that tourists can see wildlife species during their safaris and they can be done in the morning and afternoon in destinations such as the Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park and also Lake Mburo national park where the boats take tourist closer to wildlife species by the water shores.
Before spending time with the wildlife species in their natural habitats, there are different rules and regulations which tourists are expected to follow and they include not feeding the animals, avoiding noise, no littering, not overcrowding the animals in their natural habitat, keeping a distance of about 7 meters from the primates, avoiding use of flash photography when visiting gorillas or chimpanzees among others.
These rules are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) which also issues out permits for visiting primates in Uganda. Tourists also pay park entrance fees to visit the national parks and spot the different wildlife species in Uganda.
