UGANDA’S NATIONAL PARKS www.ugandawildlife.org I Published by: Uganda Wildlife Authority 7 Kira Road Kamwokya P.O. Box, Kampala Uganda Tel: +256 414 355 000 Fax: +256 414 546 291 Email: [email protected] www.ugandawildlife.org ugandawildlifeauthority ugwildlife ©2018 Uganda Wildlife Authority II Uganda Wildlife Authority Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) was established in August 1996 by the Uganda Wildlife Statute, which merged the Uganda National Parks and the Game Department. It is governed by a Board of trustees appointed by the Minister for Tourism and Antiquities. UWA is responsible for 10 National Parks; 12 Wildlife reserves; 5 Community Wildlife Management Areas; and 13 Wildlife Sanctuaries OUR MISSION The Mission of Uganda Wildlife Authority is to conserve and sustainably manage the wildlife and Protected Areas of Uganda in partnership with the neighbouring communities and other stakeholders for the benefit of Uganda and the global community OUR VISION To be a leading self-sustaining wildlife conservation agency that transforms Uganda into one of the best ecotourism destinations in Africa. Uganda National Parks Just 93,000km2 in size – equivalent in area to the United Kingdom or the US state of Oregon - Uganda is a land of dramatic contrasts. Here, the forests of Central Africa merge with East African savanna while hot, open plains sink beneath great lakes and rise to chill, snow-capped mountaintops. Tourist activities in our ten spectacular national parks are also excitingly varied. Track the endangered mountain gorilla through the dense forests of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the morning, before looking for lions on the open, rift valley grasslands of nearby Ishasha. Spend the morning following chimpanzees through the shady forests of Kibale National Park prior to a relaxing cruise past yawning hippos on the Kazinga Channel in nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park. Trek to the summits of the Virunga volcanoes in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park a nd up to the snowy peaks of the 5100m Mount Stanley in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. And compare the dark, shady depths of the forested Semuliki National Park, home to numerous rare Central African birds, with the vast, semi-arid plains of Kidepo, roamed by big game and punctuated by a multitude of rugged mountains. It is with good reason that Uganda is becoming established as one of Africa’s most varied and memorable tourist destinations. III National Parks Murchison Falls National Park. Uganda’s largest protected area is a 5000km2 expanse 1 formed by Murchison Falls NP and the contiguous Karuma and Bugungu wildlife reserves. The Nile traverses this wilderness, dividing grasslands roamed by big game on the northern bank from bush and forest inhabited by birds and primates on the southern side. The centrepiece is the river’s eruption through a narrow gorge at Murchison Falls Mt. Elgon National Park. The 1,145km² Mount Elgon National Park protects the higher 3 slopes of Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano, on the Uganda- Kenya border. The mountain, which measures 80km in diameter, once towered above Kilimanjaro’s current 5900m. Though now reduced to 4321m, still rises 3000m above the hot, dusty plains of Karamoja to provide a cool respite for humans and a refuge for flora and fauna. Kidepo Valley National Park. Located in Uganda’s distant northeastern corner, close to 5 Kenya and South Sudan and forming the farthest extremity of the remote, sparsely populated Karamoja region, Kidepo represents one of Africa’s most magnificent wildernesses. Big game favourites, including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland, lion, cheetah and ostrich, roam grasslands that extend towards distant mountain ranges in all directions. Queen Elizabeth National Park. Uganda’s most popular and diverse conservation area, 7 Queen Elizabeth National Park enjoys a fabulous setting on the rift valley floor, surrounded by lakes, escarpments and the snow-capped Rwenzori mountain. A variety of habitats, including grassland, acacia woodland, forest, wetland and open water, sustains a wide range of mammals while the park’s 604 bird species is a quite remarkable tally for a protected area covering less than 2000km2 Rwenzori Mountains National Park. Africa’s highest mountain range, the 5,109m Rwenzori – 9 or Mountains of the Moon – is the snowy source of the Nile referred to by early geographers, 17 centuries before European explorers marked it on their maps. The high Rwenzori is a montane wonderland, the trails to the snow peaks following glacier-carved valleys filled with fantastically coloured mosses and rare Afro-alpine plants that include giant forms of lobelias, heathers and groundsels. IV Semuliki National Park. The forested, 220km2 Semuliki National Park occupies an isolated slice of Ugandan territory beyond the Rwenzori 13 mountain on the broad floor of the Albertine Rift Valley. Thanks to its great age (it predates the last Ice Age) and links with the Congo-Guinea biome (Semuliki represents the easternmost extent of the Congo’s huge Ituri Forest) the park contains an exceptionally rich and varied biodiversity. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. One of Africa’s oldest forests – being one of few that predate the arid conditions of the last ice age – the 325km2 Bwindi 15 Impenetrable has carpeted the margin of the Albertine Rift Valley for some 25,000 years. During this time it has accumulated a remarkable biodiversity. Species counts include 350 birds, 310 butterflies, 200 trees, 51 reptiles, 88 moths and 120 mammals. Lake Mburo National Park. This compact jewel of a park is ideally placed for an overnight break between Kampala and the protected areas of western 17 Uganda. Herbivores in the seasonal wetland valleys and acacia grasslands that surround Lake Mburo include species such as topi, eland and zebra that are rare or absent from other parks in Uganda. Kibale National Park. This largely forested park, 795km2 in area, is best known for the number and variety of resident primates. An impressive 19 list of 13 primate species includes Uganda’s largest population of chimpanzees – an estimated 1450. Habituated groups can be tracked with experienced ranger guides at Kanyanchu River Camp. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Though Uganda’s smallest park covers just 38km2, it forms part of a far larger, transboundary protected area that 21 protects wildlife and habitats on the Virunga volcanoes in Uganda, Rwanda and Congo. Mgahinga Gorilla enjoys a magnificent setting on the northern slopes of three of the Virunga’s six extinct cones; Mts. Muhuvura, Gahinga and Sabinyo. V TheMurchison World’s Greatest Falls WaterfallNational Park Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment merges into a vast, palm-dotted savannah. Gazetted as a game reserve in 1926 and elevated to park status in 1952, it is one of Uganda’s oldest protected areas. It is also the largest. Combined with the contiguous Karuma and Bugungu wildlife reserves it covers 5072km2, home to 76 species of mammals and over 451 bird species. The Victoria Nile bisects the national park, racing westwards for 80km over a series of rapids before exploding through a narrow (6m) gap in the remnant rift valley cliffs. This 45m plunge drains the last of the river’s energy transforming the torrent into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor towards Lake Albert. The river below the Falls provides one of Uganda’s finest wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbank include elephants, giraffes and buffaloes while hippos, Nile crocodiles and aquatic birds are permanent residents. Northern Entrance Gates ACCESSIBILITY Murchison Falls National Park can also be reached on the north side of the Nile via the Chobe, Wankwar and Tangi gates. These Roads are all accessed from the Kampala-Pakwach road which crosses A number of routes can be used to reach the Nile at Paraa, the the Nile at Karuma Falls in the north-eastern corner of the park, parks’ main tourism hub, where a vehicle ferry crosses the river 260kms from Kampala. at roughly hourly intervals throughout the day. AIR Southern Entrance Gates Pakuba Airfield, 19km from North Paraa, can be reached using Two routes lead to Paraa lead from Masindi town, which is 305km chartered aircraft from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi from Kampala (a 4 hour drive). The most direct is the 86km airfield near Kampala. Other airfields in the park include Chobe to approach which enters the park through Kichumbanyobo Gate, the east and Bugungu to the south of Paraa. 16km from Masindi. Diversions along the way include the Kaniyo Pabidi section of Budongo Forest, the Heart of Murchison game ACTIVITIES & ATTRACTIONS viewing area and Murchison Falls. A longer but more scenic alternative route from Masindi runs to Paraa via Bulisa (136km). PARAA The route passes through Budongo Forest before a memorable Paraa is the starting point for boat trips to the Falls and the delta descent of the rift valley escarpment with views across Lake and the site of the vehicle ferry crossing. Consequently, most of Albert towards the Blue Mountains of the Democratic Republic the tourist accommodation serving MFNP is also located in the of Congo. The park can be entered through Bugungu or Mubako vicinity, much of it on the riverbank just outside the park, 5km to gates. the west. 1 THE NILE & MURCHISON FALLS Murchison Falls boat cruise The launch voyage upriver from Paraa to see the Murchison Falls exploding through the cliffs at the head of Fajao Gorge is the park’s oldest and most popular excursion. The 3 hour return trip passes a wealth of riverside wildlife on the way, including resident hippos and crocodiles and visiting elephants, buffalo, etc. Top of the Falls Visitors should be sure to visit the Top of the Falls viewpoint to see hear, and feel the Nile thunder through a 6m-wide gorge.