Uganda is a landlocked country in Africa with a land area of 241,038 square kilometers (59.6 million acres). The country has a population of 42.7 million. It is located almost entirely in the Nile basin. The capital city is Kampala, which is rich in historical structures and other important tourist attractions and institutions, like the Uganda Museum and the Ugandan National Theatre. The architecture in this city is also quite varied and impressive. Particular attention should be paid to the places of worship: Baha’ I House of Worship, Gaddafi Mosque, Rubaga Cathedral, and St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral.
Around half of the economy in Uganda is from agriculture, with coffee and tea as the country’s most important products. Uganda makes a lot of money from exporting these products.
Tourists could expect beautiful landscapes, wonderful water bodies, lush forests, and a large population of wildlife in Uganda. Despite being a landlocked country, the second largest one in the world, there are still several significant bodies of water within the nation. There is Lake Kyoga, which is situated in the middle of the country, as well as Lake Albert, Lake Edward, and Lake George.
The national parks in Uganda are among the best places to experience nature and wildlife. Here are some of the five unexplored national parks in the country:
1. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This is one of the most remote parks in Uganda, which makes it hard to visit—but the effort is worth it. It was established as a national park in 1991 and has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.
This is a great park to experience wildlife. It has been designated as a sanctuary for colobus monkeys and chimpanzees. The former is considered part of the Old World Monkey native to Africa. The colobus monkey primarily lives in primary or secondary forests, and Bwindi’s main vegetation is montane and lowland forest. The chimpanzee, on the other hand, is a species of great ape that is native to the forests of tropical Africa. Bwindi is also a sanctuary for hornbills and turacos. The park is also home to 220 species of butterflies.
The most popular attraction of the park is the 600 Bwindi gorillas, which is already half of the endangered species of the mountain gorillas in Uganda. Fourteen of the mountain gorillas are for tourism because gorilla tracking is one of the favorite activities within the park. However, there are strict rules to follow in order not to disrupt gorilla’s life in the wild.
The flora in the park is also diverse and rich. There are over 220 species of trees within the territory, which is already half of Uganda’s total tree species. One of the species is the endangered brown mahogany. The park is also home to some 100 species of ferns.
2. Lake Mburo National Park
Over 300 birds consider this park in the Kiruhura District their home. The birds are abundant in both the lake and wetland areas as well as in the terrestrial part of the park. Lake Mburo was originally protected as a controlled hunting area in 1933 and then became a game reserve in 1963. It was eventually upgraded into a national park in 1983. It was also designated as a Ramsar Wetland in 2006.
There are also exciting animals within the park. Among them are African buffalo, African leopard, common eland, hippopotamus, impala, jackal, warthog, and zebra. The park is also considered a Lion Conservation Unit.
3. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
There is more to this park than just the gorillas, although, they are pretty much the centerpiece. There are three inactive volcanoes in the park that are also worthy of the tourists’ time. These are Mount Gahinga, Mount Mahabura, and Mount Sabyinyo. The territory is also within the Nile River watershed. The higher elevations have an alpine ecosystem while the lower levels have lush forests. The park is home to dozens of species of birds and a lot of them are endemic.
The park was established in 1991 to protect the golden monkey and mountain gorilla population. Both primate species are considered endangered.
4. Murchison Falls National Park
Established as a national park as early as 1952, this protected area is in northwestern Uganda. The park forms part of the Murchison Falls Conservation Area as well as the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Wetland System, which has been designated as Ramsar Wetland in 2006.
Murchison Falls, the park’s centerpiece, is a waterfall that falls between the Lakes Albert and Kyoga. It is not just a place of great aesthetic importance, there is also some history in the park. Just down the river of Murchison Falls, Ernest Hemingway crashed a plane there in 1954. There are so many photographic opportunities surrounding the majestic waterfall, which compelled the Ugandan government to reject infrastructure projects that would have made money for the government. The waterfall is definitely worth preserving as it is.
5. Semuliki National Park
Another remote park in Uganda, Semuliki is located in Bundibugyo District. The area is also on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The park was established in 1993 and is home to East Africa’s lone tropical rainforest. It is generally a flat landform with undulating hills ranging from 670 to 760 meters.
Various water bodies in the park are home to various species of water birds. The water bodies include Lamia and Semliki Rivers, and a swamp area as well. There are more than 400 species of birds that roost in either the rivers and swamp or the terrestrial area like the forests, which blanket the hills. The park is also home to various mammals including the following: African buffalo, African civet, African elephant, bush babies, hippopotamus, leopard, mona monkey, Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel, and water chevrotain. There are also at least nine species of duiker.
Another unique feature of the park is the two hot springs with one resembling a geyser because it forms a fountain that is half a meter high.
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