Where to go on a self drive safari in Uganda

Uganda best places to visit on  self drive safari

Where to go on a self drive safari in Uganda, Uganda is a home to many tourist attractions many are still virgin just waiting for you to explore. All these places can be explored on self-drive safari or by hiring a vehicle with a driver. Uganda has 10 national parks and over 12 game reserves each housing unique features. So a visit to one or all of these places on yourself-drive safari is regarded as a great experience. Some of the top places a must visit in Uganda include;

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:

Regarded as one of the top national parks in Uganda, its known for housing the incredible endangered mountain gorillas. Over 480 of these remaining apes are located in Uganda almost a half of the world’s mountain gorillas total population.

Bwindi impenetrable national park is located in the south western part of Uganda about 500km from Kampala Uganda’s capital and largest city. Which is about 8-9 hours drive to the park. Gorilla tracking is known as the most adventurous safari activity outcompeted. And meeting our closest relative in a close distance is regarded as a memorable experience. The park has 13 gorilla families ready to receive visitors on a daily basis and only eight members. Are allowed to visit the gorillas daily. Gorilla tracking permits costs usd600 per person per tracking.

Not only gorilla tracking, the park is also a home to bird species over 350 species of birds are inhabited to this park. The park offers great birding experience. Also to that, the batwa experience offer great opportunity to learn more about how Africans live. You can spend half or full day with these people and learn more about their culture. As they will entertain you through their songs and music. Forest walks at the park will give you more opportunity to see bird species and a forest walk is regarded  as a memorable wilderness experience. Going to this park requires a 4×4 vehicle in that the roads are in bad state especially during rainy seasons

Murchison falls national park:

this park is known as the biggest Uganda national park located in the north eastern part of Uganda. About 4-5 hours drive from the capital city Kampala.

The park houses a wide biodiversity of wildlife species and its major attraction at the park is the game drive. That exposes visitors to very many species of animals. Including giraffe, elephants, lions, antelope species, leopards, buffaloes, warthogs and many species of birds among many others.

However , the memorable boat cruise at the Nile river makes the park worth to visit. It runs  from Paraa to the bottom of the falls. Offering  more opportunity for wildlife viewing to the hippos, crocodiles as well as elephants.

You may also decide to take a nature walk from the bottom to the top of the falls and enjoy fantastic scenery. Where the Nile perfects its beauty. Forcing its self through a narrow gorge of 7 meters wide, flowing down 47 meters. The Kanio Pabidi forest / Budongo Forest for great opportunity to Chimpanzee tracking. Or habituation experience meeting our closest relatives in their natural habitat is a great experience. However, before arriving at the park, you may decide to visit the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary and track the white rhinos

Kibale Forest;

Kibale forest national park is sometimes referred to as the primate zone. The park houses over 13 species of primates the most commonly known is the chimpanzees the closest relative. To human sharing almost 98% of human DNA make-up.

However other primates that inhabit the park include the blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, L’Hoest moneys, the black and white colobus monkeys among many others.  While at the park, you can track the chimpanzees or do the chimpanzee habituation experience, enjoy bird watching and also natural walk through the Bigodi swamps and crater lakes region.

Other attraction near the park one cannot miss to visit while on the way to Kibale forest national park include Tooro King’s palace , or you can also visit the Kalambi tombs, Amabeere ga Nyinamwiru. Kibale forest national park is located in the south western part of Uganda. About 4-5 hour drive from the capital city Kampala

Queen Elizabeth National Park:

Queen Elizabeth national park is known as one of Uganda’s most visited national parks in uganda. Which is located in the south western part of Uganda. About 5-6 hour drive from the capital city Kampala. It is a Savannah and woodland park known for housing a wide biodiversity of wildlife species. Including the big five except the Rhinos.

At Queen Elizabeth national park, tourists will enjoy game drives in a safari vehicle with a pop-roof suitable for viewing games even in a long distance. Visitors can still do chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura gorge, birding watching. Furthermore boat cruise at the Kazinga channel which connects lakes George and Edward. Still at the park one can take a visit to the Ishasha sector an extension of Queen Elizabeth national park and enjoy the tree climbing lions sited on fig trees or tree blanches among other mammals like antelopes and elephants. Not forget birding, the park is also a home to over 610 species of birds

Mgahinga National Park:

With no doubt, Mgahinga is a must park to visit for any visitor to Uganda either on self-drive or with a drive, Mgahinga is known as one of the two parks in Uganda for housing the endangered mountain gorillas the other one is Bwindi national park. The park is located in the south western part of Uganda and it houses only one gorilla family which is habituated and it’s ready to receive visitors on a daily basis. At the park one can also go golden monkey tracking, Mt. Gahinga hiking, birding watching as well as Batwa Trail experience

Lake Mburo National Park:

The closest park to the capital city Kampala, its located just about 3-4 hours drives from Kampala-Mbarara. Lake Mburo national park can be visited to or from Bwindi national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kibale national park. Many activities can be enjoyed at the park including game viewing, launch cruise at the lake Mburo, nature walk to salt lick area among many others.

Others parks to visit on a self-drive include Kidepo valley national which is located in the far northern part of Uganda about 10-11 hours drive, you are advised to have an overnight en-route before you arrive at the park

Still in your self-drive car, you can plan to tour Kampala city and visit some of the interesting places around including Kasubi tombs the burial place for over 4 kings of Buganda, Namugongo shrine where the Uganda martyrs where killed for failure to renounce their faith. Visit also the Bahai temple, or Namirembe and Lubage Cathedral.

Your budget determines where to sleep, there are very many accommodation options ranging from budget, mid-range and deluxe and luxury accommodations at all parks