What to see in Uganda
The moment you land at Entebbe international airport you are welcomed by the breath taking equatorial location on the forested shore of island strewn Lake Victoria. It is clear that Uganda is no ordinary safari destination.
National parks
Strategically located across both sides of the equator, a network of 10 national parks and several protected areas offer wildlife enthusiasts a thrilling opportunity to experience Uganda’s biodiversity ,not only the mesmerizing tracts of thorn-bush savannah teeming with antelope, buffalo and elephant, one tends to associate with equatorial east Africa ,but also lush expanses of tropical rain forest, shimmering lakes and rivers heaving with aquatic life and the glacial peaks of Africa’s tallest mountain range .The countries largest protected area is Murchison falls national park , whose palm-studded grassland supports dense populations of buffalo, elephant and the Uganda kob, together with the localized Rothschild’s giraffe and patas monkey. Immense concentration of hippos and birds can be observed from morning and afternoon launch trips along the Nile below the spectacular waterfall for which the national park is named. Rwenzori mountains national park protects the glacial peaks of the 120km-long Rwenzori Mountains or mountains of the moon a world-class hiking and mountaineering destination whose significance as a source of the Nile was first alluded to by the Geogragrapher Ptolemy circa 150 AD. Rising from the rift valley floor to a wintry elevation of 5109m, the Rwenzori supports large tracts of evergreen and bamboo forest, while the higher moorland zone is known for its other –worldly cover of giant heathers, lobelias and groundsels. [cont'd]

Set majestically in the shadow of Rwenzori, flanking lakes Edward and George, the lush savannah of Queen Elizabeth national park offers prime grazing to buffalo, elephant and various antelope. A checklist of 600-plus bird species testifies to the extraordinary ecological diversity of this park.
Mammalian specialties include the giant forest hog, and the legendary tree-climbing lions of the Ishaka sector.
Of Uganda’s forest reserves Bwindi Impenetrable national park is best known for its superb gorilla tracking, but it also provides refuge to elephants, chimpanzee, monkeys and various small antelopes, as well as 23 bird species restricted to the Albertine Rift.
Mountain gorillas also form the main attraction at Mgahinga National Park, which protects the Ugandan portion of the virungas, an imposing string of nine freestanding extinct and active volcanoes that run along the border with Rwanda and Congo.
The lower-lying and more remote Semliki National park, A Ugandan extension of the Congo’s Ituri rain forest set at the base of the northern Rwenzori, is of special interest to ornithologist for some 40 Congolese bird species recorded no where else in the country. Near by, the spectacular Semliki wildlife Reserve, which abuts Lake Albert, is one of the best localities for sightings of the enigmatic, swamp-dwelling shoebill.
Kibale national park is a primatologist’s dream. It hosts a population of more than 1000 chimpanzees, of which one 80-strong community has been habituated to tourist visits, as well as half a dozen readily observed monkey species, including the acrobatic red colobus and black-and white colobus, and the handsome L ’Hoest’s monkey.
The closest sanannah reserve to Kampala, Lake Mburo National park is centered on a series of swamp-fringed lakes known for their rich birdlife, notably the secretive African fin foot. The green acacia woodland surrounding the lake harbors dence populations of zebra, warthog, buffalo, impala, and various other grazers, including the last surviving Ugandan population of eland, the largest of African antelope.
Set on the Kenyan border near Mbale, Mountain Elgon National park encompasses the 4,321 metre mountain for which it is named, which has the largest base of any extinct volcano in the world. A lush mosaic of the Afro-montane forest, grassland and moorland habitats make this park a highly rewarding destination for hikers and other natural history ethuthiasts.In the far northeast,the remote, wild and little-visited Kidepo Valley National park provides refuge to a long list of dry country species not found elsewhere in the country including cheetah and the greater kudu, while its perennial waters attract large numbers of elephant and thousand-strong buffalo herds, especially during the dry season.