Top national parks in Uganda

Last updated August 23rd, 2023.

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When national parks in Africa are spoken about, Uganda’s struggle to get a look in. And that’s strange, because not only do these wild spaces provide homes for the Big Five, but also for gorilla. This stable, English-speaking east African nation’s protected lands deserve serious consideration then. If you’re wondering what they’re all about, check out my pick of the top national parks in Uganda below.

1. Queen Elizabeth National Park

This is the biggie of Ugandan national parks. The top top national park in Uganda, if you will.

Situated in the country’s westernmost reaches, Queen Elizabeth was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park. It was renamed in honour of the then Queen of Uganda, the UK’s Elizabeth II. It covers just slightly more than 750 square miles of forest and grassland.

Eding Lake Edward, one of Africa’s Great Lakes, the park is home to around 95 mammal species. These include safari favourites such as lion, leopard, elephant and hippo.

In fact, it’s a regional stronghold for lions. They not only like to climb trees (somewhat unusually), but the males also sport rare black manes. Birders can tick off up to 500 different species.

There are plenty of accommodation options in and around the park. The most centrally located must be the grand Kazinga Wilderness Safari Camp.

It’s worth noting that heading out on safari is definitely one of those occasions when booking an organised multi-day tour is so much easier than dealing with each provider individually.

2. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

If you’ve come to Uganda in search of gorillas, there’s really nowhere better place to head than Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The park is home to an estimated 400 individual animals. This (more than a little sadly), tots up to around a third of the entire world population of mountain gorillas.

Gorilla trekking trips general start out from Kampala, the national capital. A once in a lifetime encounter for many, it’s best not to rush the experience. If you can, opt for the three day rather than the two day gorilla trekking tours.

The area is now dotted with places to stay, including Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, which comes complete with an outdoor swimming pool.

Alternatively, the budget friendly Virunga Campsite and Backpackers sits in Kisoro to the south of the park boundaries.

3. Mount Elgon National Park

Stradling Uganda’s eastern border with Kenya, Mount Elgon National Park provides an intriguing counterpoint to the savannahs of Queen Elizabeth and forests of Bwindi.

Much of its area is taken up by montane forest leading to moorland studded with giant groundsel and lobelia.

When it comes to wildlife, elephants are the major draw, and their tracks can be followed into caves on the lower slopes where the animals seek out natural salt licks.

However, to visit Jackson’s Pool, you’ll have to tackle the trek to the top of Elgon, which is no easy feat with a summit of 4,321 meters above sea level. This makes it one of Uganda’s highest peaks.

But the park is also a great place to catch sight of Uganda’s variety of smaller monkey species, or dip your toe in a hot spring naturally heated to up to 48°C.

4. Murchison Falls National Park

For a sighting of the newly born River Nile, look no further than Murchison Falls National Park. Occupying both sides of the river close to Lake Albert, it’s actually Uganda’s largest protected area.

The riverine landscape is particularly glittering when it comes to bird life, with the park a Ramsar Wetland.

There are good populations of rare shoe-billed storks for instance, as well as Goliath herons and the great blue turaco.

On land, lions are relatively populous, which in turn means plenty of the antelope and herbivores on which they prey. Alongside this is the narrow gorge of the falls, which sees the Nile squeezed through a gap just seven metres wide.

There are also a small number of the highly-endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, as any Murchison Falls safari will likely testify.

5. Kidepo Valley National Park

Located in the country’s far north, Kidepo Valley National Park has a much more arid landscape than most of the country’s protected areas.

Situated on the border with South Sudan (and Kenya), it’s important to ensure the region is stable before embarking on a safari here.

Cross the South Sudan border into the neighbouring Kidepo Game Reserve, and you’ll also have the chance to explore the hot springs known as kanangorok.

Isolated from even the nearest large towns, Kidepo is sure to become better known with the steady improvement in infrastructure that is taking place.

The top national parks in Uganda

Uganda shares much of the same geography of great lakes and even greater plains as Kenya and Tanzania. Yet the country sees just a handful of safari-goers by comparison. The top national parks in Uganda offer fantastic experiences, taking in the Big Five, mountain gorilla and the tumult of the River Nile. If that’s got you checking out the price of flights on CheapOAir, don’t forget to check out my guide to the best time to visit Uganda too.