Uganda’s National parks and wildlife reserves are a primary attraction to all her visitors whether or not they decide to visit. This is undoubted because they are among the most diverse and best in the region in the quantity, quality, and range of living species and natural habitats. Not only do they contain an incredible range of endemic, rare, and endangered species of animals, birds, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, trees, and plants, but tropical and riverine forests, montane, savannah grassland and woodland found in them support this diversity and wide species range.
Her National Parks are;
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
- Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Lake Mburo National Park
- Murchison Falls National Park
- Kibale Forest National Park
- Semiliki National Park
- Mgahinga Gorilla National Park,
- Kidepo Valley National Park
- Mount Elgon National Park
- Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Uganda’s wildlife reserves are
- Karuma,
- Bugungu and
- Kabwoya
Forest Reserves are
- Maramagambo Forest
- Mpanga Forest
- Mabira Forest
Each of these Parks, Wildlife, and Forest Reserves possesses a uniqueness of its own distinct from the other.
By way of illustration, Bwindi ranks among Africa’s most bio-diverse forests for as far as forests go it is extremely old and its matted vegetation has been intricately weaving itself in tangles for over 25,000 years, and this together with its Afromontane vegetation contains impressive biodiversity including 340 of the world’s remaining 700 population of the critically endangered mountain, 350 species of bird, 310of butterfly, 51 of reptiles, 200 of trees, 88 months and an exceptional 120 of types of mammal including 10 primates. The latter include Chimpanzee, L’Hoests, Red-Tailed, and Blue Monkey, Black and White Colobus, and Baboon.
Although mountain gorillas are only found in Bwindi and Mgahinga which is home to the endangered Golden Monkey, Semiliki is unique in that it’s the park with the highest primate density in Uganda and together with other parks primate lists, make Uganda rank first in this category in Africa, if not the world. Whereas Lake Mburo is the only park in Uganda that is home to the Burchell’s Zebra and Impala, Kidepo Valley is the only one that is home to the gigantic Ostrich, Bat-eared Fox, and Cheetah while the Rwenzori Mountains is home to the rare Rwenzori Turaco.
However, what they collectively offer is the fantastic opportunity of communing with nature, appreciating and enjoying her awesome gifts, and being at one with her.