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Lodges Queen Elizabeth National Park Accommodation Uganda Africa

Accommodation:
A range of accommodation catering for a variety of budgets such as Jacana safari lodge, Mweya  safari lodge as well as Ishasha camp catering for up market accommodation.
Camps are available in Ishasha, Maramagambo as well as Mweya for camping.
Other camps include Kichwamba escarpment, King fisher camp and a hippo hill camp near Katwe.

Lodges Kidepo Valley National Park Accommodation Uganda Africa

Accommodation:
A range of accommodation of self-catering hostels are provided and they are made of 14 bandas  each with 2 beds.
Visitors are advised to bring their own drinks during they stay since a few drinks of beer and  soda are provided, cooking facilities are also provided for special meals.

Uganda Safari Company manages a small rest camp in Apoka, which provides food and bedding for up  market on full board basis. However, the park provides 2 “do it your self” campsites well  supplied with water, charcoal and firewood.

Kidepo Tours Uganda, Expedition, Wildlife Safari Kidepo Valley Attractions Africa

Tourist attractions:
From Apoka Rest Camp verandah, visitors can view a variety of endemic species of which, the park  gives you a chance to view both the zebra and giraffe since sits the only park in Uganda where  visitors can view both of them as well as other different wildlife.

Among other animals present are buffaloes, elephants, giraffes and especially tree climbing  lions in the dry season.
Wildlife viewing locations:
Game drives in Narus valley as well as Morungole Mountains where hiking is carried out, as well  as Lonhili Mountain near the park’s headquarters.
Visitors can also enjoy sand picnic, view borassus palm forest in the Kidepo valley as well as  visiting the hot springs in Kanangorok near Kidepo River Valley, for just 11km.

The spectacular park’s land is dominated by mountain and savannah landscape. In the Southwest of  the park, we find the Narus valley, while in the Western boundary of the park. WE find rugged  Napore-Nyagea Mountain which divides it from the Kidepo Valley in the Northeast we find the  Lakayot hills.

The Lotukei Mountains and Morungole range marks the North in the Sudan and Southern end of the  park respectively.
The ethnic group Emuya dance of the Nyangea and Napore as well as the Acholi Apit dances  entertain visitors during their community walk.
Other visitors will be attracted to see the Karimojong’s kraals and homesteads to have a chance  to see their traditional stools, customs, spears, dresses, bows and arrows, jewellery and  knives, of which some are seen at the park’s head offices.

Visitors are advised to prepare for the visit 2 days in advance either from UWA headquarters in  Kampala or Apoka headquarters.
Visitors moving along the Kotido-Lira road will view the Labwor hills scenery as well as Alerek  rock 55km from Kotido, while for visitors moving along Moroto-Soroti will view Alelilek steep  volcanoes.

Fauna and Flora:
The park is dominated by clear tree savannah vegetation, which keeps on changing due to  composition and structure.
The hills are also dominated by dry mountains and forests and Acacia geradi forest supported by  Lorupei River.

The  park is a home to more than 80 species of mammals  not found else where in Uganda’s parks.  The region of Karamoja and Kidepo has special carnivores species which include; hunting dog,  stripped hyena, bateared fox, cheetah, caracal and aardwolf. Among other unknown ungulates  include chandiers mountain reedbuck, kipspringer, greater and lesser kudu and dikdik.

Large ungulates include burchell’s zebra, bush elephant, warthog, Cape buffalo, oribi, bohor,  reedbuck, Rothschild giraffe, bush duiker, defassa, waterbuck and bush pig.

Among the carnivores include; lion, spotted hyena, leopards, side stripped jackal, black backed  jackals, small cats as well as some few primates, which stand in Kavirondo bush baby.

The park also supports 465 different species of avifauna. In 1995, other 3 new species were  recorded and research shows that 112 of these species were not found in any parks of Uganda,  with the kori bustard and ostrich being common in this area.

The park is also a home to different 58 birds of prey species and 14 are known to be endemic to  only Karamoja and Kidepo areas. Such as Egyptian vulture, Pygmy falcon and Verreaux’s eagle.  Among others include Jackson’s horn bills, red-billed and yellow billed. Others common are  Abyssinia ground hornbill, all found in Kidepo.

Due to limited research made on the park, visitors will be able to see other species, since the  landscape is well raised on hills, giving visitors stunning views in the park.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy the park’s beauty when they start guided walks. Here they  will appreciate the peace for atmosphere and the loveliest mountain scenery of the park.

Getting to Kidepo Uganda Safari,Vacation Ideas, Travel and Safari Trip Africa

How to get there:
The park can be accessed either by road or air. Road means could be of an advantage since most  of Karamoja areas are scenic and they are in wilderness. Despite the bad road conditions, a 4WD  can be used.
Visitors are notified that the Kotido to Kaabong road is mainly used and it passes via Kanawavat  not.

Via Losilang as most known as it was indicated on the maps. For further information, visitors  coming by road contact UWA headquarters.

The major routes are:
Kampala via Mbale-Soroti-Moroto-Kidepo- for 792km.
Kampala via Mbale-Sironko-Kotido-Kidepo for 740km.
Kampala via Karuma-Lira-Kidepo for 705km.

By Air:
Entebbe International Airport offers chartered aircrafts to the park’s headquarters.
An airstrip is managed by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at Lome’s South of the headquarters of  the park (3km).
The CAA is intending to make Lomes an International Airport, which will allow visitors to fly  direct from other countries.
Charter flights may be organized with United Airline, Eagle Aviation, Mission Aviation,  Fellowship as well as other companies in Kampala.

Kidepo National Park Safari Uganda

KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK.

Introduction:
Kidepo is situated on Uganda’s boarder with Sudan and Kenya. In the extreme corner of Uganda,  the park .In the extreme corner of Uganda, the park covers an area of 1442km.
In East Africa, the park harbours scenery unsurpassed than any other parks.
Visitors usually do promise to come back to Kidepo and their only comment is,
“It could not be any better”.
The park’s savannah offers a breathtaking moment as well as a mountainous landscape ending up in  a rugged horizon. Due to change in climatic conditions, a number of animal species in the park  are diversed as a result of wide altitudinal range, hence causing a diverse in the flora.

Murchison Falls National Park Uganda Safari Africa, Adventure Holiday Uganda

MURCHISON FALLS.
Introduction:
Murchison Falls is situated in the Northern end of Albertine Rift Valley, where the Bunyoro  escarpment is located into the Acholi land vast plains. The initially gazetted game reserve was  one of the oldest conservation areas in Uganda, used to protect the savannah as described by  Winston Churchill in 1907 as Zoo combined on an unlimited scale and Kew Gardens.

In 1907, Murchison Falls hosted many visitors such as Winston Churchill, then Theodore Roosevelt  in 1090, who both visited the Falls.

In the Movie “African Queen” of John Huston, the Falls provided a backdrop to Humphrey Bogart in  1951. It was filmed along the Nile and on Lake Albert.
Other visitors include the Prince of Wales in 1930 and 1959 the Queen mother also visited the  Fall.

Ernest Hemingway was the happiest couple that visited the falls since he literally dropped in  the Falls when he was trying to over fly the Falls.
However, his plane got stranded on a telegraph wire. Hemingway was later rescued with his wife  and taken to Butiaba. However, on take off, the rescue plane crushed.

The Victoria Nile bisects the park down 60km of rapids, then plunging 40m over remnant Rift  valley walls at the falls.

Sir Samuel Baker was the early explorer who named the Water Falls in 1864 and considered it the  Source of the Nile. The Water Falls flows further 55km to Lake Albert on a Rift valley floor.  This stretch of the river calls for wildlife spectacles like the hippopotamus, Nile crocodile,  elephants, buffalo and giraffe.

The park is one of Uganda’s most protected areas, covering 3893km2 than the Murchison Falls  (5072km2), which even extends to Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves.

The lowest area in Uganda is the corridor at Albert Nile (Delta point is 612m).
Maximum temperatures go up to 290C, with the months of mid February and December being the  hottest and rain season being April and November.

Lake Mburo National Park Uganda Safari Africa, Adventure Holiday Uganda

LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK (LMNP).

LMNP is one of the most exciting places to be for every part of your life. The park’s harbours  are surrounded with several mammal species, which include; zebras, elands, topi, buffalos and  impalas as well as a variety of birds which, stand to include the rare shoebill stork, crested  cranes and many other.

A wide range of Mosaic habitats on the sculptured landscape include rich acacia tree valley,  seasonal and permanent swamps supporting wildlife wealth as well as forest galleries. The  landscape is covered with idyllic lakeshores and rolling grassy hills. However, its also covered  with its mosaic habitat of rocky outcrops, bushes, thickets wooded savannahs, swamps, lakes,  forests, dry hill side and open savannahs which support a number of wildlife and plants.

LMNP is the smallest Savannah National park in the whole of Uganda, covering 370km only.

Location:
The park is situated in Mbarara district and can be easily accessed using the Kampala-Masaka  road for just 3.5 hours. 13km past Lyantonde, you turn left to Nshara gate or 27km past  Lyantonde turn left at Sanga trading centre for another route. These 2 routes all have well  demarcated sign posts to show you the right directions.

To Rwonyo park head quarters, it’s about 2 minutes drive from the 2 gates.
Its about 8km from the main road to Nshara and 13km from Nsanga trading centre to Nsanga gate.

Fauna and Flora:
LMNP supports a tremendous biodiversity, which stands to include 68 mammal species such as  buffalos, topis, elands, zebras and impalas as well as hyenas, jackals, and leopards that are  predators. The park is also a home to more than 315 species of birds which include; African  foot, rare shoe bill stork, papyrus yellow warbler, brown chested wattled carruther’s cisticola  great snipe, white winged warbler, Abyssinian ground horn bill, tobora cisticola, sandle billed  stork as well as the dominant woody vegetation of Acacia species. Boscia species and olea  species, all being supported by Lake Mburo.

Bwindi National Park Uganda Safari Africa, Adventure Holiday Uganda

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK.

The Reserve Forest was gazetted in 1942to enlarge to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park  around 1992. In 1994 then it was seen as a World Heritage Site.

The word ‘impenetrable’ is refered to as ‘Bwindi’ in the local language (Lukiga). This is true  because it covers 327km2 of thick vegetation on a steep high and slippy landscape, along with  draughty ridges.

It is all about effort, if the terrain is far and difficult to negotiate. In tour of some of the  endangered mountain gorillas, a trek could be suitable for this all time rainforest. Especially  during night and morning, the impenetrable forest is cold, with the coldest months being June  and July.
The average temperatures range from 70C-200C per annual. Therefore, visitors are required to  move along with their warm clothes and wet weather gear especially in the months of March-May  and September-November heavy rains. However, rain falls in long soft drizzle hours instead of  short tropical deluges in Bwindi. This is due to its heavy rainfall of about 2390mm of rain per  year.

Getting to Queen Elizabeth,Vacation Ideas, Travel and Safari Trip Africa

How to get there.
The park can be reached by air or road. However, driving is more rewarding using the tarmac road  of Mbarara-Kasese-Fort portal highway, which runs through the centre of the park. Passing  through Mweya is just 22km from the main tourism hub.

The park can also be accessible from the South via Mbarara when coming from Kampala for 420km  and 410km via Fort Portal in the North.
These two routes can be accompanied by visits to Lake Mburo and Kibale National Park as well as  Semuliki National Park.
Bwindi National Park is also another alternative for one to reach the park from the South.

The park can also be easily accessible by use of Charter flights on the airstrips of Kasese,  Ishasha and Mweya.

Flora and Fauna:
Queen Elizabeth National Park supports a tremendous diversity of 95 mammal species and 612 bird  species as well as 57 types of vegetation being categorized into 5 divisions of swamp, bushy,  grassland, acacia woodland and forests.
Habitants on the park’s grassland are elephants, Uganda kob, giant forest hog, leopard, lions,  hyena, waterbuck, Cape buffalo, warthog and giant forest hog, while in Ishasha we find the topi  as well as the forest primates in Kyambura Gorge.

Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda

Queen Elizabeth covers an area of 1978km2 between Lake George and Edward.
The area is covered and supports 612 bird species and 95 species of mammals.
The diverse features described by Douglas Willocks led to its existance in 1952, over 40 years  ago. Ever since, there is still no good introduction as to why one should visit the park.

Geographically, the area covers 30 miles to the North, concentrated mountains, composites, the  Blue Rwenzori, which had exploded from the plain. Fort miles wide and 60 miles long surrounded  with a bright blue light, with a clear sky.
Across Lake Edward to the Far West in long sight is the blue too, Mitumbe hills seen up right,  but when closer are green precipitous unfriendly wooded. The calm green escarpment surrounds the  park in the Western Rift valley. The endless savannah is also surrounded by hills, mountains as  well as lakes.

The park has well protected areas like Kigezi and Kyambura 256km2 and 154km2 respectively as  well as some wildlife reserves of Kibale National Park, and Kalinzu Forest Reserve. In the  Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Virunga National Park in the mountains is also a well- protected area.

Due to the mountains surrounding the park, a dramatic scenery has been created. The park is also  surrounded by a rift valley floor raising from 480m to 710m near the Kazinga channel, to 1390m.  Since the park is located near the equator and low altitudes, temperatures keep on being warm  from 180C to 280C. However, the park receives rainfall in the months of March, May and  September-November with the total rainfall being 1250mm of rain.

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