Uganda currently has 10 national parks located in different parts of the country, with Murchison Falls National Park being the biggest and Lake Mburo being the smallest.
Not all of these parks are visited often. Some parks, like Mt. Elgon National Park, are at risk of losing their national park status because they bring in very little revenue for the Uganda Wildlife Authority. This means that Uganda might have 9 national parks in the future—or even more if UWA upgrades some reserves.
Many travelers book Uganda safaris each year, and this article shows the parks they visit the most. I personally visited over twenty safari operators who shared the itineraries of their last 10 trips. This helped me gather information and present to you the 5 most visited or popular national parks in Uganda, to help you plan your safari better.
If parks like Mt. Elgon and Semuliki are rarely visited, why should you prioritize them? I believe it is better to follow what most travelers choose, because sometimes people know what is best for them. So, which are the most visited national parks in Uganda?
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth is clearly the most visited national park in Uganda. The park is called “A Medley of Wonders” because of the many beautiful views in its natural setting. This park has a lot of wildlife but is most famous for its tree-climbing lions found in the savannah plains of the Ishasha sector.
Popular activities in Queen include: game viewing in Ishasha and Kasenyi trails, chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, bird watching, and boat rides on the Kazinga Channel. However, more than 95% of visits here are for wildlife viewing. I recently ranked Queen Elizabeth National Park as the best place for wildlife safaris in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi comes second on the list. This park is well known for gorilla trekking because it is home to more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, making it the best place to see them.
Of all the national parks in Uganda, Bwindi brings in the most revenue for Uganda Wildlife Authority, thanks to the large number of visitors. Each visitor spends about $600 on a gorilla permit in both the low and high seasons.
Bwindi is easy to access, especially from Rwanda. That is why many tourists book Uganda gorilla trekking safaris starting from Kigali.
Bwindi is also good for both budget and luxury gorilla trekking safaris.
Murchison Falls National Park
Uganda’s largest national park is third on the list. You may wonder why it’s not listed first. The truth is that Queen and Bwindi get more visits because they are closer to each other. It is not common for tourists to track mountain gorillas and then travel to Murchison Falls for wildlife viewing.
Usually, after gorilla trekking, most itineraries go to Queen Elizabeth for wildlife viewing. Murchison Falls is far from Bwindi, which is why it receives fewer visitors. I believe that if Bwindi were close to Murchison, then Murchison would be the most visited national park in Uganda.
This park is mostly known for its main attraction, Murchison Falls—a place where water drops about 45 meters through a narrow gorge. This place is also called “The Devil’s Cauldron.” Despite its size, many people still prefer Queen for wildlife viewing.
Kibale Forest National Park
Kibale is well known for its large number of chimpanzees and is considered the best place for chimpanzee trekking in Uganda and one of the best in Africa. More than 80% of chimp trekking in Uganda happens here. Its location near Bwindi and Queen has helped increase its visitor numbers.
I believe that if this park was not close to the two, it would not sell as many chimpanzee permits as it does now. The main activity in Kibale is chimp trekking, but bird watching and forest walks are also common. Kibale is the fourth most visited national park in Uganda.
Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo is last on the list but is still one of the best places for bird watching in Uganda. It is also a good place for wildlife viewing, though it is much smaller than the others. It is the only park in Uganda with many zebras and impalas. Lake Mburo also has several features that make it a nice place to visit.
That ends our list of the most visited or popular national parks in Uganda. I did not include Kidepo because it does not get as many visitors as the others, but it is still one of the most known wildlife destinations in Africa. If you can, try to include all five of these parks in one safari to enjoy the best wildlife experience in Uganda.
Some safari packages include all these parks, and it is not hard to find one if you search well. Now you know the most visited parks. If you plan to visit any or all of them, you may want to check out my step-by-step guide for booking a good safari in Uganda.
Book your Uganda tours with these recommended Uganda tour companies for a well planned safari. Use the Voucher: UTBlog for up to 25% Discounts on Trips.
