With so many gorgeous national parks and conservation areas, Uganda is an East African destination worth visiting because of the number of wild animals it houses.
Uganda is home to a variety of wild animals that are simply stunning to look at. The country is a must-see tourist destination in East Africa because it has so many gorgeous national parks and so many more conservation areas.
It is fortunate to have a variety of animal habitats, including spectacular tropical rainforests, lakes, and rivers.
These wild animals of Uganda come in all shapes and sizes, from the largest to the smallest, and they all live in the country’s protected zones. They can best be seen on game drives, outdoor hikes, and cruises.
Here are the top wild animals to see in Uganda, including where you can see them.
The Uganda Kob
A common sighting on a wildlife drive in Uganda is the amazing animal known as the Uganda Kob. The fur coat of the Uganda Kob is reddish brown with white streaks on the neck and belly. A black stripe runs down the front of each foreleg, and there is a white ring around each eye.
They are found in Uganda’s moist savanna, floodplains, and forests, especially in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks.
The Mountain Gorilla
In Uganda, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga national parks are home to mountain gorillas. Uganda contains half of the world’s mountain gorillas.
The majority of the time, gorillas eat leaves, celery, bamboo shoots, fruits, and pulp. The mature silverback can grow to a height of 4-6 feet, weigh up to 230 kg, and can live for 35 years. Men are larger than women.
They dwell in family groups of five to forty people, each led by a dominant silverback. Each night, gorillas build nests on the ground or in low-lying trees to rest.
Observing them on a trek up close in the wild and learning more about them is always awe-inspiring.
Chimpanzees
In Uganda, Kibale National Park is the finest place to watch chimpanzees because there are about 1500 of them there.
On a Uganda safari, you can also visit the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ngamba Island, Kalinzu Forest, Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls Park, and Semuliki Wildlife Reserve to observe chimpanzees.
Chimpanzees mostly consume leaves and fruit, but they occasionally switch to eating ants and can kill colobus monkeys for meat.
Lions
In Uganda, lions can be observed in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison Falls national Park, and Kidepo Valley National Park. Most tourists who go on safari to Uganda hope to see a lion, among most of the other animals.
They are the greatest carnivores and consume a minimum of 8 kg of flesh per day by preying on other animals. It is amazing to observe lions lazing around in trees during a safari game drive.
Rothschild Giraffe
The Rothschild giraffe, which can grow to a height of 19.7 feet, is the tallest kind and is exclusively found in Uganda. Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo, and Murchison Falls National Parks all have these to be seen.
Their front legs are longer than their back legs, which are long and robust. They consume fruits, seedpods, flowers, and leaves as food.
A variety of Birds
The number of birds discovered in Uganda, which is Africa’s top birding destination, exceeds 1000! Many of these species are confined to tropical jungles.
They include the shoe bill, Green-breasted Pitta, African Green Broadbill, Great Blue Turaco, Short-tailed Warbler, Shelley’s Crimsonwing, Standard-winged Nightjar, Doherty’s Bushshrike, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-breasted Barbet among many more.
The African Elephants
The best places to see African elephants in Uganda are Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park, Kidepo valley national park, and Kibale and Bwindi impenetrable forest national parks.
They are the largest of all land mammals in the world so far. Elephants weigh between 4000 and 6000 kilograms when they are old. They can consume up to 200 kilograms of grass per day and up to 150 liters of water.
White Rhinoceros
The only white rhinos left in Uganda are the Southern white rhinos, which were brought back after going extinct in the country in 1983.
Since rhinos in Uganda’s national parks have been hunted to extinction, rhino tracking is now only done at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a ranch in the Nakasongola district. Uganda lacks a national park.
Leopard
One of Uganda’s must-see wildlife species is the leopard. Given that leopards are nocturnal animals and difficult to spot, seeing one on a safari in Uganda is such a unique experience.
Due to their reclusive nature and frequent sleeping in trees, leopards are difficult to notice. They are popular in Lake Mburo, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, and Murchison Falls National Parks.
Zebra
Uganda is home to over 3000 zebras. They can be found in Lake Mburo national park and Kidepo valley national park.
Their distinctive black and white stripes, which are present on every zebra, make them easy to recognize. Also, they feed on only grass.
The Nile Crocodile
The Nile crocodile is the kind of crocodile that is most frequently observed in Uganda, particularly in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks as well as along lakes and rivers like Albert and Victoria.
These have a 6-meter maximum length and a 700-kg weight limit. They prey primarily on fish when hunting predators.
The African Buffalo
One of the big five mammals, the buffalo, is present in the majority of Uganda’s protected areas. You can be sure to see buffalos on land or in the water when you go on a safari in one of Uganda’s protected regions.
That’s most likely during a boat tour down the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park or on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Golden monkeys
Only in Mgahinga National Park can one see golden monkeys in Uganda. It is one of the 20 primate species found in Uganda, and it is extremely elusive and rare.
The name “golden monkeys” come from their distinctive look and exceptional color, which is almost gold. They move quickly and with playfulness.
Sitatunga
A semi-aquatic antelope known as the sitatunga spends its entire life in wetlands. They typically feed along the beach, but they are quite reticent and eat woody and marsh vegetation.
The females have long spiral horns and are light brown with white markings. They are typically observed in Uganda’s Lake Mburo National Park.
Impalas
Impalas are like antelopes. They have long necks and lean legs. Males have S-shaped, widely-spaced horns, whereas females lack horns. They are mainly active throughout the day and eat grass and bushes.
Black and White Colobus monkeys
In Uganda, these are the most typical and widespread. They are stunning primates with long tails, a white side stripe, and a black body.
They consume fruits, twigs, flowers, and leaves as food. Forests, forested grasslands, and riverine forests are the habitats of black and white colobus monkeys.
These can be found, among other places, in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth, Ssemuliki, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Kibale national parks.
Vervet monkeys
These monkeys can be found in grasslands and forests close to lakes, rivers, and marshes.
Vervet monkeys devour fruits, leaves, and tiny creatures like lizards for food. When they see danger, they raise straight on their hind legs, shout out an alarm to alert the others, and typically they climb up from the ground to safety.
Warthogs (Pumba)
Common Warthogs are wild pigs that can be found in Uganda’s savanna parks. They may survive without water for months and emerge from the muck dark, black, or reddish.
They typically feed while kneeling on their knees, which is a humorous weird activity. They consume grass, roots, fruits, bark, and other plant materials as herbivores.
Elands
The largest antelope species is the eland, which is a herbivore that eats grass, fruits, herbs, and leaves. The Elands stay away from deep forests and live in savanna plains, grasslands, and woodlands.
In Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve are home to Elands.
Spotted Hyena
The hue of a Spotted Hyena varies from pale buff to drab grey, and it has random dots all over its body that get fainter with maturity.
Most of Uganda’s savanna parks, including Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park, regularly feature hyena sightings. A hyena is a huge, powerfully built animal with a bushy, short tail with dark tips.
Hyena females are larger than males; they can give birth to up to 4 black cubs. Hyenas are renowned for scavenging and are known to follow lions to share the kill. Despite their actions, they are skilled hunters and prey on smaller animals like antelopes.
Cheetah
Cheetahs have a black tear mark that extends from the corner of the eye to the bottom of the coat, which is gold with black patches.
In Uganda, they are rarely observed, but the best chances are had when going on multiple game drive safaris in Kidepo National Park.
Conclusion
Uganda is the best place to have a safari in Africa especially when your main aim is to stop and see wild animals. Many tourists flock to the country to have a glimpse of the famous mountain Gorilla, Chimpanzee, Golden monkey, Red-tailed monkey, and black and white colobus monkey.
Other animals such as the Lion, Leopard, Jackel, Hyena serval cat, Elephants, buffaloes, Rhinos, Uganda Kob, Elends, and Warthog are also loved. You must visit Uganda to see these animals and more in the wild, it’s simply breathtaking!
