Where in Uganda can we find the big five?

Where in Uganda can we find the big five?: Many travelers keep wondering about the meaning of the majestic Big Five! Well, these are the big five mammals of the world. They include the lions, buffaloes, leopards, rhinos, and elephants. They are called the big five not because of their weight but because they were difficult and dangerous to hunt on foot by the big game hunters in the 19th century.

Tourists looking for where to find the majestic big five should know that Uganda has several places to find them. The lions, leopards, elephants, and buffaloes can be found in Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park. In Lake Mburo National Park, tourists can find the buffaloes and leopards while Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the only home to the southern white rhinos.

Places where tourists can find big mammals

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

Located in Nakasongola district, Ziwa Sanctuary is the only home to whit rhinos in Uganda. The area is a home to other wildlife species but was established in 20025, and southern white rhinos were introduced. This place is mostly visited by tourists visiting the northern part of Uganda as they head to or from Murchison Falls National Park or Kidepo Valley National Park.

To encounter the white rhinos of Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, tourists must pay an entrance fee to access the area. A briefing is done to teach the tourists the rules and regulations of the activity before assigning guides to lead them into the jungle. The activity is done on foot and tourists get to have a closer look at the rhinos as they do daily activities like breastfeeding, feeding, and resting to mention but a few.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Hidden in the extreme north eastern corner of Uganda near South Sudan, Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the best national parks to visit not only in Uganda but in Africa at large. It’s a home to several wildlife species among which include those that are endemic to the region, meaning that they can’t be seen anywhere else in the country apart from that park.

Day and night game drives are the best way for tourists to see the animals of Kidepo Valley National Park. They are carried out in different park areas using different game tracks. The big mammals to see in this park are the lions, buffaloes, elephants, and leopards.

Murchison Falls National Park

Covering a total area of 3,893 sq.km, Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda. This is another park where tourists can see the big mammals in the savanna, and woodland vegetation. By carrying out game drives during the day and night for those interested in seeing nocturnal animals, tourists will be able to see lions, buffaloes, leopards, and elephants.

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most famous savannah park in the country famous for hosting the tree climbing lions. These are found in Ishasha sector where tourists find them lazily hanging on big fig trees which is very rare to find. The park also has other lions that don’t climb trees in Kasenyi plains, buffaloes, elephants, and leopards.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is the closest national park to Kampala the country’s capital city which attracts tourist especially those who have limited time on the safari. It’s famous for hosting the zebras that are absent in other parks in the country. The big mammals within this park are the buffaloes and leopards which are seen during game drives.

The most appropriate time to see the big mammals of Uganda.

To see the majestic big five mammals of Uganda, tourists must take part in game drive activities where several game tracks are used to search for where the animals could be. The best time for such an activity is during the dry season when the tracks are dry and easier to pass through. The best time to find the animals is early in the morning when some have not yet gotten back to their hiding places, and in the evening when the animals are back to grazing.

Tourists who want to see the nocturnal animals namely leopards and lions can carry out night game drives in Murchison Falls National Park and Lake Mburo National Park. For tourists who want to carry out lion tracking, the activity is available in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and it gives you an opportunity to get closer to the lions.

Other wild animals found in Uganda

Uganda national parks do not have only the big five mammals, they have other animals such as cheetahs, spotted hyenas, zebras, caracal, giraffes, hartebeests, topis, Uganda jobs, impalas, waterbucks, elands, reedbuck, sitatungas, crocodiles, hippos, giant forest hogs, warthogs, mangabeys, ostriches, red colobus monkeys, patas monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, lesser kudus and dik dik to mention but a few.