Other must-see big game animals in Uganda. Big Five safaris through Uganda – wildlife Safaris in Uganda.
Other must-see big game animals in Uganda. Since the Africa Big 5 list is no longer determined by the size of the animals and the difficulty of hunting them, we can securely readjust that list to feature more impressive African safari wildlife. Uganda is incredibly blessed with big wild animals that do not feature on the famous Africa Big 5 list. Most notable is the mountain gorilla, arguably the most sought-after animal in Uganda.
Big Five Game Adventures in Uganda.
Uganda’s Big 5 animals list, the five best to see on Uganda safari
The mountain gorilla is number one on Uganda’s big five lists. This endangered ape lives in only two places in the world and Uganda has the biggest population in two national parks.
Thousands of travelers flock to the impenetrable rainforests of Bwindi National Park to spend that precious moment with this magnificent gentle giant. They’ll tell you that the experience is unmatched in any African safari encounter. So, in our books, the mountain gorilla qualifies for the BIG African wildlife list.
You can see the mountain gorilla on a guided gorilla trekking safari in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Mgahinga National Park for a fee of a gorilla permit issued by UWA for US$700 per person and spend one hour sitting in their presence.
if you got the heart for it, take a gorilla habituation experience safari and spend more than 4 hours foraging with a family of semi-habituated mountain gorillas for a permit fee of USD$1500 per person.
Rothschild Giraffe in Uganda
The Northern Giraffe should be on the list of African safari “BIG” game animals found in Uganda. Rothschild’s giraffe is rare elsewhere in its former range but very common in the northern part of Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo, and very recently (2019) and newly translocated to Pian Upe Game Reserve.
The world’s tallest animal (up to 5.5m) lives in loosely structured mixed-sex herds, typically numbering between five and 15 animals. As herd members can disperse over an area of up to 1km, they are frequently seen singly or in smaller groups, though large assemblages are typical in Uganda.
7 out of 10 tourists visiting Uganda’s rainforest parks will say they have come to see our playful primate cousins. Much work has gone into habituating chimpanzee families for tourism in Kibale Forest, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semliki Wildlife Reserve, and the Budongo and Kanyiyo Pabidi forests near Murchison Falls National Park.
The chimpanzee’s celebrity status among travelers earns it a great position among the Africa Big Animals to see on safari in Uganda, and even you cannot dispute that. Chimpanzee-tracking excursions happen in Kibale every day, and it’s one of the most extraordinary safari experiences you can have in Uganda.
Hippopotamus.
This large, lumbering aquatic animal occurs naturally on most African lakes and waterways, where it spends most of the day submerged but emerges from the water to graze at night. Hippos are strongly territorial, with herds of ten or more animals being presided over by a dominant male.
In Uganda, the best places to see the hippopotamus are in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo national parks, where they can be seen in huge impressive herds around waterways. On a boat launch safari on the Nile in Murchison Falls, especially at the foot of the thundering falls, you’ll most definitely encounter a school.
Cheetah
Like the leopard, the cheetah is the most diurnal of Africa’s cat species and hunts using speed instead of stealth. Cheetahs use their high speeds to catch their prey but cannot sustain top speeds for much more than a few hundred meters.
Because the Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land mammal found in Uganda and competes with other African Big 5 members for pray, it earns itself a great seat at the African BIG animals’ table located in Uganda without a doubt.
Like leopards, cheetahs are heavily spotted and solitary in their habits, but their greyhound-like build, distinctive black tear marks, and preference for grassland and savanna habitats preclude confusion.
In Uganda, Cheetah occurs almost exclusively in the Karamoja region, in the vicinity of Kidepo National Park, where an estimated 53–310 individuals have been recorded.
Contact us with any details on taking a safari through Uganda to encounter both the Big Five animals and also the must-see animals in Uganda.
