Page 167 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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Western Uganda Preserves NATURAL WONDERS

vs Kruger National Park

The wide waterways, tangled jungles, and open plains of Western Uganda make up Africa’s most
biodiverse safari destination, an unspoiled alternative to the more famous Kruger

waterways dense with hippos and elephants, and nature-lovers face to face with hippos, buffalos,
NEED TO KNOW
exploring the open plains where lions eye herds elephants, pelicans, and waterfowl, while the
LOCATION The preserves are of grazing antelopes. fringing woodland is one of the most reliable
in the Western Rift Valley near %&. 3&1 (VMV
the Congolese border, west of $0/(0 In the south of the region is the dense mountain places on earth to spot giant forest hogs. The
the capital, Kampala -BLF 6("/%" rain forest of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, remote Ishasha Plains are justly renowned for
"MCFSU
AREA Bwindi: 127 sq miles which protects about half the world’s remaining their tree-climbing lions, while elsewhere patches
(330 sq km); Kibale: 295 sq miles
,BNQBMB
(765 sq km); Queen Elizabeth: 8&45&3/ mountain gorillas. Staring into the deep brown eyes of dense forest enclose saline crater lakes tinged
765 sq miles (1,980 sq km); Murchison 6("/%" of one of these gentle giants is a uniquely fulfilling pink by thousands of flamingos.
13&4&37&4
Falls: 1,485 sq miles (3,840 sq km)
-BLF experience. Consider heading farther north to the To the far north lies Murchison Falls National
KEY WILDLIFE Mountain gorillas, ,BCBMF 7JDUPSJB
chimpanzees, elephants, giant forest hogs lowland forest of Kibale Forest National Park, one of Park, which is Uganda’s largest national park.
Africa’s top chimp-tracking destinations. Its dense Daily boat trips follow the Nile, its banks lined
canopy is also home to the continent’s highest with grunting hippos and gaping crocodiles, to
Western Uganda receives far fewer tourists than concentration of monkeys, including the acrobatic the base of Murchison Falls, where the world’s
Kruger, but it surpasses all other safari destinations red colobus and black-and-white colobus. longest river erupts through a cleft in the Rift
for sheer biodiversity. Here, where the East African On the Rift Valley floor between Bwindi and Valley escarpment in a deafening white plume.
savannah meets the West African rain forest – or Kibale lies Queen Elizabeth National Park, where Lions, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, and various
less prosaically, where Hemingway’s safari country savanna, forest, and aquatic habitats converge to types of antelope inhabit the palm-studded
meets Tarzan’s jungle – a quartet of superb national create a riot of biodiversity attested to by a bird grassland north of the delta where the Nile flows
parks promises visitors close-up encounters with checklist of 600-plus species, the most recorded in into Lake Albert, which is also a famous haunt of
some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife. Imagine any African national park. Boat trips on the Kazinga the distinctive-looking shoebill, one of the most
hiking to within meters of mighty mountain Channel, with the snow-capped Rwenzori eagerly sought birds in Africa.
gorillas and chimpanzees, navigating tropical Mountains looming high on the horizon, bring
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
FORGET KRUGER? Getting There and Around Where to Stay
Entebbe International Airport, The park’s lodges and camps can
THE BUILD-UP The size of a small European country, 19 miles (30 km) south of the be small and intimate. Popular
Kruger is South Africa’s largest national park, and capital Kampala, is the main options are Mweya Lodge (see
one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the port of entry to Uganda. From Where to Eat), Kibale Primate
world. The mammal checklist of 150 species exceeds here, most visitors explore the Lodge (www.ugandalodges.
western parks by road over one com), Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge
that of any other African park, and its scrubby plains
or two weeks – private safaris (www.volcanoessafaris.com),
are home to more than 13,000 elephants and
can be arranged through and Paraa Lodge in Murchison
25,000 buffalos, alongside high concentrations of operators in Kampala. Bwindi, Falls (www.paraalodge.com).
lions, leopards, rhinos, and other safari favorites. Kibale Forest, and Queen
When to Go
Elizabeth can also all be reached
THE LETDOWN Organized safaris to this immense via public transportation. Any time, though the wettest
ABOVE Safari vehicles clogging the road, Kruger National Park, months (Apr, May, Oct, Nov) make
park almost invariably focus on the southern quarter, South Africa Where to Eat gorilla- and chimp-tracking hard.
which is the closest sector to Johannesburg and The camps and lodges in the
Budget per Day for Two
intensely developed for tourism. As a result, the roads carry too much traffic and big-cat sightings attract dozens of national parks all serve food. US$300–US$430 for an
vehicles jostling for the best place, transforming what should be a wilderness into something more like a parking lot. The best à la carte restaurant in all-inclusive organized
any of the parks, with a cuisine
reflecting its Indian ownership, safari. Gorilla-tracking
GOING ANYWAY? The crowds can be avoided in Kruger if you rent your own car and use dirt side roads in permits cost US$500.
is at Mweya Lodge (www.
favor of the main paved roads. You can also focus your attention on the under-explored central and northern
mweyalodge.com) in Queen Website
regions, and stay in low-key camps such as Letaba, Shingwedzi, and Punda Maria. Elizabeth National Park. www.uwa.or.ug

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