The pearl of Africa has a great deal to offer in terms of landscapes, culture, wildlife, historical tours, and a lot more. But wildlife tours remain the top tourism activities that Uganda has to offer. With a total of ten national parks, thirteen wildlife sanctuaries, twelve wildlife reserves, and five community wildlife management areas; wildlife safaris are a major part of Uganda’s tourism.
Among all the wildlife tourism activities in Uganda, gorilla trekking is still Uganda’s top tourism icon. However, besides gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park and Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, savannah game drives are also top of the bucket list activities in Uganda.
Murchison falls, and Lake Mburo National parks are the most recommended savannah national park because of the road conditions in these two national parks. They are Uganda’s most accessible national parks. But besides these two national parks, there are several other Uganda parks and reserves that will require a tourist to rent a 4×4 car regardless of the season of the year.
Here are the five hardest-to-access national parks and game reserves in Uganda:
- Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo national park is Uganda’s leading savannah national park. The park shares its boundaries with Kidepo game reserve in South Sudan. This border location has scared away several people from visiting Kidepo valley national park assuming that the place is likely unstable given the civil war in South Sudan.
Many people that have visited Kidepo valley national park always place it above all other savannah national parks in Uganda. This is partly because of the large wildlife population and the wilderness landscapes that are hard to find in other Uganda national parks.
But amidst the positive reviews for Kidepo valley national park, the park is faced with two main challenges; road conditions and petrol fuel issues. Unless you get an extra fuel tank in Kitgum, it is mostly like that you will face fuel issues in Kidepo valley national park more so if you are driving petrol.
Though the government of Uganda is working on improving the road network in Kidepo valley national park locality, the roads are still poor. A 4×4 car is a prerequisite to access Kidepo valley national park more so in the rainy season.
- Pian Upe Game Reserve
Pian Upe game reserve is the second largest wildlife conservation area in Uganda. The reserve is seated on a land expanse of 2275 square kilometers. In the recent past, Uganda wildlife Authority has made efforts to reintroduce wild species such as Giraffes in the same reserve.
There are plans to turn Pian Upe into a national park but for now, it is among the few wildlife reserves remaining in Uganda. Its location between Moroto and Sipi falls/ Mount Elgon area makes it one of the must-visit destinations in North Eastern Uganda. But many people have overlooked visiting the Pian Upe game reserve mainly because of the road condition.
It is one of the places in Uganda that you might not be able to visit in the rainy season. Sometimes the roads flood and on other occasions, they are simply impassable because of damage caused by rain run-off on the unpaved roads. Therefore, whenever you are planning to visit this reserve; always put the weather into consideration.
- Ishasha Sector Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park has for a long time been the most visited national park in Uganda. The main tourism icon of Queen Elizabeth National park is the tree-climbing lion. Unfortunately, these tree-climbing lions are found in the Ishasha sector which is one of the most inaccessible parts of Queen Elizabeth national park.
A four-wheel drive car is of absolute necessity when exploring the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park. The good news is; the road is under construction. It will hopefully get finished by 2024.
- Matheniko Game Reserve
Matheniko game reserve is also located within the Karamoja conservation area. It is among the top five most threatened conservation reserves in Uganda. Due to the poor road conditions in this national park, it also receives only a few tourists regardless of having a wide diversity of savannah wildlife.
For those interested in Kara tunga tours in northern Uganda, matheniko is one of the places to always consider including on your itinerary. But like other Karamoja areas; traveling in the dry season is highly recommended for purposes of accessibility.
- Bokora Wildlife Reserve
The Bokora corridor is part of the Metheniko and Pian Upe reserves. For the best of Eastern Uganda, it is recommended to consider mountain Elgon national park along with these three game reserves. Bokora wildlife reserve is situated between the Pian Upe game reserve and Matheniko gama reserve.
The experience of visiting the three of them is a phenomenon but the main challenge is accessibility and accommodation. A self drive camping trip with a rooftop tent can serve you better in regard to the issue of limited accommodation. For more information and tips on a suitable 4×4 to visit those parks, contact Camp Masters Uganda, specialists in car hire in Uganda and beyond.
