East Africa has a lot to offer to visitors who come to Africa to see wild animals, vegetation types, mountains, water bodies, culture, deep gorges, hills, historical sites, birds, heritage sites among many others. There are different vegetation types like Tropical rain forests, savannah vegetation, woodlands, coastal forests, alpine forests and scrublands, mountains which are snow-capped like mountain Kilimanjaro, Mountain Kenya, and mountain Rwenzori. Other mountains include mountain Elgon, Aberdare range, mountain Mgahinga, mountain Muhabura among others. Water bodies range from lakes which are fresh and salty, rivers, swamps, hot springs, waterfalls, crater lakes on top of volcanoes among others, East African Rift valley which forms the eastern and the western arm with its associated features, the Indian Ocean with its beautiful sand beaches, hills especially in Rwanda covered with green vegetation and many other tourist attractions.

 It should be remembered that these tourist attractions are conserved and managed by different organizations in their respective countries in order to benefit the people through income creation. So our clients should be aware that their travel to East Africa will play a great role in uplifting the lives of the local people.

Since East Africa is so big, with each country being unique with different flora and fauna as listed below;

Uganda

Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa bordered by Southern Sudan in the North, Tanzania in the south, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the west and Kenya in the East. Uganda is endowed with a variety of tourist attractions managed and conserved by different organizations both private and those owned by the state Like Uganda wildlife Authority, National Forestry Authority and many others. Some of the tourist attractions in Uganda range from wild animals, water bodies, mountains, hills, different vegetation types, diverse cultures, and historical sites among others. All these attractions are gazetted in specific areas like national parks, forest reserves, historical sites, cultural sites among many others.

Below are some of the major attractions you can come to visit in Uganda and get unique experiences.

Bwindi Impenetrable national park

This park is found in southwestern Uganda covering an area of 331 square kilometers with dense rainforests and hills covered with mist.

These gentle creatures can only be found in three countries in the whole world with Uganda having more than half of the remaining mountain gorillas and the rest found in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Uganda, mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park both in southwestern parts of the country. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has a variety of plant species close to 400, about 370 mountain gorillas and 120 mammals. You can opt for either gorilla tracking or gorilla habituation depending on your budget. At present, gorilla tracking is at 600 US dollars but in the new financial year starting on 1st July, it will be at 700 US dollars while gorilla habituation will still be at USD 1500 per person. Please book with us in advance so that we can secure for you gorilla permits and accommodation in time.

Kibale National Park

This park is found in western parts of the country within the kingdom of Tooro. It hosts 13 primate species like the Chimpanzees being a major attraction,  red colobus monkeys, Uganda Mangabey, L’Hoest’s monkeys and many others, 70 mammal species like forest elephants, some antelope species, giant forest hogs, buffalos and many others, over 375 bird species. Chimpanzee trekking was designed into ways where there are chimpanzee tracking and chimpanzee habituation. With chimpanzee habituation, you spend the whole day with our closest cousins, while chimpanzee tracking usually takes an hour or two, and also the different activities differ in prices. Chimpanzee tracking permit costs 200 dollars while habituation costs 250 dollars.

It should be remembered that you can also do chimpanzee tracking in Budongo forest within Murchison falls national park, Kyambura Gorge commonly known as the valley of Apes in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Book with us in advance so that we can secure for you chimpanzee permits in time

Murchison Falls National Park

This is the biggest national game park in the country lying at the northern end of the Albertine rift valley. This park is endowed with a variety of habitats like woodland vegetation, savannah vegetation, tropical forest, riverine vegetation all hosting different species of animals insects and birds. The park has 76 mammal species like elephants, giraffes buffalos, antelopes, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, hippos and crocodiles along the river, while on a boat cruise and 451 bird species which can be seen on various activities like game drives, boat cruise, nature walks, hiking, birding among many others.

The park is bisected by the longest river in the world called River Nile creating the southern and the northern bank. On its journey to the Mediterranean Sea within the park, it plunges 45m over the rift valley creating the Murchison Falls. It should be remembered that this falling water squeezes itself in a narrow gorge of 8m wide and plunges with a loud noise that can be heard a distance away from the falls.

 Rwenzori National Park

This park is located in western Uganda in Kasese district to be exact along the Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo border. It covers an area of 995 kilometers squared. This park was gazetted in 1991 as a national park and recognized as a world heritage site in 1994 because of its natural endowment. Rwenzori Mountain is the third highest mountain in Africa after Mountain Kilimanjaro and mountain Kenya all in Kenya. This mountain has six different mountain peaks like Emin, Speke, Gessi, Baker, Savoia, and Stanely.

Mountain Rwenzori gives you an opportunity of ascending the snow-capped peaks and walk on glaciers. The peaks are beautiful covered with mist and carry snow throughout the year. The main activity in Mountain Rwenzori national park is mountain climbing but it also features large mammals in the lower slopes of the mountain like African forest elephants, giant forest hogs, chimpanzees and many others but there are low chances of seeing them, 217 bird species, 9 reptile species, and many others.

The landscape is extremely beautiful comprising of waterfalls, hot springs, blue cirque, lakes, snow, and clad peaks. The park also has some other activities tourists can engage in like Trekking, nature walks, and peak climbing. Visit Rwenzori national park it’s worth to visit.

Mgahinga National Park

This park is located in southwestern Uganda and is the smallest park in Uganda covering an area of 33.7 kilometers squared. It was formed to protect the endangered mountain gorillas in its dense forests which sit at an altitude of 2,227m to 4,127m above sea level. The dense forests are cool and they create conducive conditions for the survival of the endangered mountain gorillas. This park is home to part of the three hundred gorillas located in the Virunga massif and there is only one habituated gorilla group for tracking within this park and Hirwa gorilla family which crossed Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park with 20 individuals into Uganda's Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

It also inhabits the rare golden monkeys and this gives you an opportunity to do two things in one park-like gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking and habituation. Golden monkey trekking takes 4 hours and within this time trekkers are allowed to view and take photos of the golden monkeys. These monkeys are habituated and they can tolerate human presence at a distance. There are six golden monkey families that are used for the golden monkey trekking.

The park also has three volcanoes and this also beautifies the landscape of the park. The volcanoes are Mount Muhavura, Mount Gahinga and Mount Sabinyo where you can do mountain climbing. The volcanoes also contain different ecosystems inhabiting different wild animal species, birds and insects which you can encounter when hiking. The peaks of these volcanoes also give remarkable views of landscape especially Mt. Sabinyo which shared by three countries namely Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This all-day encounter that takes place in a patch of private forest contiguous with the national park provides a fascinating insight into the traditional forest life and lore of the hunter-gatherer culture of the Batwa communities (Pygmies) in the forests of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. You can also do birding for Albertine rift endemic within the Park.

Uganda has ten national parks all offering unique wildlife attractions with different experiences. Apart from the ones mentioned above, the following below are other parks where you can enjoy your wildlife safaris - Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Semuliki National Park among others.

Rwanda

Rwanda is a landlocked country in East Africa bordered by Uganda in the north, Tanzania in the east, Burundi in the south then DRC in the west. It’s endowed with various attractions like wild animals, birds, different vegetation types, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, culture, beautiful landscape compromised of hills and that’s why it’s called “the land of a thousand hills”, cultural sites among others.

Rwanda currently has three national parks and each has a unique experience to offer to our clients. These are Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park, and Akagera National Park.

Volcanoes National Park

It is also known as Parc National des Volcans. It’s located in northwestern Rwanda in a small town of Musanze. This park has an area of 160 kilometers squared covered with rainforest and it has five volcanoes like Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabinyo all in the Virunga Mountains. This park is also the oldest in the whole of Africa.

The primary attractions in Volcanoes National Park are the rare mountain gorillas that live in the dense rainforests within this park. They are habituated so that they get used to human presence and this gives trekkers the opportunity to see the mountain gorillas at a close distance from them as they are feeding, grooming, playing with their young ones and this experience takes one hour. The gorilla permit in Rwanda costs USD 1500  and the money is worth the experience.

This park also harbors the endangered golden monkeys at present the park has two golden monkey families comprising eighty members which are ready to be observed. These golden monkeys live in the bamboo forests of the park and the experience takes one hour - you see them feeding, jumping on trees and many others since they are so active. Golden monkey experience costs USD 100 per permit which is the same amount also charged in Uganda.

The park is endowed with 178 bird species, different vegetation types and various mammals like buffaloes, black-fronted duiker, hyenas, bushbucks and many others. There are other activities you can participate in within the Park like mountaineering, twin lake visit and visiting Dian Fossey tombs.

Nyungwe National Park

This park lies in the southwestern parts of Rwanda with a vast area of mountain rainforests and it covers an area of 1,015 kilometers squared. The main attractions in this park are the 13 primate species which include chimpanzees, Ruwenzori colobus, L’hoest, silver monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and many others and it is the only place in Rwanda where you can do chimpanzee trekking and the experience starts in the morning.

Nyungwe national park also has the canopy walkway which is above the valley and the surrounding forests and it runs to the Kamiranzovu marsh which has a variety of bird species like handsome francolin, collared Apalis, regal sunbird, etc, orchids and waterfalls. The walkway is suspended between higher slopes and giant trees which covers about 1 km from Uwinka. The canopy walkway is almost 200m long and a maximum height of 40m. However, it feels unstable for people with a poor head for heights.

Nyungwe national park has a biodiversity of plant species which are about more than 1050 plant species, 250 Albertine rift endemics and 200 orchids, at least 120 butterfly species, 85 mammal species, 38 reptiles, and many others. 

Akagera National Park

This park is located in eastern Rwanda at the border between Rwanda and Tanzania covering an area of 1,122 kilometers squared. It was named after the Akagera River which flows along the eastern boundary of Rwanda. The largest part of this park is mainly savannah which favors sighting of the various mammals like topis, bushbucks, oribis, duikers, zebras, giraffes, elephants during the game drives. This park is also characterized by other habitats like woodlands, swamps and low mountains which act as homes to other wild living organisms. The park also has Lake Ihema which is home to hippos and crocodiles which are seen basking in sun during the boat cruise. It also has common primates like baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, and bush babies. Akagera national park is also a good destination for birding which can be done on a boat safari, nature walks, and game drives. The park also has beautiful scenery which is amazing to see.

Kenya

Kenya is an East African country that has a coastline at the Indian Ocean. It is blessed with a variety of wildlife which is gazetted into national parks, sanctuaries, private conservancies and reserves to protect them for future generations. Kenya has 54 national parks and reserves all combined together each having its unique characteristics and feel. Kenya’s wildlife has attractions like wild animals, birds, primates, series of lakes especially in the eastern arm of the great rift valley and some other places have the highest and second mountains in Africa namely Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya plus other mountains, the great rift valley, sun-soaked lands, ancient tribes like the Kikuyu, Masai, Samburu, historical sites, cultural sites, different vegetation types, coastal features like beautiful sandy beaches, coral reefs, cuisines in Mombasa among others. Kenya is commonly known as the "home of safari". Kenya has so many parks where you can enjoy your wildlife safaris like Masai mara national park, mountain Kenya national park, Amboseli national park, Lake Nakuru national park, Samburu national park among many others but we shall provide some information on one of the most visited ones.

Masai Mara Game Reserve

 Masai Mara Game Reserve is located in southwestern Kenya covering an area of 1,510 kilometers squared making it one of the biggest reserves in the world. It is bordered by Serengeti national park in the south, the Siria escarpment in the west, Masai ranches in the north, east and west. This park was named after the Masai people who live in the park while grazing their animals.

One of the unique things about this park is that it’s known for its great migration of thousands of wildebeests, zebras and the Thomson’s gazelle that travel to and from Serengeti national park from July through October.

The park has the Mara River which is also a good spot for sighting birding, hippos, and crocodiles.

Masai mara will give you a chance to sight predators like lions, cheetahs, and leopards especially during morning hours and evening times since those are the good times for them to do the hunting. As the sun comes out, they hide under shrubs and trees to avoid the excessive heat from the sun, come and enjoy your African Safari in East Africa.

This park also has all members of the big five like lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffalos, and rhinoceros.

Since this park has a lot to offer to our clients, it has a lot of activities our clients can participate in like game drives, hot air balloon experience over Masai mara, seeing wildebeests migration, cultural visits to the Masai communities, Mara river visit, big game walking safari, birding and many others.

Amboseli National Park

This park was formerly called Masai Amboseli game reserve. It’s now covering an area of 39,206 hectares of land and it’s now the second popular national park in Kenya after the Masai Mara game reserve. This is because of its amazing wildlife because it offers the best viewing experiences in the whole world with 400 bird species like pelicans, kingfisher, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species, best in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants, visiting Masai people in their villages, you can also view mountain Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in the world covered with snow at its peak within Amboseli national park and it’s also dotted with hills and swamps which makes Amboseli national park the most scenic national parks in Kenya.

Apart from being the home of big five, it is also a rich playfield of a variety of wildlife and vegetation.

Due to the parks diversity of wildlife, it also favors a variety of activities our tourists can engage in like wildlife viewing, cultural visits to the villages, game drives, and nature photography.

Nairobi National Park

 This park is located approximately 7 km south of the Nairobi center and it is one of the smallest national parks in the world covering an area of 117 kilometers squared. It is within Nairobi city making it easy to access.

It boasts of annual migrating herbivorous wild animals that gather in the park during the dry season like wildebeests and zebras that move in and out of the park via the Kitengela migration corridor.

It hosts a variety of mammals like cape buffaloes, baboons, zebras, cheetahs, lions, elands, impala, Masai giraffe, and many other animals. This park is also one of the most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries where you can sight the black and white rhinos.

The park is home to big give animals except the elephants.

Tanzania

It is a land of superlatives and contrasts, something for everyone – from the majestic Kilimanjaro to the fabled island of Zanzibar. The largest and most diverse wildlife concentration on earth includes the matchless Ngorongoro crater, Serengeti plains, Manyara National Park, Katavi, and the mighty Selous Game Reserve.

Serengeti National Park

Home to greatest wonder on earth, more than 1.5 million wildebeests and 300,000 zebras who bear get a mention through the park in the early part of the year and then congregate in the western corridor in July ready to cross into the Mara. The sight is remarkable, as is the noise of animals crossing the Mara River all day long.

Manyara National Park

 The Park is situated in the basin of the Rift Valley along Lake Manyara, the lakeside is watered with hot springs and the reserve has a high concentration of tree climbing lions and elephants.

Ngorongoro Crater

 Home to the greatest concentration of lions and wildlife, therefore Africa’s biggest feeding frenzy and also home to the big 5 animals. The Crater has achieved world renown, attracting an ever-increasing number of visitors each year. Ngorongoro is a remarkable natural wonder.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain, the highest peak of which is Kibo is 5,895 meters covering 8,288 square kilometers national park. Perversely many who of those who climb the mountain – usually a 5 Day task – never actually see it, as it's snow-capped peak is frequently shrouded in the cloud.

For more information about African Safaris kind contact Adyeri Creations Limited so we can tailor your lifetime encounter with nature and wild animals in their natural habitats on your African Safari.