Big 5 in Uganda

Big 5 in Uganda is a term used to mean the strongest animals in the Ugandan jungles which are the most fierce and respectable. Interested in having an overwhelming Ugandan tour, then keep in mind that without encountering the Big five you haven’t explored the beauty with in Uganda the pearl of African. Several visitors think that a tour to Uganda is basically to trek the primates that is Gorillas and chimpanzees but trust me, there is more than just primates and the good news is that encountering the big five on a Uganda Tour offers an everlasting memory

The word big five was introduced by the tour operators and visitors on a Uganda tour and referred to as the five mammals that are very fierce and difficult to hunt and the only way they can be hunted is by using the cameras to capture them in their natural habitat in the wilderness. These mammals include; lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and Buffalos which are found in Uganda’s favorite national parks with the best park being Murchison falls where one is on a sure deal of sighting all the big 5 mammals after visiting the sanctuary for the rhinos

Let’s talk about these mammals in details and the best parks where one can encounter them while on a Uganda tour and the best time to sight them

Lions: Lions are best termed as the king of the jungle and are easily traced in several parks national in Uganda including Murchison fall park which is the oldest and largest park in Uganda harboring four of the big 5 plus rhinos at Ziwa rhino sanctuary, Queen Elizabeth national park which is commonly known for harboring the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector that are only found in two countries that is Uganda and Tanzania, Semliki national park, Kidepo national park also harbors the king of the jungle and finally in Lake Mburo national park where lions are rarely spotted. Lions are hunters and always prey on other smaller mammals. So all visitors interested in viewing the king of the Jungle need not worry as Uganda got you sorted in this! Taking a morning game drive in most national parks in Uganda brings you close to the lions in the jungle. But remember that for the sake of tree climbing lions, the best time to see them hanging in tree branches is during the afternoon and the ONLY spot to have a glance at them in Uganda is none other than visiting Elizabeth national park and specifically in the Ishasha sector

Elephants: Elephants are known to be amongst the largest herbivorous land mammal in the world and Uganda is blessed with both forest elephants and savanna elephants are seen moving in big herds in search of food and water within different national parks in Uganda including Murchison falls park best known for harboring several wildlife, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley national park and Lake Mburo national park. These elephants are known for eating large kilograms of vegetation in the night to maintain their huge bodies an enjoy spending day hours in water cooling up themselves though they can’t swim. The best time to see elephants during the morning game drive as they are seen grazing on fresh vegetation and also in the afternoon when they are seen in the water bodies cooling their bodies from the hot sun and during the night since they eat a lot of vegetation at night. So opting for a night game drive won’t be a bad idea and will awesomely lead you to spotting large populations of elephants grazing

Leopards: Leopards are known as the nocturnal mammals which tend to spend most of their day time in hideouts and only come out at night as hunters to search for food. Leopards can be sported in different parks in Uganda including Mgahinga National Park which is also a home to the one and only habituated Nyakagezi gorilla family, Kibale forest park which also harbors our cousins the chimpanzees, Murchison falls a home of 4 big mammals out of five, mount Elgon National park, lake Mburo national park, Kidepo valley national park and finally Queen Elizabeth national park. Leopards can be seen during the full day game drive especially early in the morning before the return to their hideout and also during the evening as they return to the park for hunting. However, the best time to see these cats is by taking a nocturnal game drive which is organized at Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls park and Lake Mburo national park with the help of armed rangers and sport light.

Buffalos: Uganda harbors both cape buffalos and other species of buffalos such as forest buffalos. Buffalos in Uganda are easily encountered as they munch on the grass and they prefer inhabiting the open savanna grassland and woodland areas where they have enough grass to feed on. Buffalos are commonly seen on most of the parks in Uganda where there is game drive including Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Mburo national park, and Kidepo valley national park. Morning game drives offer the best view of herds of buffalos as they feed together in harmony.

Rhinos: Rhinos are also marked amongst the big five mammals Uganda and Africa at large. Back in history, Uganda used to harbor several thousands of African rhinos (both black rhinos and white rhinos) which later on became extinct due to wars and poaching that left Uganda with no rhinos by the 1990s. Later on, in 2005, Uganda introduced only 6 White rhinos which later on multiplied and currently, Uganda harbors almost 22 rhinos in a protected sanctuary called Ziwa rhino sanctuary. To sum up the big five while on a Uganda tour, one needs to visit Ziwa rhino sanctuary and witness the endangered white rhinos in the wild

Conclusion

Wildlife in Uganda especially the big five mammals like elephants are hunted by poachers for their Tusks, hooves, hide and skins which are on a high market demand in the world thus rendering the endangered. The same applies to rhinos which are poached for their horns which is believed that it treats cancer, hangover and impotence thus rendering the lives of rhinos at a point of extinction

Also, the wildlife if faced with the challenge of loss of habitat as the result of increased population size that leads to clearing off of the habitats for farming and settlement and leaving the wildlife with limited area for food and reproduction. So why not book your Uganda tour now and get a golden probability of encountering all the big five while they still exist before Extinction

“A Uganda tour is probably an enjoyable one once you combine all the above African big five mammals with a primate tour meeting the mighty gorillas and chimpanzees in the wilderness. The good news is that all are found in this small landlocked country giving it a pretty name as the pearl of Africa due to the beauty that lies within its parks ranging from fauna and flora of several wildlife species including mammals, primates, birds, butterflies, reptiles, the people, vegetation and the climatic conditions”.