Northern Uganda tourist sites : The northern part of Uganda is among the parts of the country which can be visited and some of the places to visit in the region include the following;
- Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is the largest national park in the country and is located in north western Uganda.
One of the main attractions found in Murchison Falls National Park is the Murchison Falls which are formed along the River Nile where it forces through a narrow gorge and falls about 45 meters into the Devil’s Cauldron forming the strong waterfalls.
Some of the wildlife species found in Murchison falls national park include elephants, giraffes, buffalos, lions, leopards, impalas, warthogs, hyenas, hippos, bushbucks, waterbucks, hartebeests and many others which can be seen during safaris around the park.
Activities that are done when visiting Murchison falls national park include game drives in the morning and afternoon, guided nature walks, visiting the top of the falls, boat rides to the bottom of the Murchison falls, bird watching and also viewing of the top of the falls.
Game drives in Murchison falls national park can be done along trails in the Northern and Southern sectors of the park and they include the Buligi Track, Victoria track, and the Albert Track. The best time for wildlife viewing is during the dry season around June to October and also in December, January and February when wildlife species can easily be seen around the savannah.
During boat rides in Murchison falls national park, tourists can enjoy seeing wildlife species such as hippos, buffalos, elephants, Nile crocodiles by the shores of the Victoria Nile and also see different bird species. Boat tours in the park can also be done around the Nile Delta where the Shoe bill Stork can be seen during bird watching experiences.
Budongo forest is also found in Murchison falls national park and is the location where tourists can take part in chimpanzee treks. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo can be done in the morning and in the afternoon and many other primates can be seen in the forest including vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys, baboons, red tailed monkeys among others.
On the way to Murchison falls national park, tourists can make stops at the Zziwa rhino sanctuary which is located on the way to the destination for a chance to see rhinos in the wild.
- Aruu falls
When visiting northern Uganda, tourist can also enjoy tours to the Aruu falls which are located in Gulu town.
The Aruu falls are formed on River Agago and the streams which flow on the rocks forming the falls include Ryanga, Awilo yaa, Akweyo, Wang Okiye, Lacee, Okello Gem, Lanya Kweyo.
Activities that tourists can take part in when visiting the Aruu falls include swimming and also rock climbing, bird watching, community tours, photography, camping. The drive from Kampala to the location of the falls takes about 7 hours along the Kampala-Gulu highway.
- Fort Patiko
Fort Patiko is another site to visit during tours around northern Uganda and it is also referred to as Baker’s fort.
Visiting Fort Patiko gives tourists insight on the history of Uganda. The Fort was built in 1872 by Sir Samuel Baker during the period of slave trade. This fort which is located in Gulu district was constructed using stones and aimed at stopping slave trade.
The Fort is surrounded by hills and it was used as a trading point between the Arabs and chiefs of Patiko who exchanged ivory for items such as beads, guns and gun powder.
- Bethel Chapel (Smallest church in Uganda)
Bethel chapel is located in Nebbi in Erusi subcountyand is the smallest church in Uganda and can be visited when touring the northern part of Uganda.
The church is located on Biku hill and has a rich history which tourists can get to know about as they visit the Bethel chapel. The church has a capacity of 3 people and is about 8 feet high and 2.5 meters wide and was constructed around 1996.
Getting to the church involves hiking to get to the church where there are about 9 prayer points which each are significant in Christian faith.
- Northern Uganda tourist sites : Karuma falls
The Karuma falls are located in Kiryandongo district on the Kampala-Gulu highway and can be visited during tours to the northern part of Uganda.
These falls are part of the Karuma wildlife reserve and are formed on the Victoria Nile and are found in the eastern part of Murchison falls national park. The Karuma falls are formed when the Victoria Nile flows along rocks forming different rapids.
Karuma falls are among the attractions found on the River Nile and can be visited on the way to Kidepo national park and also Murchison falls national park.
Tourists going to the northern part of Uganda can see the Karuma falls while driving along the Karuma bridge. Baboons are among the primates which can be seen along the Karuma bridge. other wildlife species found around Karuma include buffalos, black and white colobus monkeys, L’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys among others.
There are also different bird species which can be seen during tours around Karuma.
- Northern Uganda tourist sites : Ajai wildlife reserve
The Ajai wildlife reserve is another attraction which can be visited during tours around the northern part of Uganda.
The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife species the Uganda kob, hippos, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, hartebeests, bushbucks, waterbucks among others. Ajai wildlife reserve consists of open grass plains and also forest which act as habitat for the different wildlife species.
- Northern Uganda tourist sites : Pakwach bridge
The Pakwach bridge is located in Pakwach district and is built over the Albert Nile which can be visited during tours around the northern part of Uganda.
This bridge can be used to access parts of west Nile area such as Nebbi district, Arua district among others. Tourists can try out food such as Nang nang which is sold by the locals around the bridge and also buy local arts and crafts.
