Safari Blog

Uganda has 362 species of mammals and 1062 bird species, and the fourth and nineteenth in Africa and the whole world respectively. A few of these mammal species are likely to be endemic, with such a large number. An endemic species is one whose habitat is unique. Endemism is different from indigenous or native species in that the latter is also found elsewhere. Endemic species run a high risk of extinction due to changes in their confined habitats, particularly due to hunting and habitat destruction. Tourism is a major foreign exchange earner in Uganda.

There is no accommodation facility within the Volcanoes National Park and overnight camping is strictly prohibited, however, several lodges catering to all budgets are situated within a few kilometers of Kinigi, Gisenyi, and Musanze town.

Volcanoes national park is the only gorilla trekking national park in Rwanda and it lies in the northwestern part of the country in Ruhengeri province and particularly situated in the Kinigi area of Musanze district. This park borders Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The national park is known as a haven for the mountain gorilla. It is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains that are Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga, and Sabyinyo, which are covered in rainforest and bamboo. The park was the base for the zoologist Dian Fossey.

Most travelers who visit Mgahinga Gorilla National Park come to see the endangered mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. The park is home to about 60 wild mountain gorillas, only one habituated gorilla family is active for trekking every day. The Nyakagezi gorilla family consists of 10 individuals; 5 silverbacks, 3 adult females, 2 infants. The cost of a gorilla permit in Uganda is US$ 700 per person for foreign non-residents, US$ 600 for foreign residents, and US$ 70 for East African citizens.

The Ruwenzori Mountains have always held a mystery, inspiring travelers and dreamers and those who dared to come closer to ice cold nights, boggy terrain, fog and rain to last a lifetime but these snow caped ranges have always remained a mystery to man since 150 AD when the ancient Greeks referred to them as the ‘Mountains of the Moon’.

“Upon rounding the corner in our canoes, a magnificent sight burst upon us…Rushing through a gap that clift rock exactly before us, the river, contracted from a grand stream, was pent up in a narrow gorge scarcely fifty yards (50m) in width. Roaring furiously through the rock bound pass, it plunged in a single leap of about 120 feet (40m) perpendicular into a dark abyss below”