East Africa’s National Parks are delectable with spectacular range of landscapes and rich diversity. Mountains, rainforests, savannah, valleys, wetlands, Lakes, Islands and many other ecosystems, each Park offers unforgettable experience for any curious traveler.
Compiling a list of top East Africa National Parks is challenging, requiring an entire guidebook but this list brings out the crème de la crème National Parks. In no particular order, the following are the top East African National Parks with their unique attractions;
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of the most outstanding National Parks in East Africa. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was established in 1991, within the south-western region of Uganda and is endowed with over 120 species of mammals as well as more than 350 bird species.
One of the most thrilling tourist activities conducted in this Park is the mesmerizing gorilla trekking adventure where over 20 gorilla families were habituated for trekking by persons of 15 years and above, possessing a gorilla permit (at $700 per person per trek). In addition to trekking the mountain gorillas, this Park offers a wonderful opportunity of mountain biking, bird watching, guided forest walks and cultural encounters.
Serengeti National Park.
As far as African safaris are concerned, Serengeti National Park of Tanzania tops the list and is popular for one of the largest ever-recorded annual wildlife migration where more than 2 million, wildebeests, zebras and gazelle migrate from here to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. If you have never witnessed a massive and intimidating Nile crocodile population, Serengeti National Park is where you need to go.
The Park was gazetted in 1951 and extends for over 14,750 square kilometers. It is also home to bat-eared fox, Hippos, waterbucks, impalas, black and white colobus monkeys, Coke’s hartebeests, serval cats, Steenbok, buffaloes, elephants, cheetahs, lions, common warthogs, Roan antelopes, East African wild dogs, African leopards, greater kudu, Dik-Dik, Honey badger, spotted hyenas, Masai giraffe, lesser kudu, Sable antelopes, olive baboons, common elands, striped hyenas, Reedbucks and Oribis among others.
Volcanoes National Park.
Haven to the extraordinary and endangered mountain gorillas, Volcanoes National Park extends for over 160 square kilometers. This Park was established in 1925 and is also made-up of 5 Virunga Mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Sabyinyo and Gahinga) blanketed with dense rainforests and beautiful peaks.
This park, in north-western Rwanda is famous for gorilla trekking and being former home of Dian Fossey, in addition to several wildlife species that include bushbucks, buffaloes, golden monkeys, elephants, spotted hyenas, black-fronted duikers and bush pigs. It also shelters more than 180 bird species of which some are endemic to the Albertine Rift Valley.
Murchison falls National Park.
Located in north-western Uganda, Murchison falls National Park has been a National Park since 1952 and has since then opened its gate to all kinds of visitors. Visitors here are usually marveled by the jaw-dropping views of the Murchison falls on the lower Victoria Nile that plunges over 45 meters over the valley wall before creating the majestic falls.
There is also immense variety of wildlife species (totaling to 95 species) including elephants, buffaloes, Topis, Oribis and hartebeests. Murchison falls Park’s tremendous range of landscapes including rainforests, savannah, wetlands and hills make it a fantastic wildlife-diverse destination.
Virunga National Park.
Virunga National Park in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was gazetted in 1925 and takes pride in being one of the most authentic and untouched rainforests in the African Continent. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is have to the endangered mountain gorillas with over 8 habituated gorilla families open for trekking as long as you have a valid gorilla permit (at $450 per person per trek) and are 15 years and above.
It is also home to two active Volcanoes-Nyamuragira and Nyiragongo Volcanoes in addition to being nuanced with wide range of wildlife species such as chimpanzees, Okapi, buffaloes, Kobs, Golden monkeys and many others.
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park.
Covering an area of 50 square kilometers, Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is the sole National Park in the Island of Zanzibar and haven to the Zanzibar red colobus monkeys, only found here and are the highlight of tours.
It was established in 2004 and can be visited for the dolphins, sharks, the Zanzibar leopards, Zanzibar tree hyrax, Sykes monkeys, bush babies in addition to over 40 outstanding species of birds 9such as Crab plovers and Zanzibar red bishops among others) as well as more than 50 unique species of butterflies.
Lake Manyara National Park.
Reckoned the “birdwatcher’s Paradise”, Lake Manyara National Park is home to over 350 species of birds that usually roam around the Lake. It became a National Park in 1960 and extends for 325 square kilometers. One interesting fact that makes this Park stand out is the fact that it shelters the tree climbing lions (found in only two places in the whole World) in addition to Thomson’s gazelles, common warthogs, zebras, olive baboons, wildebeests, elephants, Cape buffaloes, Grant’s gazelles, Hippos and bushbucks among others.
Large flocks of Lesser and Greater flamingos as well as pink-backed pelicans, Lilac-breasted rollers, Marabou storks, yellow-billed storks, southern ground hornbills and Ayre’s hawk eagles among others can be spotted in this Park.
Tsavo (East and West) National Parks.
Tsavo National Parks (East and West) with combined area of 22,000 square kilometers are so far the largest Parks in Kenya and are known for enormous elephant populations, Masai giraffes, Rhinos, buffaloes, fringe-eared Oryx, Oribis, leopards, Lions, Hippos, warthogs, Klipspringer, and so much more.
The vast Tsavo Park is bisected by the main Nairobi-Mombasa Highway to form Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks. Tsavo west is popular for Mzima Springs, a natural water pool with remarkable underwater viewing opportunities of seeing Hippos.
Kahuzi-Biega National Park.
Sprawled in the remote Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Kahuzi-Biega National Park is the only place to see the largest gorilla species-“Eastern Lowland Gorillas”. Although they are overshadowed by the Mountain gorillas, they are equally spectacular and their stocky bodies (more than mountain gorillas) make them worth trekking during African safaris.
Ruaha National Park.
With an area of over 45,000 square kilometers, Ruaha National Park is currently the largest National Park in Tanzania and offers matchless opportunities of spotting numerous nocturnal wildlife species such as African wild dogs, lions, genets, civets, porcupine, lions, spotted hyenas and serval cats among others. Other wildlife species here are East Africa’s largest elephant population, giraffes, buffaloes, Hippos and Sable antelopes among others, not forgetting over 500 species of birds.
Kidepo Valley National Park.
Although one of the remotest National Parks in North-western Uganda, Kidepo Valley National Park has one of Africa’s most spectacular landscapes in addition to featuring the rarest wildlife species of Africa such as side-striped jackals, cheetahs, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackals, Ostriches, Jackson’s hartebeests, Klipspringer and many others.
If your idea of African safari is isolation and unmatched wilderness experience, then Kidepo Valley National Park should be on your bucket list.
Nyungwe Forest National Park.
Nyungwe Forest National Park in south-western Rwanda is one of East Africa’s must-visit destinations for mainly two things-numerous primate species and the canopy walk. Some of the rare primate species in this lush Afro-montane rainforest are chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, grey-cheeked mangabeys, blue monkeys, L’Hoests monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and Dent’s Mona monkeys among others.