Ten tons of elephant had simply melted into thin air! What I felt was not disappointment, but thrill. Semliki is for the animals and they will reveal themselves only at their convenience.

After the zoo-like atmosphere of the Masai Mara or Ngorogoro Crater, it was a relief to be reminded that these animals do not exist for my amusement. They have private lives, their own business...there's something to be said for being in a place where the animals hide themselves. Instead of trying to complete some absurd checklist , I allowed my other senses leeway."

-Melanie Finn, Travel Africa

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park - Gorilla Tracking

530km south west of Kampala (8.5 hour drive). Nestled down in the south west of the country, on the edge of the Western Rift Valley this 331km² of montane rainforest is the only forest in Africa where gorillas and chimpanzees occur together. The world population of mountain gorillas is currently estimated at 600, half of which live in Bwindi, alongside an estimated 350-400 chimpanzee. In addition to the gorillas and chimps this ancient rainforest - one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age (making it over 25,000 years old) - is home to several other mammals (approx. 93 species) as well as roughly 360 species of bird.

Kibale Forest National Park - Chimpanzees

350km west of Kampala (4.5 hour drive). This 760km² area of rainforest, interspersed with patches of grassland and swamp, supports a rich variety of fauna, 250 species of animal and over 300 birds. There are 13 different primates here, the highest total for any Ugandan National Park, including a large population of chimpanzees, some of which have been habituated. Of the birds, the Prigogine's ground thrush, the only bird that is endemic to Uganda, can be found.

Kidepo National Park- Enchanting

840km north east of Kampala (1.5 hour flight or 2 day drive). Tucked into the corner of Uganda's border with Sudan and Kenya, Kidepo is a truly stunning park boasting a real sense of wilderness that enchants visitors. The mountainous terrain of the park is broken by the Narus Valley in the south west and the Kidepo Valley in the north east and is more typical of Kenya than the rest of Uganda. Whilst the park is large (1,442km²) most of the wildlife is concentrated within the Narus Valley revealing fantastic panoramic views of vast herds of buffalo with elephant, giraffe, waterbuck and zebra grazing alongside. There are also a number of predators present including lion, cheetah, leopard, and spotted hyena.

Lake Mburo National Park - Zebra, Lakes & Rolling Grassland

230km south west of Kampala (3.5 hour drive). With a varying landscape of open plains, acacia grasslands and marshes this park is home to a huge array of flora and fauna. About 68 different species of mammals can be found within its 260km². The park also has approx. 313 different species of birds including Uganda's national emblem, the crested crane.

Murchison Falls National Park - The Nile, Uganda's Largest Park

300km north west of Kampala (6 hour drive). The sight of the Nile River, the world's longest river, winding its way through the park and plunging through a narrow gap is unforgettable. The falls are stunning, notable not so much for their size as for their immense power, caused by the 50m-wide Nile being funnelled through a narrow cleft (7m-wide) in the rocks before falling into a pool 43m below. The park is vast and beautiful. Predominantly wooded savannah, the 4,000km² area is home to many of Africa's best-known plains animals including giraffe, lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hartebeests and many more. Fishing beneath the falls is quite an experience where Nile perch and tiger-fish provide an exciting challenge to anglers.

Queen Elizabeth National Park - Incredible Biodiversity

435km south west of Kampala (5.5 hour drive). Lying across the equator, this 1,978km² park is bordered to the south west by Lake Edward and to the Northeast by Lake George with the Kazinga Channel connecting the two. Serene and teeming with animals Queen Elizabeth boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game park or reserve in the world, with almost 100 mammal species and an incredible 606 bird species. To support such biodiversity the vegetation is hugely varied from open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. The rainforest in the Kyambura Gorge is home to chimpanzees and the remote Ishasha sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions with flamingoes providing a stunning splash of colour on the crater lakes.

Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve - Uganda's First Protected Area

375km west of Kampala (6 hour drive). Previously known as the Toro Game Reserve, Semliki Valley Wildlife Reserve is the oldest protected area in Uganda. Here is where East Africa meets West. It is unique, gifted with geographic barriers that have formed a natural haven for wildlife. Where the savannah is criss-crossed by shining river valleys, and the escarpment, the edge of the Western Rift Valley, plunges into Lake Albert. The habitat diversity (riverine forest, woodland and savannah) within the 558km² area of the reserve supports a huge array of fauna including lion, leopard, elephant (both savannah and forest species) buffalo, and chimpanzees as well as a staggering number of birds, with over 400 having been recorded.

Semliki National Park - Hot Springs, Forests and Pygmies

370km west of Kampala (6.5 hour drive). Situated within the remote Semliki Valley, site of the Sempaya Hot Springs and named for the river which forms the Congolese border, this 221km² area of park protects an extension of the Congo's vast Ituri Rainforest. The park is of particular interest to birdwatchers since a high proportion of the 400 bird species recorded here, are thought to occur nowhere else in Uganda (10% are essentially Congolese species).