Uganda has a diversity of wildlife; this is a place that is wild and

refreshing. In an area of 236,580sq km, that is comparatively

slightly smaller than the state of Oregon and as big as Britain,

1073 bird species, 2 endemics and 12 endangered species have

been recorded. Some of which include the rare Shoebill Stork 

(a massive prehistoric-looking swamp-dweller notable for its

heavy clog-shaped bill), the rare Grauer’s (African Green)

Broadbill, ostrich, Kori bustard, Verreaux's eagle, Egyptian

vulture, pygmy falcon, redbilled, the yellow-billed and Jackson's

hornbills, flocks of flamingo resident on the crater lakes and the

endemic Prigogine's ground thrush, the endemic Fox’s

Weaver and the rare Papyrus Gonolek. This is certainly an

ornithologist's paradise on earth.

This is a land where hippos, crocodiles, lions, zebras, buffaloes,

elephants, leopards, baboons, giraffes, cheetahs, Uganda kobs, the rare Sitatungas, water

bucks, bush bucks, bush pigs, chimpanzees, jackals, topi and many more have a home.

Endemic species such as the bush baby can be spotted. There are high chances of viewing

tree climbing lions.

About a half of the world’s mountain gorillas are found in Bwindi Impenetrable National park;

an ancient rainforest - one of the few in Africa to have flourished throughout the last Ice Age.

There are other interesting primates such as the black-and-white colobus monkey, with its

lovely flowing white tail.

One third of Uganda is covered by water where fish includes

Tilapia, Tiger fish, ferocious fighter, Ngara (Genus Alestes),

catfish, barbell and the Nile perch. There are hot springs in

Kidepo and Semliki National Parks. The Murchison Falls is a

magnificent sight as one watches the Nile gushing out of

gorge in the Rift Valley.

One will enjoy a natural habitat for innumerable plants, the

flourishing growths of the rain forest to tiny alpine flowers on

the mountains and the savannahs. The wild orchids, giant

lobelias and bamboo forests to lustrous glaciers of the

‘Mountains of the Moon’ are teeming with biodiversity. Insects such as butterflies and bees

have their home in Uganda too. Uganda is certainly a biodiversity gem

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