Places to see giraffes in Uganda

Places to see giraffes in Uganda: Uganda is one of the countries in Africa, or the world, where tourists can see giraffes. The tallest land mammals on Earth can be seen in different national parks across the country. Tourists can find the giraffes in Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. Carrying out game drives and nature walks in these places is the best way to encounter giraffes in these national parks.

Uganda is home to Nubian giraffes, which are a subspecies of the northern giraffe. These giraffes are characterized by large chestnut brown or orange brown patches separated by striking, bright white-colored hair. They are the tallest land mammals in the world, with males able to stand between 16 ft and 20 ft tall.

Giraffes are some of the animals that tourists look out for while on safaris. This is because of their height, reaching up to 20 ft; tongue, about 45 cm long; and long necks, about 6 ft. Because of their height, giraffes eat from tall trees, and this reduces competition with other herbivorous animals. On a safari in different parks across the park, tourists will be able to encounter giraffes in open savannah grasslands with a high density of acacia trees, where they feed on leaves, shoots, and flowers.

Places to see giraffes in Uganda

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park, the country’s largest and oldest park, is one of the places to see giraffes on a safari in Uganda. Gazetted in 1952, the park protects over 144 species of mammals, including the towering animals that can be spotted in different locations across the park. It’s said that Murchison Falls National Park hosts the highest number of Nubian giraffes in the country.

On a safari to Murchison Falls National Park, the chances of seeing giraffes are very high during the day game drives. The game drives are mostly done on the northern bank of the Nile, where different game tracks are used to locate animals. Apart from giraffes, tourists will be able to see animals such as lions, leopards, side-striped jackals, elephants, hippos, cape buffaloes, hartebeests, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and warthogs, among others.

Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley National Park, located in the extreme northern corner of Uganda, bordering South Sudan to the northwest and Kenya to the east, is another place to see giraffes on a safari to Uganda. Kidepo is said to have the second highest number of giraffes after Murchison Falls National Park. On a Ugandan safari, tourists need to visit this park to look out for giraffes and more.

Kidepo Valley National Park was gazetted as a national park to protect animals from poaching and destruction of habitat in 1962. Currently, the park has over 77 mammal species and 467 bird species, making it a true safari gem. On a game drive in this park, tourists will be in a position to encounter the giraffes that live in different areas across the park.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park, located in Kiruhura District, is the closest of all national parks to the capital city of Kampala. It’s another place where tourists can meet giraffes during nature walks and game drives in the savannah vegetation alongside other animals like zebras, side-striped jackals, leopards, spotted hyenas, hippos, buffaloes, waterbucks, topis, elands, and impalas, to mention but a few.

Cost of game drives in Uganda

To see the giraffes on a Uganda safari, you need to access the park and carry out game drives. The day game drives are free for tourists who have a registered driver guide, while the night game drives are charged because they require armed ranger guides. Entrance is the only fee that tourists pay to access the park and carry out game drives, where they get an opportunity to see giraffes and other animals.

Entrance to Murchison Falls National Park is $45 for foreign non-residents, $35 for foreign residents, $30 for the rest of Africa, and UGX25000 for citizens of East African member states. Lake Mburo National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park tourists pay $40 for foreign non-residents, $30 for foreign residents, $25 for the rest of Africa, and UGX25,000 for citizens of East African member states.

Tourists who are interested in doing game drives in Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, and Lake Mburo National Park but don’t have driver guides are able to hire a UWA ranger guide at a fee of $25 for foreign non-residents, $20 for foreign residents, and UGX25,000 for citizens of East African Member States.

When is the right time to visit Uganda and see giraffes?

Giraffes can be seen in Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, and Lake Mburo National Parks at any time of the year; however, the dry season is the best time to have safaris in the country. June to September and December to February, when the country has little or no rainfall, are the best times to visit. The dry season has dry and passable game tracks, which allow trekkers to access most of the park areas, increasing the chances of seeing animals, including the giraffes.

Tourists may still visit Uganda to see giraffes in March, April, May, October, and November, for the parks are always open. The season, however, comes with bad weather characterized by plenty of rainfall. Inside the parks, tourists find it hard to access some of the park areas during game drives due to slippery game tracks. The vegetation within the parks also grows too tall, which leads to unclear views of animals.