The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization which (UNESCO) has some predominant sites marked off across the world as places of ecological and cultural importance. Uganda is proud to be home to three such sites, two of them are national parks, Rwenzori mountains national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park and the other is an important historical and cultural site, Kasubi tombs which is presently under reconstruction after an unfortunate fire several years ago.
All these three sites are amazing places that are a must visit to any traveler coming to Uganda. Enjoy Uganda with all of its cultural and natural wonders, national parks and other places of distinction you will surely be amazed by the stunning scenery, cultural diversity and wildlife abundance
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
This is home to one of the oldest forests in Uganda and it is famous for mountain gorillas and gorilla trekking adventures. This forest has survived civil and political wars and the platonic shift which shaped the surrounding areas in south western Uganda and western rift valley over time. However, there is much more to this UNESCO world heritage site than mountain gorillas and a traveler can easily spend a holiday here discovering this unusual park. There is a lot to be discovered in Bwindi impenetrable national park;
Bwindi forest is one of the largest areas in east African and one can find Afro-Montane vegetation in the lowland area, it is considered a biodiversity hotspot and it is believed that it has the biggest number of tree species in East Africa which are readily seen immediately one finds their way into the forest. In the interior find more than 200 species of trees and over 100 different kinds of ferns like the large tree- ferns.The forest has over 120 mammals including the forest elephants, leopards, chimpanzees, rare species of monkeys, over 347 species and up to 200 butterfly species.
The boundaries of Bwindi impenetrable national park shelter an incredible number of communities, notably the Batwa pygmies who have inhabited this place for centuries and highly depended on wild food from the forest, until they were resettled outside the forest and taught modern ways of farming; this allowed the forest to regenerate and gave way for tourism activities to flourish, like gorilla trekking, nature walks, birding tours and Batwa community visits.
Kasubi Tombs
These are situated just in the heart of Kampala on Kasubi hill and this is a famous burial site for the four kings of Buganda. The Kasubi tombs were inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list in 2001. The site was originally built in 1882 and was later made into Royal Burial grounds in 1884. The Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is the main building and a shelter for the four tombs of fallen kings. The hut is circular and crowned by a dome, a typical example of an architectural achievement that was raised with use of locally sourced materials comprised of spear grass, reeds, wooden poles and wattle.
Rwenzori Mountain national park
This is home to renowned “mountains of the moon”, the tallest mountain ranges in Africa. The park’s glaciers, lakes, V-shaped valleys, snow-capped peaks and magnificent waterfalls make it one of Africa’s most beautiful alpine regions, but it’s also among the least visited reserves in the country.
The Rwenzori mountains National Park support the growth of Africa’s richest montane flora, coupled with the gigantic lobelias, groundsels, and giant heathers which have been dubbed “Africa’s botanical big game”. Harbor a lot of wildlife including 15 butterfly species and 80 bird species. It also has elephants, L’Honest’s monkey and chimpanzees. The Rwenzori Mountains are very beautiful and they are a sight to behold and one shouldn’t miss on the experience to conquer this UNESCO heritage site.
