Rwenzori Mountain is naturally endowed with rich & diverse floral species. It features African savanna, tropical rainforest, bamboo, heath, alpine meadows and snow making it a home to diverse ecological zones. At the base slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon, the savanna grassland dominates and this is an area that is rich with diverse wildlife/faunal species. Beyond the savanna zone, there is a rain-forest at 1676 & 2286m.
There are several animal species worth spotting while on Uganda safari in Rwenzori Mountains. They include 70 mammal species that range around the lower slopes, elephants, bush bucks, duikers, hyrax, primates such as red tailed, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, Angola colobus monkeys; reptiles like three-horned chameleon.
There are not so many larger animals found in the mountains, due to heavy hunting during the 1970s-1980s. In the forest zone are still elephants and buffaloes – but they are rarely seen. Animals that are more often seen are chimpanzees, blue monkeys, Rwenzori Colobus monkey, duiker, forest hog hyrax and leopard. The leopard is seen as high as 4000m.
Other than mammals, the park protects diversity of endangered, endemic, threatened species and variety of Albertine rift bird species.
Mammals
There are 70 species of mammals that have been recorded in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. These animals range in different vegetation zones of Rwenzori Mountains National Park and they can be explored while on your Uganda safari.
The animal checklist include 6 Albertine Rift endemic species, 4 endemic species to the park and 3 rare species all call Rwenzori Mountains National Park a home. This makes Rwenzori Mountains National Park not only an ideal mountaineering/hiking/mountain climbing destination but also one of the best places for wildlife safari destinations in Uganda.
The important mammal species that Rwenzori Mountains National Park prides itself include leopards, Rwenzori otter, elephants, bush bucks, duikers, giant forest hogs. Unlike other National Parks in Uganda, sighting most of these mammal species in Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a little challenging due to the Park’s dense vegetation.
Other important wildlife that the park boasts of include l’hoest monkeys, forest elephants, blue monkeys, chimpanzees, leopards, colobus monkeys. Others include Rwenzori otters, antelopes such as bush bucks; reptiles like three-horned chameleons, amphibians etc.
Primates
The Rwenzori Mountains National Park also boasts of an incredible population of primate species including chimpanzees, the black and white colobus monkeys, Angola colobus monkeys, blue monkeys. Besides, on Uganda safari in Rwenzori Mountains National Park, expect to look out for the rare species of the reptiles including the three-horned chameleon.
Birds
Bird species that make Rwenzori Mountains National Park an Important Birding Area include the Rwenzori turacos, slender billed starling, barred long tailed cuckoo, blue headed sunbirds, cinnamon chested bee-eater, montane sooty boubou, white starred robin, Rwenzori batis, handsome francolins, long eared owl, lagden’s bush shrike, golden winged sunbird, flycatchers etc.
The important birds of Rwenzori Mountains total up to 217 species and they include several endangered & Albertine rift species. They can easily be sighted around the forests including among others the Rwenzori batis, Rwenzori turacos, blue sunbirds, Archer’s robin chat, mountain buzzards, crimson wings, slender billed starling, cinnamon chested bee-eater, barred long tailed cuckoo, handsome francolins, stripe breast tit, golden winged sunbird, montane sooty boubou, black & swift eagles.