Still relatively unexplored, this beautifully forested and mountainous park offers a great wildlife experience with elephants, buffalo, and rare birds and primates, away from the well-trodden routes.
Established in 2005, Chebera-Churchura National Park has slowly been building its infrastructure as a wildlife destination. Although it's still in its infancy for ecotourism, it offers visitors a refreshingly wild and untouched landscape that feels pristine. There are currently only a small number of visitors, and many areas of the park remain unexplored.
Much of the habitat consists of wooded grassland and dense riparian forest, but there are also areas of lush bromeliad clad cloud forest and savannah. The dense vegetation can make sightings challenging, but the park can be explored via the small network of roads and there are also watchtowers overlooking wetlands and forest clearings where animals gather in numbers.
The park’s main attraction is its high elephant population, which have increased in recent years, numbering somewhere between 400 – 700 individuals across the wider region. Towards the end of the dry season, they gather in large herds and associate in the areas with remaining water along the river, along with herds of buffalo, waterbuck, warthog and hippo.
Secretive bush pig, giant forest hog, bushbuck and forest dwelling lions are also occasionally encountered along the roadsides, and the population of beautifully marked De-Brazza’s monkey is another highlight.
Birdlife is also rich, with over 200 species recorded including white-cheeked turaco, half-collared kingfisher, black-crowned crane, and the standard-winged nightjar among many highlights. When the sun warms the forest clearings by mid-morning, an array of butterflies can also be enjoyed. Over 80 species have been recorded in this park.
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