Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth Park is one of Uganda’s leading tourist destinations. With its diverse ecosystems, it hosts humid forests, sparkling lakes, savanna and fertile wetlands which make it a suitable habitat for the big five mammals, ten primate species and over 600 species of birds. It is located within the Albertine rift valley in western Uganda near the Rwenzori mountains and it covers a total area of 1978km. this park has 2 rainy seasons, from march to may and September to November. It’s a famous home for the tree climbing lions and the Uganda kob. Other mammals like the elephant, baboons, hippos, buffalos and chimpanzees are also present. A launch trip on the kazinga channel between lakes George and Edward is a great way to view the park.

Tourists are welcome to the park during any time of the year. Accommodations in the park is available due to the many lodges like Mweya safari lodge, jacana safari lodge, camps like  simba safari camp and hotels. These provide comfort to the tourists at any time of the year.

AREAS OF INTEREST

In this one park, you can find the great adventures and discoveries with the various areas that are completely amazing and fairly different.  

Lake George– The papyrus swamps of Lake George are a home to the semi aquatic sitatunga antelope and other birds like the shoebill.

Lake katwe– Traditional salt mining is also done in this park by the katwe-kabatoro community on katwe salt lake. The near lake munyanyange is a bird sanctuary as well as a migratory location for the lesser flamingo from august to Novembers of the Uganda kob.

Kasenyi plains– The kasenyi plains are the perfect place for a classic African safari experience where large herds of the Uganda kob attract gracious lions, guinea fowls feed through the grassland, huge elephants walk across the game drive tracks, warthogs graze down on their knees giving memorable views and photo opportunities to the tourists.

Kazinga channel– A cruise down the kazinga channel is the most relaxing way to enjoy a wildlife safari in queen. These banks are crammed with hippos, buffalos and water birds along with monitor lizards, marabou storks, weaver birds and elegant fish eagles with elephants striding along the banks.

Mweya peninsula– The Mweya peninsula, Nyambura gorge and Nyambura wildlife reserve which is located  west of nyambura George offer a good chance to observe various water birds like the flamingos.

Maramagambo forest – Flooding with primates like chimps, baboons and several monkey species, various bird species  like the forest flycatcher, white pigeons  is the Maramagambo forest. A large tree that has been turned white by the birds that roost at night is the cormorant house.

WILDLIFE AND BIRDING

With over 5000 hippos, 2500 elephants and over 10000 buffalos grazing in its grasslands and shorelines, this park is an ideal sighting of some Africans most iconic species. Herbivores like warthogs, waterbucks, Uganda Kob and antelopes are also present. Numerous primates enjoy the parks diverse habitats mostly the chimps. Black and white colobus monkeys are easily spotted in the trees with the baboons being the boldest. This park also offers an incredible treat to bird lovers as it contains a variety of habitats ranging from the savanna to the wetlands to the lowland forests. Its reflected in the list of over 600 bird species.

This park is also famous for harboring the big cats. The lions are found throughout the park though most live in the south side of Isasha where they rest on the limbs of fig trees, civet, genal and serval cats are also present.  Solitary leopards are nocturnal and well camouflaged and so are the smaller cats that are predominantly nocturnal too and spotted well at night.

ACTIVITIES

Queen Elizabeth national park is the greatest of any east African national park and it hosts savanna and forest, linking to the expansive forest of the DRC that allows visitors to spot east Africa as well as central Africans bird species that are over 600 species. This offers good birding activities and sighting. Present in the park are various water birds, 54 raptors, martial eagle, African skimmer, flycatchers, pelicans, blackbee eater, corncrake, greater flamingo and shoebill. The best birding in this park are the Kazinga channel, Kasenyi are, Mweya peninsula, Maramagambo forest, Isasha sector and Katwe area.

The Kyambura Gorge experience is more than discovering chimpanzees in their natural environment.
Game drives through Kasenyi, the north Kazinga plains and Isasha sectors offer virtually guarantees buffalo, antelope and elephant sightings along with warthogs and baboons. Tracking in the early morning or at dusk is the most successful way to track down the lions and maybe leopards.
Hiking and nature walks are also possible in the savanna and woodland with beautiful and bold warthogs. Visitors can enjoy easy stroll in the southern end of the park along the Isasha river in the Mweya peninsula. A variety of forest and savanna birds and mammals can be spotted as well. A boat cruise along the Kazinga channel gives visitors the chance to cruise from hundreds of hippos and buffalos while elephants graze along the shores. Over 60 bird species can be spotted during this trip.

Generally, the experimental tourism activities currently available are mongoose tracking, lion tracking, hippos and bird counts. The number of people on each outing is limited in order to reduce stress on the animals and to increase the quality of experience for visitors. Experimental tours last between one to three hours usually in the mornings or evenings or occasionally at night.

ACCOMODATION

There are various accommodation sites in and around the park ready to offer services to the visitors. Within the park, we have lodges like, Mweya safari lodge, Kyambura game lodge, queen Elizabeth bush lodge, jacana lodge, Katara lodge and Simba safari camp. All these are well situated and equipped to offer satisfying services to the tourists. Just outside, surrounding the park are numerous accommodation sites like Ihamba safari lodge, primate lodge kibale, Rwetera safari park and crater safari lodge. With all these places, one can enjoy a fabulous stay in and around the park.