Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda’s Most Popular National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular of all Uganda’s national parks. Best described as a true medley of wonders, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s most splendid safari destinations. It spans up to 1978 square kilometers making it Uganda’s second largest park and it is largely a savanna grassland protected area. It boasts of its diverse wildlife species that dwell within its sprawling savanna, humid forests, shady and fertile wetlands.
Queen Elizabeth National park, which is described as “Uganda’s Great Rift Valley” by Andrew Roberts, is the second largest and it is almost 1,978 sq. km. It is bordered in the West by Lake Edward and in the North by the Rwenzori Mountains, and is divided in two sectors, the North and South. This fertile equatorial area has a very nice scenery comprised of Tropical Rain Forests and two lakes connected by a channel over looked by a high peninsula. The beauty is simply staggering with sprawling cacti, savannah, forests, rivers and lakes
What to see in Queen Elizabeth National Park
A Uganda safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park gets you the best sights at huge concentration of wildlife species including more than 5000 hippos, 3000 African elephants and over 10000 Buffaloes, several water bucks, Uganda Kobs, topis, warthogs and over 620 bird species. There are also several incredible primate species including chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons and others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular tourist destination and the most popular of national parks where tourists enjoy wildlife safaris. Due to its diverse ecosystems which include, sparkling savanna, lakes, wetlands, and shady, humid forests it habits a large number of wildlife, primate species including the chimpanzee and over 600 species of birds. The park also has magnificent vistas which include enormous craters caved dramatically into rolling green hills, breath taking views of Kazinga Channel and hippos, buffaloes, and elephants at the bank of Kazinga channel. There is the Ishasha plains whose fig trees hide tree climbing lions.
The Kazinga channel
It is about 40m long joining Lake Gorge to Lake Edward. It has the perfect view of the parks’ major wildlife annals. The shores of the lake attracts a large concentration of mammals, birds as well as reptiles all year around. The animals can be viewed well by the boat cruise. Kazinga channel has parts like the North Kazinga as well as Kasenyi. It’s acknowledged that the plains of channel are focal points for game viewing. Tracking is the only way that will enables visitors see all the wildlife in its nature setting for example buffalo, elephants and other animals that dwell in the grassland thickets of the Northern Kazinga close to Mweya. The most accessible spot for lions is in the eastern part of Kasenyi plains and the Kasese road where they quarry on the big inhabitants of Uganda Kobs.The most favorable time for game drives is during morning and late afternoon.
Bird Life
A Uganda safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park gets you the best sights at huge concentration of wildlife species including more than 5000 hippos, 3000 African elephants and over 10000 Buffaloes, several water bucks, Uganda Kobs, topis, warthogs and over 620 bird species. There are also several incredible primate species including chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons and others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular tourist destination and the most popular of national parks where tourists enjoy wildlife safaris. Due to its diverse ecosystems which include, sparkling savanna, lakes, wetlands, and shady, humid forests it habits a large number of wildlife, primate species including the chimpanzee and over 600 species of birds. The park also has magnificent vistas which include enormous craters caved dramatically into rolling green hills, breath taking views of Kazinga Channel and hippos, buffaloes, and elephants at the bank of Kazinga channel. There is the Ishasha plains whose fig trees hide tree climbing lions.
The Big Game
The park has outstanding wildlife attractions like the big five commonly known as the elephant, lion, hippos, buffaloes and the rhinos. Over 95 mammal species have been recorded in this park. Other wildlife animals include Cape buffalo, Uganda kob, water back, warthogs, leopard, hyena and the giant forest hog.
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Tree Climbing Lions
Hippopotamus
Leopard
African Buffalo
Elephants
Spotted Hyaena
Ugandan kob
Chimpanzee
Activities to do at the park
Game Drives
This activity involves the visitors to drive through the park while viewing animals. The Park has several spots of well maintained game viewing tracks.
This Uganda tours park has got over 200 kms of well maintained game tracks .The best time for game drives is in the morning hours where there are high chances of seeing elephants, buffaloes, lion and a variety of antelopes and other wildlife you can see safari in Uganda.
Launch cruise on the Kazinga channel
The boat cruise on the Kazinga channel usually lasts for 2 hours and it gives visitors the opportunity to see a variety of yawning hippos in water, water birds, buffaloes, elephants, zebras, the Uganda-kobs, topis, water bucks, bush bucks, reed bucks, duiker, mongoose, swamp antelopes, spotted hyena, warthog, forest hog and in difficult routes in the south.
Bird Watching
The finest timing to enjoy bird watching safaris within Queen Elizabeth is from December up to February. It is recommended to take a two- days or a three – days bird watching safari and on such you can be able to spot as many as more than half of the 550 species recorded within this park.
Chimpanzee Tracking
Queen Elizabeth National Park is among of the most remarkable national parks within Uganda for outstanding Wildlife as well as Bird-life, it also a perfect place to enjoy chimpanzee tracking / trekking done within the Kyambura Gorge where there are several habituated Chimpanzees. The scenery within this gorge is very spectacular and there are several other mammals plus birds to be seen as you start out in the morning on your chimpanzee trekking voyage.
Nature walks and hikes
With nature walks, you get the best of hidden treasures within this park. You can embark on this thrilling experience in Maramagambo forest, Kyambura Gorge, the Mweya peninsular and hike via the Ishasha River.
Hot air balloon safaris
A hot air balloon tour in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a new safari experience. It gets you the best views over varied wildlife species, Rwenzori Mountains of the moon, great western rift valley, explosion of craters, lakes such as Lake George and Edward, elephant’s herbs, buffaloes all kinds of antelopes. While here, there are two balloons and well trained pilots are available to take you through your activity. This balloon activity is certified by the Uganda Civil Authority (UCA).
Where is Queen Elizabeth Located
Getting There . Access Located in western Uganda, shared by districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Bushenyi, Queen Elizabeth park is 1978km2 in size. The park lies 5-6 hours from Kampala on a surfaced road via Mbarara, and can be reached on a dirt road from Bwindi. It includes parts of Lakes Edward and George which are linked by Kazinga channel and other attractions. Accessing the park from Kampala is either on tarmac through Mbarara (420 kames) or Fort Portal via Kasese (410kms). The park is 5-6 hours from Kampala on surface road via Mbarara. This park can also be reached via Ishasha sector, which is south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
