Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is a great protected area and one of the most popular safari destinations in Uganda for game wildlife viewing safaris, this park is formerly known as Kazinga national park and it is located in  Western Uganda covering an area of 1978 square kilometers spanning in districts of Kasese, kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri. Queen Elizabeth national park lies in a distance of about 400 kilometers southwest of Kampala the capital city of Uganda,

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately 400 kilometers (250 mi) by road south-west of Kampala capital city and lies on the floor of Africa’s western Rift Valley and at the altitude range of  884- 1,337m/2,900- 4,386ft.

Queen Elizabeth national park’s is a habitat to diverse vegetation types including grasslands, bushy grasslands, acacia woodland. Forest grassland and swamp vegetation. Other flora species in the park include thickets of small trees such as acacia and evergreens. Queen Elizabeth national park is great habitat for over 95 mammal species including 4 of the big five and the famous tree climbing lions found in the ishasha sector of the park, primates, birds and butterflies.

Queen Elizabeth national park is a habitat to a variety of  animals calling the park home, these animals include lions, elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, leopards, hippopotamuses, waterbuck, Uganda kob, warthog, hyena, giant forest hog and several types of antelopes, such as duiker, bush buck and reedbuck. There are also primates living in the forest galleries of the park and they include Black and white Columbus Monkey, Blue monkeys, Olive baboons, Vervet monkeys and Red-tailed monkeys.

Queen Elizabeth national park is a great habitat for birdlife hosting over 600 bird species  including Hooded Vulture, Martial Eagle, Grey Kestrel, African Wattled Plover, Black-bellied Bustard, Black-lored Babbler, White-tailed Lark, Pink-backed Pelican, Black-crowned Tchagra, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Blue-naped Mousebird, Papyrus Canary, Pygmy Kingfisher, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, the lesser and greater Flamingo and many more.

Queen Elizabeth national park is divided into sectors that are mweya peninsula, Kazinga channel, kyambura gorge, Maramagambo forests, kasenyi plains, ishasha sector, Katwe Crater Lake, the equator and Queen’s pavilions and Lake George which are also attractions of the park.

Safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game viewing

Queen Elizabeth national park is a remarkable destination for game viewing experience, this activity is done in a 4X4 wheel vehicle and mainly conducted in Kasenyi area which is famous for habiting a huge concentration of animals in the park. Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park is done either on an early morning game drive, afternoon game drive and evening game drive, morning game drive offer sights of morning risers and evening game drive offer sights of nocturnal animals such as lions, leopards and many more. Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park offer sights of many animals such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, chimpanzees, leopards, hippopotamuses, waterbuck, Ugand kob, warthog, hyena, giant forest hog, duiker, bush buck and reedbuck and many more.

Birding watching

Queen Elizabeth national park is a fine destination for bird watching, the park is a home to over 600 bird species which are found many areas of the park including Lake Munyanyange which is a bird sanctuary, Kazinga channel, Kyambura gorge, Kasenyi plains and many more. Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth national park offers sights of many birds such as, Martial Eagle, Grey Kestrel, African Wattled Plover, Black-bellied Bustard, and Black-lored Babbler, White-tailed Lark, Pink-backed Pelican, Black-crowned Tchagra, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Blue-naped Mousebird, Papyrus Canary and many more.

Boat safaris

Boat safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park are offered of Kazinga channel a water stretching connecting Lake Edward to Lake George, boat safaris lasts for 2-3 hours and are offered in 2 shifts (first shift is done in the morning and the second in the afternoon). Private boat safaris are also offered and their advantage is that they are conducted at any time of the day, boat safaris offer excellent game and bird viewing experiences. As you sail through the waters of Kazinga channel, you get to spot many animals such as crocodiles, waterbucks, buffaloes, Elephants, bushbucks and many water bird such as shoe bill, herons, crested crane and many more.

Chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzee tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is done in Kyambura gorge, Kyambura gorge is an underground forest situated 100 meters below the Kichwamba escarpment. This forests is a host to chimpanzees and other primate species such as live baboons, black-and-white colobus monkeys and many more. Tracking for chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge starts as early as 8:00 am with briefing at the park’s headquarters where the dos and don’ts for this safari are read to you, chimpanzee tracking offers an encounter with the chimpanzees in their natural habitats and other forest creatures are sighted such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and many more.

 Community walks and cultural experience

Community walks and cultural experience in Queen Elizabeth national park offer a visit to fishing villages and local communities situated adjacent to the park, these communities have a rich history and unique cultural practices and traditions which are enjoyed while on your visit such as storytelling, entertainment through dance and drama, farming practices such as harvesting and many more.  These activities are offered by two initiatives/groups that are Kikorongo women’s community project showcasing cultural dance, music and drama performances, local way of making fire, basket weaving and making paper beads. Another initiative is Nyanzi’ibiri Cave Community offering  a scenic walk around the historical cave and museum, cannoning safari and many more.

Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park comprises many safari lodges and camps offering accommodation to tourists visiting the park for a safari, these accommodation facilities are ranked as luxury, midrange and budget status. Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth national park include.

mweya safari lodge, Enganzi game lodge, park view safari lodge , Baboon safari lodge , Kazinga wilderness camp, elehant hab lodge , elephant plains lodge.

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western Uganda in a distance of 389 kilometers from Kampala the capital city of Uganda and a starting point for most safaris to this this amazing destination, Queen Elizabeth national park is accessed using road and air means of transport. By road, there are well maintained routes such as Kampala – Bushenyi via Mbarara a route of 420 kilometers and a drive of 6 hours, Kampala – Kasese route via Fort portal a route of 410 kilometers and a drive of 6 hours.

By Air, domestic chartered flights are offered from Entebbe international airport and Kajjansi airstrip flying to airstrips serving the park that are Mweya, Kasese and Ishasha airstrips.

Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park

Throughout the year, Queen Elizabeth national park experiences two seasons that are wet season and dry season in different periods. According to safari experts, the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national is the dry season in the periods of January – February and June -August. Dry season in Queen Elizabeth national park features dry and less slippery game views trails and thinner vegetation cover offering easy sights of animals while they graze, also animals congregate at watering holes to quench their thirst.