Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the most visited Uganda’s savannah national parks in western Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park is in the Western Region of Uganda, spanning the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park is approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) by road south-west of Kampala, Uganda’s capital and largest city.
The town of Kasese is just outside the northeastern edge of the park, while the town of Rubirizi is just outside the park’s southeastern boundaries. The park includes the Maramagambo Forest and borders the Kigezi Game Reserve, the Kyambura Game Reserve, and the Kibale National Park in Uganda, and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The variety of habitats includes grassland savannah, forests, wetlands and lakes.
Queen Elizabeth National Park occupies an estimated 1,978 square kilometers (764 sq mi). The park extends from Lake George in the north-east to Lake Edward in the south-west and includes the Kazinga Channel connecting the two lakes.
The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park. It was renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. The Kazinga channel is known for harboring over 1000 hippos, and it’s known as the place having the highest concentration of hippos in the entire world. The channel has greatly support tourism in that boat cruise is run in this channel as majority to aquatic wildlife and other wildlife do stay around this channel.
Wildlife
Queen Elizabeth National Park is known for its wildlife, including African buffalo, Ugandan kob, hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, African bush elephant, African leopard, lion, and chimpanzee. It is home to 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species. Four of the Big five are present and regularly seen. Rhino is absent. The area around Ishasha in Rukungiri District is famous for its tree-climbing lions, whose males sport black manes.
The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park is well known for the tree climbing lions, as they do hide during daytime on top of the fig trees. You can land on a pride of lions over 10 in numbers in branches of a fig tree. This has greatly favored game drives in this sector in search for these tree climbing lions, which are only sighted here and at Lake Manyara in Tanzania in the entire world.
Kyambura gorge is another sector attached to this great part and a nature walk to this great gorge is rewarding as you’re able to sight number of primate species. Many tourists do visit this sector of the park for the chimpanzee trekking experience. For more chimpanzee trekking experience, you can visit the Kalinzu forest for chimpanzee trekking or Kibale forest which is the hottest spot for chimpanzee experience.
Besides the remarkable wildlife attraction, Queen Elizabeth national park also boasts of attractive heritage/ culture history. There are numerous opportunities for traveler and tourists to visit the local population who are entertaining in terms of local music and cultural dances. With all such attractions Queen Elizabeth national park tours leave tourists wanting for more.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
Queen Elizabeth National Park can be visited throughout the year, but the best time for wildlife viewing is the Dry season (from June to August and January to February) when animals are concentrated near rivers and waterholes. Some of the roads can become impassable after heavy rain.
Activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Game drive in Queen Elizabeth is amazing as you have great chances of seeing the big four of the big Five. You can decide to do game drive at Mweya peninsula, Gisenyi sector or the Ishasha sector which is rewarding with the tree climbing lions. There are morning and evening game drives. You can as well take the night game drive to spot some nocturnal animals and some other wildlife which are still active during nighttime. There is a lot to see as this park has over 75 mammal species, which numerous birds.
Boat Cruise at the Kazinga Channel.
One of its kind and amazing. So much reward, with ability to spot a number of water bird, crocodiles, hippos and other wildlife. The two hours boat ride in this great channel will leave you will a memorable trip to remember as you spot elephants and buffaloes wallowing at the mad at riverbank. This is a Must do activity on your visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Crater Lakes Tour.
Number of volcanic and lava crater lakes do exist within this park. You can take a drive down to visit one of the crater lakes, always patched with buffaloes and other wildlife, leaking the salty minerals from the soil at the lake shores. Some crater lakes do harbor flamingoes as well.
Visit to Lake Katwe.
Lake Katwe is one of the volcanic crater lakes with the areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park, where salt mining is currently taking place here. You will be able to observe how the local work hand in hand to mine salt from this lava dammed lake. The experience is rewarding as you can interact with the local community and seeing how mining is done here.
Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
With the numerous bird species found in this park. This has made the park a bird spot, as visitors are able to spot over 600 species of bird here. Number of water birds are seen at the kisenyi landing sites. There are several aquatic birds such as the White-faced Whistling, Spur-winged Plovers, Squacco Heron, Fish Eagle, Pink and white backed Pelicans, long tailed Cormorants, African Jacana, Yellow backed Weavers, open-billed Stork, Water-Thick knee, Pied kingfishers, Wattled Plovers, the Black Crake and the Knob-billed Ducks along the impressive Kazinga Channel in the park.
Chimpanzee Trekking
This chimpanzee tracking activity within the Kyambura Gorge that gorges for just a small cost can be included to any other Uganda Safari activity within Queen Elizabeth and offers you a holistic adventure of this splendid national park.
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Lots of accommodation facilities do surround the park in any angle. Queen Elizabeth National Park looks to be the park with high number of accommodation facilities all over, both inside and outside the park as it is easy to reach the park from any side, having a number of entrances, and easily accessible. The park has facilities ranging from budget to midrange to luxury. If you want to sleep in the hearts of the park overlooking the Kazinga channel, Mweya Safari lodge, a luxury lodge facility with good rate is available, however number of other luxury facilities such as Parkside Safari lodge, Katara Lodge, Elephant Plain Lodge, Mazike Lodge to mention but a few. For any budget, you will get where to sleep, no need to worry.
Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
From Kampala
Located in western Uganda, shared by districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo and Bushenyi, Queen Elizabeth National 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 or Kampala via Fort portal which is a shorter route. The park can as well easily be accessed through Kigali – Rwanda, via Gatuna border.
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 (410 kms). The park is 5-6 hours from Kampala on surface road via Mbarara.
By Flight
You can as well as decide to take flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip to Mweya,m in a short time you will be at the park. Several domestic airlines do operate here such as Eagle Air, Aero Link. You can book with our office to reserve a flight for you as part of your package.
From Bwindi.
This Uganda safari park can also be reached via Ishasha sector, which is south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
From Kigali – Rwanda.
It is easier to reach Queen Elizabeth National Park through Kigali airport. The driving time is just 6 hours via Gatuna border through Ntungamo. You can have a chance to visit Kitagata hot springs along the way.
For more information or packages about Queen Elizabeth National Park, kindly contact our office by email: info@beyondkigalitours.com, you can well make a phone call: +250788439357 or +250788508228