Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park, named after Queen Elizabeth II of England after her visit in 1952, is one of the top Uganda safaris destinations. It is located in southwestern Uganda and lies astride the Equator with monuments on both sides of the road making latitude 0⁰. It is in the Albertine region along with Kyambura and Kigezi wildlife reserve, which brings together the most diverse ecosystem in Africa. The rich bio-diversity of crater lakes, forest, savannah, woodland, and acacia and numerous animal, plant, and bird species lie on an area of 1978km².

Why visit Queen Elizabeth national park?

The park is home to over 95 mammal species, which are the main attraction of the visitors to the park. It has four of the ‘Big Five’ namely Elephant, Leopard, Lion and Buffalo. It is home to thousands of hippos that populate the water shores of Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George to Lake Edward. The park is an open Savannah spread with acacia and euphorbia trees that provide a habitat for leopards, elephants, lions, Uganda kobs, Topi, hyenas, and big herds of buffaloes, large families of banded mongoose, warthogs, bushbucks and waterbucks. The park has diverse habitat for birds from Savannah, numerous crater lakes, forests and woodland.

Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Game drives

Early morning or evenings are the best times to go game viewing mainly because the sun is not as hot and the cats prefer to hunt during these periods.

The game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park happen mainly in the Kasenyi area, which has the largest Kob mating ground. The area is famous for big cats because of the high population of Uganda Kobs which they prey on. Look out for herds of buffaloes and elephants as they graze through eh Savannah. The game drives are in custom-made vehicles for safari where each occupant has access to a window seat and open roof.

Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel

Kazinga channel is a stretch of water connecting Lake Edward and Lake George provides a fantastic game and bird viewing experience. You have sightings of Elephant as they take water and schools of Hippos as they guard their territories. There are boat safaris happening from the jetty that last between 2 – 3 hours leaving both in the morning and the afternoon. There are shared boats but you can choose to hire private boats for you and your party.

Other animals you are likely to see are monitor lizards, crocodiles, waterbucks, buffaloes, Elephants, bushbucks etc. The bird life is excellent with numerous bird species. The launch trips are twice daily i.e. morning and afternoons but for birding trip we recommend the morning boat which gives you better opportunities for bird watching.

Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge

The park hosts the Kyambura gorge which is an ‘underground’ forest 100m below the Kichwaba escarpment. It is home to ten primate species including the famed chimpanzees, olive baboons, black-and-white colobus monkeys, etc. Chimpanzee tracking has to be booked in advance from the park headquarters. The chances of sighting the chimpanzees are not high but nevertheless the experience trekking through the forest is amazing as you have many other sightings of beautiful birds and other primates.

Bird watching

The park is great destination for birding in Uganda as it hosts 600 bird species. Lake Munyanyange adjacent to the park is a bird sanctuary as well as a migratory location for the lesser flamingo from August to November.

Other areas for birdwatching include the Kasenyi plains, launch cruise on Kazinga channel, Kyambura gorge Mweya peninsular, Maramagambo forest, Katunguru bridge and various lakes in the park. Generally, every corner of the park is a great bird watching area. The birds are relatively easy to spot and you can expect great photo shots as you explore the park and its environs.

Nature and forest walks

These are done with a ranger guide for purposes of safety. They are available at the Mweya peninsular where you have a great birding and views across Kazinga channel and Lake Edward. In Ishasha, you have an opportunity to walk along Ishasha River where you have an opportunity to get close to the Hippos with your ranger guide. Maramagambo forest is another site with the famous bat cave and several bird species.

Community walks and Cultural experiences

In addition to the amazing wildlife, Queen Elizabeth has a rich cultural history with a lot of fishing villages adjacent to the park. Visitors have opportunities engaging with local communities and enjoying the stories, music and dance or engage in the daily activities of the locals like harvesting and cooking a quick vegetable meal and making crafts.

There are also communities adjacent to the park that you can visit to learn about their  initiatives and others to do community walks that allow you learn a bit more about their culture.

Kikorongo Women’s Community Project offers cultural performances of dance, drama, music and fire-making, basket weaving, paper beads. You would need to book before visiting because the women are not at this project daily but many will be in their farms where they spend most of their time.

Where to stay Queen Elizabeth national Park?

The accommodation in Queen Elizabeth national park ranges from Luxury, mid-range and budget, these facilities include, Mweya Safari Lodge, Acacia Wilderness Mweya, Ihamba Lakeside Safaris Lodge, Katara Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Twin Lakes Safari Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Enjojo Lodge and others

The best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national Park

The long dry season is the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth Park in western Uganda, and starts from June and continues through July and August. The short dry season is a very good time to visit too, and this starts from mid-December into January ending around late February.

How to access Queen Elizabeth National Park?

Access Queen Elizabeth national park from Entebbe international airport using scheduled/charter flights and these lands inside the park at Mweya Airstrip. Otherwise, you can drive from Kampala via Mbarara to the park OR Kampala via Fortportal to the park.