Queen Elizabeth National Park

Located in western Uganda, shared by districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Rubirizi, Kanungu, the park was gazette in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, and renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

With 1,978km² in size, Queen Elizabeth National Park spans the equator line. Prominently known for the big four animals that is the Elephants, Lions, Buffaloes and the Leopards, it is also classified as an Important Birding Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination harboring over 95 mammal species with a diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, making  it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.

Situated against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.

In addition to its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, dance, music and more. The gazetting of the park has ensured the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities.

What to do

Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to variety of wildlife and boasts a range of attractions and interesting activities that make it truly gifted by nature. Some of the activities that visitors can frequently engage themselves in include the following;

GAME/WILDLIFE DRIVES

The major highlight of a visit to the park are the scenic game drives that avails you the opportunity to view the most elusive of the park’s fauna. The thrilling drives are done during the morning hours featuring up close viewing of the wildlife which inhabits the park in the comfort of a vehicle. Your driver guide knows the different trucks in the park intimately and will take you in search of the different wildlife leaving you with atmost chances of spotting elephants, the largest land mammals skillfully using their trunk to feed, lions preying on antelopes while hyenas patiently await to devour the lion’s leftovers from a distance. Herds of Buffalo and Uganda kobs traverse the game park all day long. Warthogs, leopards, the giant forest hog are among the others you are very likely to meet on your game drive.

BIRD WATCHING

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s top birding spots, it is a birders haven with over 600 bird species, some of the birds likely to grace your photographic memories include; the Shoebill stork, black bee-eater, 11 types of kingfishers and a variety of raptors, including several falcons, Sedge warbles, Papyrus canary, the martial eagle, Pink backed Pelican, Yellow throated Cuckoo, and the Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, all which inhabit the park’s expansive grasslands, forests and wetlands and of course not forgetting flamingos found at the Katwe and Bunyampaba salt lakes.

BOAT CRUISE

The boat cruise along the rich wildlife Kazinga Channel, a long natural water channel linking Lakes prince Edward and prince George is an exhilarating and refreshing activity yarned by a number of visitors at the park. While on the boat cruise, there is unlimited opportunities enjoy the various sights and sounds that the park’s rich aquatic life extravagantly offers. Besides the large hippopotamuses taking their dips in the waters, the fierce Nile crocodiles basking lazily on the channel banks for a feel of the warm sun are some of the lifetime experiences you will encounter on the cruise. Not to miss are the Pied Kingfishers attempting to grab a meal.

TREE CLIMBING LIONS OF ISOLATED ISHASHA SECTOR

Not every day do you see a lion climbing a tree, in fact it was considered a safe bet to climb one if you ever found yourself being chased by one. Not while in Ishasha sector though, a region comprising a portion of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Here, lions perched up on acacia and fig trees are an enchanting sight to behold. Whether it is for a better view of their surroundings including potential prey like the Uganda Kob that grazes in the vicinities, seeking the cool breeze in the trees or escaping the notorious bites from the tsetse flies on the ground below, the reason for the lions choosing residence up the trees remains an intriguing mystery. The Ishasha sector where these lions are found is accessible on the journey to or from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest as one heads or returns from gorilla trekking in the forest. Besides the amazing tree climbing king of the jungle, the sector is also home to other animals such as herds of buffaloes, large numbers of elephants, warthogs and antelopes all which make for a memorable trip to the game park.

NATURE WALKS/CHIMPANZEE TREKKING

Guided nature walks through the forest in Maramagambo are available. Trips on the forest trails here are taken mostly by birdwatchers, though there are nine species of primates that necessitates primate trekking a case in point being chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge. The underground rainforest in a gorge offers an excellent protection from the sunshine as one enjoys the immense beauty of nature hidden in there. You will experience lush savannah grasslands leading to the gorge, to the flowing rivers and creeks. Red tailed monkeys, baboons, butterflies and different bird species are among other inhabitants of this little paradise worth sighting besides Chimpanzees.

HOW TO GET THERE

Accessing the park from Kampala is either on tarmac road via Mbarara town and Bushenyi leads to the center of the park, passing just 22 km from Mweya Peninsula, the main tourism hub. Approaching the park from the south via Mbarara covers a distance of 420km while the north through Fort Portal covers a total of 410 km.The park is 5-6 hours from Kampala on surface road via Mbarara. This safari park can also be reached via Ishasha sector, which is south of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

One can as well access the park by air travel through arranged charter and scheduled flights by Aerolink and Fly Uganda from Entebbe to Kasese and Mweya airstrips and from Kajjansi to Kasese, Mweya and Ishasha respectively.

Where to stay

Below are some of the accommodation facilities we have used and highly commend for consistently providing our guests with the privilege of living in an exclusive and serene space overlooking the skyline, with proximity to the various wildlife game in QENP; Kyambura gorge lodge, Mweya Safari lodges, Elephant plains lodge, Ishasha wilderness lodge, Jacana lodge, Katara lodge (Luxury) Park view safari lodge, Ihamba safari lodge, Ishasha Ntungwe river lodge, Kingfisher lodge, Savannah resort hotel, Enganzi lodge, Bush lodge, Savannah Resort Hotel (Mid-range) Simba safari camp, Mweya Hostel, Ishasha river camp, Tembo camp (Budget).