Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a UNESCO Heritage site of 1,978 square kilometers in size, 370 kilometers from Kampala. The park is connected to the Parc National des Virunga in neighboring DRC, constituting the Greater Virunga massif, and is one of the largest conservation areas in East Africa. Queen Elizabeth is made up of the grasslands in the Mweya Peninsula and Ishasha, the crater lakes, the Maramagambo forest, the secluded Kyambura gorge, and the magnificent stretch of the Kazinga Channel.

The park is located in the Western Rift Valley, which forms part of the park’s eastern boundary. The 32-kilometer-long Kazinga Channel, which joins Lake Edward and Lake George, divides the park roughly from north to south. Eruptions in the mid-Pleistocene created crater lakes, which now give a unique topography in the park’s north and northeast. Katwe, the most well-known of these lakes, contains huge salt reserves that have been mined for generations. The Katwe explosion craters are the Park’s highest point, at 1,350 meters above sea level; Lake Edward is the lowest, at 910 meters.

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Usually overshadowed by the more well-known savannah parks of Tanzania and Kenya, Uganda’s savannah parks are distinctive among African safari destinations. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most popular national park and is frequently combined with gorilla trekking in Bwindi and chimp trekking in Kibale Forest. The park is well-known for its big cats, which include tree-climbing lions and leopards. Game drives in the park will highlight the area’s diverse assortment of large game, which includes elephants, buffalos, antelopes, and warthogs.

Boat safaris cross the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lakes Edward and George. There are antelopes and elephants coming down to the banks, pelicans, and plenty of hippos. Queen Elizabeth has over 600 bird species listed, and you can combine game drives and boat safaris with chimpanzee trekking in the hidden forest of Kyambura Gorge.

What You Can Expect on a safari to Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth is appealing because of its large cats and lovely settings. It is easy to confuse the ecology in the park with wildlife parks in South Africa, Tanzania, or Kenya. The park is more than simply a wilderness attraction; the park is home to a sizable human population, whose demands must be balanced with those of the animals. While the park has a substantial big game population, most visitors are most impressed with the big cats. Queen Elizabeth National Park is presently Uganda’s most biodiverse area, with over 95 big animal species and 600 bird species. They live in grassland, woodland, tropical forest, and wetlands, as well as freshwater rivers and lakes. Around 40,000 hectares of land are covered with medium-altitude forest.

Big Mammals

There are around 5,000 hippos, 2,500 elephants, and 10,000 buffalo in Queen Elizabeth. Because the mammals may be found roaming across the open plains, forests, and shorelines, you will be able to see them in a variety of settings. There will be several photo chances, but there will also be opportunities to simply sit and watch these extremely unusual species in their natural environment. Warthogs, waterbuck, Ugandan kob, topi, and the sitatunga of the marshes around Lake George are also common herbivores.

Large Cats

There is certainly enough to enjoy for large cat enthusiasts. Lions can be spotted all around the park but are most well-known in the Ishasha sector, where the population has learned to climb fig trees to avoid flies. Leopards, civets, genet, and serval are also found in the park. They are all far more elusive, with many being nocturnal, making a sighting all the more extraordinary. The presence of big cats with traditional big games makes the park more appealing as a safari destination. These cats are encountered against breathtaking scenery, creating the ideal setting for a one-of-a-kind safari experience.

Primates

Ten primate species live in tropical forests, and in some cases forage in the undergrowth. The largest of them include chimps, which may be found in the reclusive forest of Kyambura and the vast expanse of Maramagambo. The supporting group of olive baboons, red colobus, blue monkey, black and white colobus, red-tailed monkey, L’Hoest’s monkey, grey-checked mangabeys, and vervet monkey is equally fascinating and worth searching for.

Birding

When a protected area has a diverse variety of ecosystems, birding will be spectacular. Queen Elizabeth will not disappoint you in this regard. Around 600 species are waiting to be discovered and documented. While iconic species such as the Shoebill stork, pelican, and flamingo draw the most attention, each ecosystem is home to an overabundance of different bird species.

Activities to do in Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth is one of the prime safari destinations in the country due to its abundance of vegetation and animals. Combining a safari here with gorilla trekking in Bwindi or chimpanzee trekking in Kibale creates an unforgettable wildlife encounter.  All Queen Elizabeth safaris include a guided game drive on the Mweya Peninsula as well as boat rides on the Kazinga Channel. If you stay for more than two nights, you may trek the chimps in Kyambura Gorge, go on a game drive in the Ishasha sector in search of tree-climbing lions, or explore Katwe’s crater lakes or salt pans.

Game drives in the Mweya Peninsula

The classic savannah safari experience is the game drive. You will explore the savanna plains with your guide for approximately 4 hours in the morning or late in the afternoon when the animals are most active. These game drives are done in four-wheel drive vehicles modified to allow excellent sight through open rooftops and sliding windows. Every species has its own biological role, or habitat, as well as distinct behavioral tendencies.

Kazinga Channel boat cruise.

There’s something magical about viewing wildlife from the waters.  The sunshine bounces off the water’s surface; the changing expressions of the animals as they observe you and decide how to react. With the wind in your favor, you can approach much closer to game than you might in a vehicle. There are 2 boat rides on the Kazinga Channel mid-morning and afternoon boat cruises. There are many sizes of boats available, but all excursions glide down the channel to Pelican Point. Expect to witness elephant, hippo, buffalo, crocodiles, antelope, and a diverse array of water bird life.

Chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge

The Kyambura River has carved a deep valley through the Kichwamba Escarpment over the years. With the slopes of the valley too high for large herbivores to access, thick forest clads the sides, giving the ideal habitat for huge primates, notably chimps. One of Queens’ most appealing features is spending a few hours tracking our closest ancestors through the jungle with a Ugandan Wildlife Authority guide. It truly seems like you’ve stepped into another dimension. This is hardly a ‘zoo experience,’ with just a 60% probability of seeing the chimpanzees. 

Forest Walks in Marambagambo

The Maramagambo Forest is an ideal area to spend a half or full day for birders and people who enjoy strolling off the beaten path. You will explore the shadows, uncovering species seldom seen on the open savanna plains, stumble across secret crater lakes, and wonder at the sheer amount of life found within a bat cave, shielded from the blazing sun by the dense canopy.

Game drives on the Ishasha Plains

Ishasha sector is the only place in Uganda where you can encounter tree-climbing lions. It has been noted that these big cats climb up the fig trees to get away from flies. Ishasha is an open woodland region in the park’s southwest on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. It is explored during game drives, and despite the fact that a handful of lodges have lately developed in the region, it attracts few guests. This provides for precious intimate wildlife experiences and memorable sundowners.

Crater drives

The park has numerous crater lakes of varying sizes that bear witness to the area’s turbulent volcanic past. Several of these are concentrated in the park’s north, providing for an interesting half-day journey when the view and geologic record are the emphasis rather than the fauna. It’s sobering to consider how these craters formed, thousands of marks on the Earth’s crust that became engulfed by vegetation and wildlife over millions of years. The craters’ horrific and fiery formation stands in stark contrast to the green, wooded of life that lives there now. Enjoy a drive to explore the prominent crater lakes of Katwe, Bunyaruguru and Kasende.

When to visit Queen Elizabeth

Because Uganda is tropical, it receives rain for most of the year. Moreover, weather patterns appear to be shifting, making season prediction unreliable. So bring a rain jacket and be prepared for anything. Nonetheless, it is often drier from June to early October, and again from December to early March. These months offer the best time for exploring this vast wilderness. Increased rainfall is typical in October and November, as well as March through May. The largest rainfall occurs in April, with May usually being quite dry in recent years.

How to Get to Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth can be visited as a standalone safari destination as well as part of a larger itinerary. Because of its proximity to Bwindi and Kibale forests, the park is a popular combination with gorilla or chimp trekking. If you’re on a longer safari, you’ll almost surely stop by Queen Elizabeth because it has the finest lion sightings in Uganda. The roads in Uganda are improving rapidly, but it still takes the better part of a day to travel from Entebbe to the park. It takes roughly 3 hours to get from Kibale Forest and the Fort Portal region to the park. It takes roughly 3 hours to drive from the park to Buhoma in northern Bwindi. Alternatively, scheduled local flights connect Queen Elizabeth with Entebbe and other Ugandan cities. Depending on the route, the flight lasts between 60 and 120 minutes.

Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth has a variety of safari lodges ranging from luxury, midrange, and budget options. Mweya safari lodge in the Mweya Peninsular is one of the popular luxury safari lodges. Katara Lodge, located on the rift valley escapement offers amazing views of the savanna plains. In Kyambura gorge, the Kyambura gorge lodge offers luxury accommodations in the gorge. Jacana lodge is another luxury lodging option that was constructed with a blend of nature and modern amenities. In the Ishasha sector, the Ishasha wilderness camp offers stunning views of the Ntungwe river, the wildlife, and primates that call this part of the park home.

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