The magnificent safari destination, Queen Elizabeth National Park, is located in the western region of Uganda. It is in the districts of Rubirizi, Kamwenge, Rukungiri, and Kasese. The area of Queen Elizabeth National Park in general is approximately 1,978 square kilometers. The park is a haven for an array of wildlife, including over 600 bird species and over 95 mammal species. These include the famous tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. Other mammal species include elephants, leopards, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, hyenas, and topi among others.
Attractions In Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Wildlife.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a paradise of nature that offers holidaymakers ideal viewing of animal species in the park. About 95 mammal species, 600 bird species, reptiles, insect species, and other species are in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park is also endowed with more than 4,000 elephants and 2000 buffalos, making the animals there among the most magnificent.
Tree Climbing Lions.
Lions that can climb trees are pretty uncommon and mysterious in East Africa. Both Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania are habitat to tree climbing lions in the world. Lions that can climb trees can be mostly found in the park’s Ishasha sector, which is to the south of the park.
Kazinga Channel.
The most scenic part of Kazinga Channel is frequently referred to as heavenly by travelers. The deadliest fauna of Queen Elizabeth National Park are accessible during the launch trip in Kazinga Channel, especially during the dry season. Along the shores, you can also see herds of hippos, buffalo, crocodiles, and various aquatic bird species.
Equator.
The equator runs through Queen Elizabeth National Park at latitude zero. Many visitors stop to take pictures, and periodically local kids accompany them since it makes them happy. As a result, the equator has become the prime attraction for the countless tourists who come to visit QENP.
Mweya Peninsula.
The Mweya Peninsula acts as the hub and starting point for all safari and tourism activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. From here, the park’s entire safari excursion takes place. This location offers you breathtaking views of the various park-area features. This includes Katwe Bay, Lake Edward, and others. There is a gift shop nearby that sells souvenirs from Uganda safaris that will always remind you of a safari in The Pearl of Africa.
Bird Species.
Nearly 600 different types of exquisite birds are in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Many travelers find these extremely alluring, particularly bird enthusiasts. The park encompasses over 600 bird species that includes African finfoot, Black-billed roller, caspain plover, Crab-plover, Great blue turaco, Great-winged robin-chat, Heuglin’s gull, African hobby, Collared pratincole, Papyrus gonolek, Pel’s fishing-owl, Pink-backed pelican, White-winged tern, Spotted redshank and among others.
Activities To Do In Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Game Drives.
The perfect game drives in QENP offer visitors to enjoy the wide savannah plains in an open safari vehicle with a knowledgeable tour guide. The morning game drive, afternoon game drive, and night game drive are the three different times when game drives are conducted in the park. There are several great wildlife viewing areas, including the Mweya Peninsula, Ishasha Sector, Kasenyi Plains, and others. Furthermore, visitors can see a variety of animals, including elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, bushbucks, waterbucks, buffalos, Uganda kobs, and others.
Bird Watching.
The most well-known safari activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park is bird watching. More than 600 different bird species, including those of the forest, lake, and savannah, can be found in the park. The Katunguru Bridge Area, Katwe Area, Ishasha Sector, Maramagambo Forest, Kasenyi Area, Lake Kikorongo Area, Mweya Peninsula, among other locations in the park, are all good places to go bird watching. A variety of bird species, including the African Mourning Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Pin-tailed Whydah, Pied Kingfisher, Martial Eagle, Open-billed Stork, Black-headed Gonolek, Marabou Stork, and others, can be seen by bird watchers during this time.
Boat Cruise.
The park’s boat cruise, which takes place on Kazinga Channel, is a fascinating safari experience. It happens in two separate sessions, beginning at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm, correspondingly, and lasts for two to three hours each. You can see animals like elephants and buffalo sipping water from the water’s edge when on a safari, as well as animals that live in the water like hippos and Nile crocodiles. Water bird species including fish eagles, cormorants, hornbills, bee-eaters, and others can be seen at that time. Private boat safaris are also possible.
Chimpanzee Trekking.
Chimpanzee trekking is an exciting sport that takes place at Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Early in the morning, the activity begins with a briefing on the guidelines for doing chimpanzee trekking. Following the briefing, you enter the bush to search for the chimpanzees, which can take anywhere between 30 minutes and 5 hours depending on where they are located and their current location as they move about in quest of food. Once the chimpanzees are located, you will have an hour to spend with them in their habitat while observing them feed, play, mate, fight, and mate. You may also observe their habits while taking pictures and movies, learning about other wildlife such as primates, mammals, and bird species.
Nature Walks.
With the aid of expert safari guides, visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park can enjoy nature walks. These allow travelers to explore nearly the whole park’s perimeter, including areas that vehicles cannot penetrate. The park features natural walks in a number of locations. These areas include the Mweya Peninsula and the Kyambura Gorge, among others. Here, visitors can see and engage with a wide variety of animals, including buffalo, elephants, warthogs, Uganda kobs, colorful butterflies, sweet-sounding bird species, gorgeous crater lakes, and diverse plant species.
The park also offers cultural tours, visits to the crater lakes, lion tracking experiences, and other safari activities.
Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda
The park is open all throughout the year and can be visited anytime, as per your availability. Nonetheless, the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park is in the dry season. The dry season is in the months of June to September, and December to February. This is also the peak season of travel because game viewing is much easier then because of the short thin grass and animals converge in the few waterpoints. Booking in advance to travel in the dry and peak season is advised to secure your accommodation. The low season is the rainy or wet season, that sees the park bloom and migratory birds in abundance. Travelers after budget Queen Elizabeth National Park safaris best visit then.
Where to Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park ranges from budget, mid-range to luxury. These are in and outside the park. Accommodation in and around the park include:
1- Luxury Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Elephant Plains Safari Lodge
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Kingfisher Lodge
- Kyambura Game Lodge
- Katara Lodge
- Kyangabi Crater Resort
2- Mid-range Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Elephant Hab Lodge
- Ishasha Jungle Lodge
- Park-view Safari Lodge
- Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge
- Kikorongo Safari Lodge
- Bush Lodge
- Kasenyi Safari Camp
3- Budget Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Budget or cheap accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park include;
- Pumba Safari Cottages
- Simba Safari Camp
- Topi Lodge
- Kazinga Channel View Resort
- Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp
- Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge
- Bull Bush River Camp
- Tembo Safari Lodge
How to Get There
You can get to queen by flying from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kasese Airstrip. You can also drive by road via Mbarara on a 6-8 hour drive depending on the stops, from Kampala or Entebbe. Either option gets you to the park, for your ultimate Uganda wildlife safari.
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