Queen Elizabeth National Park
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QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
The iconic Queen Elizabeth National Park is full of breathtaking Crater Lakes, emerald Crater Lakes, forests, savannah plains and woodlands. The journey to discovering Uganda’s treasure trove begins here and once you are done exploring this place, you will agree that Uganda is indeed magical.
The Size and location of Queen Elizabeth National Park
One of Uganda’s oldest National Parks comprises 197800 hectares of pristine wilderness along the western part of Uganda. For its current size, it is the country’s second largest National Park and sprawls between Lake George area in the north-east and Lake Edward in its south-west with several districts-Kamwenge, Kasese, Rukungiri and Rubirizi sharing its borders.
History
Its existence dates back to 1952 when it was known as “Kazinga National Park” but following the historical visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954, its name was changed to “Queen Elizabeth National Park”.
What to See within Queen Elizabeth National Park
Animals
After Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second best diversity hot spot with over 95 mammal species living in different natural habitats. If you always desired to see high concentrations of Cape Buffaloes, Banded mongoose, vervet monkeys, Defassa waterbucks, Olive baboons, duikers, Uganda Kobs, lions, black and white colobus monkeys, bushbucks, serval cats, elusive leopards, African bush elephants, common elands, common warthogs, chimpanzees, spotted hyenas, Hippos or Topis during Uganda safaris, then visit Queen Elizabeth.
Birds
For a total of 600 bird species, the park is an unmissable birding spot and obviously one of the 33 Birding Areas in the country. The wetlands, forest, woodlands, savannah plains, thickets and Lakes shelter the sought after shoebill storks, Swamp flycatcher, pel’s fishing owls, African skimmer, Grey-headed kingfishers, grey-headed kingfisher, Flamingos, African Mourning doves, collared pratincoles, Palmnut vultures, slender-tailed nightjar, the pick-backed and great white Pelicans, Papyrus gonolek, Nubian woodpecker, to mention but a few.
The Equator crossing
Queen Elizabeth Park is one of the few places in the World crossed by the Equator and travellers to this safari destination can get the once in a lifetime opportunity of taking photos as well as experimenting some of the jaw-dropping demonstrations.
Magnificent Crater Lakes
Over ten Crater Lakes are found in Queen Elizabeth National Park alone and are known for being wonderful birding spots. The most magnificent ones are Lakes Nyamunuka and Bunyampaka, Lake Katwe in the north of Mweya Peninsular and many others.
The verdant Kyambura Wildlife Reserve
The narrow strip of lush Tropical forest in the Eastern border of the extensive savannah plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park are named Kyambura Gorge and therefore one of the wonderful chimpanzee trekking areas in the country.
What to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park during wet and dry seasons
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a natural playground for different tourist activities that include;
Game viewing
The park’s northern plains offer the most jaw-dropping game viewing experiences, whether morning, afternoon, evening or night. Renowned Kazinga Plains as well as Kasenyi Plains are known for their large prides lions, a number of spotted hyenas and leopards spotted stealthily hunting for antelopes. Also present are the duikers, warthogs, bushbucks, Uganda Kobs, African bush elephants, Defassa waterbucks, Topis, olive baboons, Cape buffaloes, giant forest hogs, Hippos and Banded mongoose among others.
Jump into a Boat at Kazinga Channel
Visitors of Queen Elizabeth National Park can jump into a boat at Kazinga Channel for quintessentially Ugandan experience of cruising on tropical waters. This boat ride will make it possible to discover the shores where high concentrations of Hippos and Nile crocodiles can be relished during Uganda safaris. Also be prepared to see bathing African bush elephants in addition to Uganda Kobs, bushbucks and warthogs drinking at the shores.
For the birders, this is also a perfect opportunity to see lots of species that include the Papyrus canary, Rufous-bellied herons, kingfishers, African fish eagles, Papyrus gonolek, Grey-crowned cranes, red-chested sunbirds, pink-backed pelicans, shoebill storks, Great white pelicans and many others.
Birding safaris
Areas of Katwe area, Ishasha sector, Maramagambo forest, Lake Kikorongo, Katunguru Bridge area, Kazinga Channel, Kasenyi sector and Mweya Peninsula are excellent birding spits within Queen Elizabeth National Park and make it possible to see Chapin’s flycatcher, white-winged terns, Martial eagles, Red-chested sunbirds, Papyrus gonolek, Malachite kingfishers, shoebill storks, pink-backed pelicans, greater and lesser flamingos, Great white pelicans, Great blue Turaco, grey-crowned cranes, African fish eagles, Bar-tailed Godwit, Rufuous-bellied herons, to mention but a few.
Kyambura Chimpanzee treks
A visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park isn’t complete without a trip to Kyambura gorge. Here, habituated chimpanzees are trekked through a narrow strip of underground rainforest to see how they live their isolated life away from the sweeping plains of the same National Park.
The activity begins at 8:00am or 2:00pm with between 1 and 3 hours of searching for the Great Apes but surprisingly even the black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and birds are also highlighted. Just like other places in the country, one hour is the viewing time.
Experiential tours
Researchers from around the World are drawn to Experiential tours of Queen Elizabeth National Park in form of Mongoose tracking, Hippo Census and lion tracking, Travellers get the chance to follow a team of researchers in locating as well as learning different habituation calls and breathtaking behavior of lions and other animals.
Guided bush walks
More than 10 kilometers of hiking trails crisscross the park, and uncovering them is undeniably the best way to get up-close and personal with the spirit of the wilderness. They are done in the company of experienced and armed Ranger guides who know where to find what. Lucky visitors even come face to face with Lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, common warthogs, bushbucks, African Rock pythons, hippos, Topis, Defassa waterbucks and many others.
Community tours
To wrap up your head around the splendour of Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is best to undertake walks to nearby local communities to learn different cultures and traditions. During your visit, take a chance to reach out the Leopard Village, Nyanz’ibiri Cave Community, Kikongoro Women Community or Kasoga Community Experience,
Hot air Balloon safaris
Another way to discover the beautiful landscapes of the park is by embarking on Hot air Balloon safaris. Of the many things to see, lookout for the vast savannah plains dotted by plethora of animals, the lush rainforest in Kyambura Gorge as well as beautiful Crater Lakes among others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s best places of lodging.
The places of lodging in Queen Elizabeth National Park offer real wilderness experiences and range from budget to luxury. Most visitors stay at Kyambura Tented Camp, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Jacana Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness camp, Kazinga Channel View Resort, Mweya Safari Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Mazike Valley Lodge (formerly Kyambura Lodge), Hippo Safari Lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Katara Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, Mweya Hostels and Cottages, Elephant Plains Lodge, to mention but a few.
When is the Best Time to go for Queen Elizabeth National Park Tours?
This is one of the top questions asked by visitors interested in visiting the park. Generally, the Park is an all-year round destination because each season offers different experiences.
The wet season that runs from March to May and October to November is marked by heavy rains thus plenty of green vegetation. This is perfect for photography but challenging to spot animals that hide in the vegetation.
The dry season runs from December to February and June to September and December when temperatures are hot. The absence of rains during the dry seasons pushes wildlife towards the few watering points (Lakes, Rivers and swamps) this creating the breathtaking opportunity for game drives.
How do you get there?
So far there are two known ways to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Travellers who want to fly into the park take chartered or scheduled flights (operated by Aerolink) from Entebbe International Airport to Mweya, Ishasha or Kasese airstrips.
Travellers with plenty of time can make way into Queen Elizabeth National Park via a road trip from Kampala or Entebbe. The scenic drive to the Park is 5-6 hours along two routes, the southern route from Kampala to Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi-Kasese or the northern route from Kampala to Mubende-Fort Portal and finally to the final safari destination.