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Queen Elizabeth National Park has many attractions, making it a unique destination in Uganda. A massive concentration of herbivore species survives within this park, including Uganda Kobs, hippos, waterbucks, topis, elephants, buffaloes, and more.
Priding itself on abundant wildlife and birdlife, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one place you should consider a must-visit for excellent game viewing. This is Uganda’s 2nd largest national park, with a land area stretching up to 1978 sq. km, and it encompasses Rukungiri, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Kasese Districts.
The park was created in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, and in 1954, its name was changed to the present Queen Elizabeth National Park in commemoration of the former Queen Elizabeth 11. It is a vast protected area with diverse habitats, represented in its numerous sectors/regions such as Kasenyi Plains (sector), Maramagambo Forest, Mweya Peninsula, Kyambura Gorge and Kazinga Channel.
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s boundaries stretch in the Kasese, Rubirizi, Kamwenge, and Rukungiri districts along the Western rift valley floor. The park sits on an elevation range of 884 to 1337 meters.
Queen Elizabeth National Park hosts diverse floral and faunal species thriving in various habitats. These include an estimate of about 95 species of mammals, 620 bird species, reptiles and others.
Wildlife/animals: Queen Elizabeth National Park is an impressive destination, protecting over 95 mammal species, including primates. The park’s diverse animal species include bushbucks, leopards, lions (tree climbing lions), African bush elephants, cape buffaloes, giant forest hogs, duikers, Uganda Kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, spotted hyenas, jackals, mongoose, sitatungas, reedbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, topis and many more. The beautiful primate species that survive within the park’s tropical rainforests include the red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, chimpanzees, olive baboons, and black and white colobus monkeys.
Birds: At Queen Elizabeth National Park, over 620 bird species exist. The park supports abundant aquatic and woodland bird species, making it an outstanding birding location in Uganda, East Africa. The park’s bird species for you to expect spotting include the African wattled plovers, blue-napped mouse bird, grey kestrel, black-bellied bustards, lesser and greater flamingos, papyrus canary, hooded vultures, scarlet-chested sunbird, yellow-wagtail, Verreaux’s eagle owls, slender-billed storks, Swamp flycatchers, yellow-throated cuckoos, papyrus gonoleks, yellow-backed weavers, grey-headed kingfishers, shoebill storks, water thick-knee, African broadbill, African harrier-hawks, African fish eagle, pin-tailed whydahs, African beautiful black-headed gonoleks, knob-billed ducks, Eurasian wigeon, spotted redshanks, pygmy kingfishers, pink-backed pelicans, white-tailed lark, brown snake eagles, Chapin’s flycatchers, and many others.
Game drives: This park protects various wildlife and includes 95 mammal species. In the comfort of your 4x4 safari vehicle, drive through the Kasenyi Plains while spotting some of the finest animal species. The expected sightings along the Kasenyi Plains include the cape buffaloes, spotted hyenas, leopards, African bush elephants, topis, warthogs, duikers, lions, waterbucks, reedbucks, and bird species. Elephants, cape buffaloes, leopards, spotted hyenas, Uganda kobs, warthogs, and crossing to the Ishasha area- expect to see the tree climbing lions, topis and others. The critical game drive sessions to participate in Queen Elizabeth National Park include the morning and afternoon.
Boat cruise: At Queen Elizabeth National Park, a boat cruise is a must-do and embarking on it is an incredible opportunity to enjoy the view of aquatic species. The launch or boat cruise in this park is done in the morning and afternoon. Both sessions guarantee excellent sightings of water species such as the Nile crocodiles, hippos, and aquatic birds. The Kazinga channel is where the boat cruise is carried out, and this natural channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward.
Bird watching: Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park allows you to watch many bird species in various habitats/sectors. The park hosts resident, migratory and endemic species of birds. Birding trips in this park are ideal all year round. Birds to identify include among others the slender-billed storks, Red-chested sunbird, sedge warblers, long-tailed cormorants, African harrier hawks, bar-tailed Godwit, swamp flycatchers, little stint, shoebill stork, yellow wagtails, curlew sandpipers, African skimmers, grey kestrel, flamingos, and pink-backed pelicans.
Chimpanzee tracking: Chimpanzee trekking in this park is about immersing yourself in the splendid Kyambura Gorge to search for the chimpanzees in the wild. Each chimpanzee community has a composition of 30 to 80 members. During the long day of the chimpanzee trek, you will spot the diversity of other primates besides chimps. They include olive baboons, red-tailed, blue, vervet, and black and white colobus monkeys. The Kyambura Gorge has a depth measuring 100 meters and a width of 500 meters with a length of 16 kilometres.
Nature walks/forest walks: Queen Elizabeth National Park guided nature walks allow visitors to explore the park’s diverse habitats with the lead of an experienced park ranger guide. The ideal locations for nature walking include Kyambura Gorge, Maramagambo Forest and the nearby Kalinzu Forest Reserve. During the guided forest hikes, visitors see various primates, including olive baboons, L’hoest, red-tailed, vervet, and blue monkeys.
Research/experiential tourism: In Queen Elizabeth National Park, experiential tourism offers a remarkable opportunity for tourists to engage in different research activities. These provide an in-depth exploration of wildlife, for instance, lion trekking, hippo census and mongoose tracking.
Hot air balloon experience: Regarding hot air balloon tours, Kenya and Tanzania are top in East Africa. However, visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda guarantees an exceptional aerial viewing experience. This is one of the two places in Uganda where hot air balloon tours are conducted for you to see diverse wildlife, including large and small mammal species. The park offers the morning with bush breakfast and the sunset hot air balloon experiences.
Cultural safaris: A visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park isn’t only about spotting wildlife and visiting the nearby local communities for a cultural encounter. There are many cultural encounter opportunities, including Kasoga Cultural Experience, Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group, Katwe Village Walk and Nyanz’ibiri.
Lake Katwe salt mining tour: Lake Katwe is an extinct explosion Crater Lake located in the Queen Elizabeth National Park boundary. This is where visitors can observe locals while mining salt using traditional methods. This Crater Lake formed due to volcanic activity, and there are other Craters worth visiting while on the Queen Elizabeth National Park safari.
Queen Elizabeth National Park safaris can be planned and conducted at any time of the year. But the most ideal time is during the dry season, experienced twice a year, running from June to September and December to February. This is the perfect season to experience the most of Queen Elizabeth National Park game viewing. The breeding or nesting season for birds, also the ideal period to sight migratory birds, is during the wet or rainy season from October to November or March to May.
Accommodations in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Budget safari lodges to book for a night stay
The park’s budget lodges include Simba Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Pumba Safari Cottages, Topi Lodge, Kazinga View Resort, and Tembo Safari Lodge. The moderate lodges include Buffalo Safari Lodge, Mbogo Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Enjojo Lodge, Ishasha Jungle and Bush Lodge. The famous luxury lodges at the park include Kyambura Game Lodge, Katara Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Ishasha Wilderness Camp and more.
Travel to the park by road: begin from Kampala/Entebbe along the Masaka-Mbarara-Kasese route -7-8 hours’ drive |the Kampala-Mityana-Mubende-Fort Portal city route to Kasese then Queen Elizabeth National Park. From Kibale National Park, set out for Queen Elizabeth National Park and by air, be part of the scheduled and chartered flights often arranged by tour operators from Entebbe to Mweya/Kasese airstrips.
Location: Plot 124, Kikumbi
P.O Box 100667, Kampala
+256759033541
+447 572778124
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