Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most popular parks in Uganda. It’s among the few parks in the world crossed by the zero-degree imaginary line that is the Equator. The park covers around 1,978 square kilometers, making it the third largest national park in Uganda.
The park was designated in 1952 as Kazinga national park. Later, after the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of England to the park, the park was renamed Queen Elizabeth national park to honor the visit of the Queen to the park. The park is a home to over 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species. To date, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular tourist destination.
The diversified ecosystem at the park includes the sprawling savannah dotted with some thickets and trees. The swampy vegetation as well as the forests in the Northern sector. The diverse habitats have attracted a wide range of inhabitants. The park’s diverse ecosystems include humid forests, sprawling savannah, wetlands, lakes and others.
Location of Queen Elizabeth National Park
The park is set in the backdrop of the jagged, famous Mountains of the moon that is Mt. Rwenzori. Located in the Western part of Uganda in between Lake Albert and Lake George. The connecting Kazinga channel connects both lakes and passes through the park. The park is 360 kilometers away from the capital, Kampala. It can be easily reached by road, taking a 5- to 6-hour drive. The scenic drive takes you through Masaka, Mbarara, and Bushenyi to Kasese, which is the heart of the park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is among the few parks that can be accessed using public means, with the highway passing through the middle of the park.
Activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Game Drives
Like any other savannah grassland national parks in Africa, game viewing is the primary factor of visiting the park. Queen Elizabeth national park is among the popular national parks in Uganda. It hosts a large number of habitants especially the big game like Hippos, Buffaloes, Elephants, Lions, Leopards and many others. Game viewing at the park are done any time of the year with a recommendation of 4×4 wheel drive safari cars. Game drives are done booth in the Northern sector in Kasenyi commonly known as “the kob mating ground”. And also in the Southern side in Ishasha area well known for the tree climbing lions. There are also a good number of Hyenas in the Ishasha sector with other games like Baboons, Antelopes, Topi, Leopards and many others.
Boat cruise in Kazinga Channel
The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is one of the unique and experiential activities done in Queen Elizabeth National park. The boat cruise is done along the 40 kilometer channel that connects lake Edward and Lake George. The channel is famous for the large schools of hippos, water birds and other animals that come at the waterbankto cool themselves and quench their thirst. The boat cruise is done twice a day and sometimes during peak season three times a day. The boat cruise takes 2 hours for a sightseeing tour, with the first route starting at 8am till 10am, the second route from 11am to 1pm and the last from 3pm to 5pm. You need to book the launch cruise in advance through the Uganda wildlife Authority or Mweya safari Lodge.
Birding
Queen Elizabeth national park is the best park for birding safaris in Uganda. The park hosts over 619 bird species. It’s from that large number of bird species that Queen Elizabeth national park was recognized by the International birding Association (IBA). The park hosts 54 raptors and various migratory birds. The adaptability of the wide species of birds at the park is contributed by the different habitats found at the park. The habitats range from Savannah woodland, swaps to the forests. Some of the bird lists include cormorants, Kingfishers, bee-eaters, flycatchers, Fish eagle, Martial Eagle, Black-rumped buttonquails, African skimmers, Chapin’s flycatchers, Pink-backed pelicans, African broadbills, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed Lark, White-winged warblers, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, corncrakes, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, shoebills, and Bar-tailed godwits, to mention but a few
Nature walks
Nature treks are one of the most successful ways to discover Queen Elizabeth’s habitats and wildlife. Locations include the shady forest of Maramagambo; the Mweya Peninsula with its panoramic views; and the Ishasha River, where a number of forest and savanna species can be spotted and a rare opportunity to get extremely close to hippos on foot!
Visitors can enjoy an easy walk along the Ishasha River at the southern end of the park, where they can spot a number of forest and savanna birds and mammal species and have a rare opportunity on this walk to get really close to hippos on foot, while staying perfectly protected on the elevated bank above the river.
Local community visit
See the Kikorongo Equator Cultural Performers’ energetic dances, salt extraction staff on Katwe Salt Lake, a traditional Banyaraguru hut, or an agricultural village—all led by those who know them best—members of the local community. Leopard Village is a community-run, socio-economic development project that encourages ecotourism to support cultural and wildlife conservation.
Leopard Village, located near the village of Muhokya, sits on 3 acres bordering Queen Elizabeth National Park’s northern area. Visitors will visit replicas of the traditional huts of the ethnic groups of Banyabindi, Bakonzo, and Basongora; watch traditional song and dance performances; and buy local community-made handicrafts.
Wildlife Research Tours (Lion Tracking, Mongoose Tracking, Hippo census and Bird census)
A study trip is a rewarding adventure for tourists who yearn to get close to wild African fauna. Visitors will actively engage in tracking some of the exotic birds and mammals that fill the park, using locator devices and studying habituation calls, as well as weather, climate and behavior monitoring through this fresh and unique experience. The findings are applied to the databases of researchers, adding useful knowledge to the general understanding of the ecology of wildlife—and helping to protect this wonderful environment.
Mongoose Monitoring, Lion Tracking, Hippo Census, and Bird Counts are the experimental tourism activities currently operational. The tours last between one and three hours. Usually, they take place early morning or evening, or sometimes in the evening. All activities must be booked at least 24 hours in advance through the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura gorge
The experience of Kyambura Gorge is more than discovering chimpanzees in their natural environment: it teaches tourists about the habitats of the atmospheric “underground” rainforest of Kyambura Gorge, including plant types, identification and behavior of birds, and ecology of chimps and monkeys.
While chimp sightings are not assured, there is a reasonably good chance for visitors to hear and see our distant cousins as they are used to. Tours last from one to three hours and start daily at 8am and 2pm.
