Facts about Queen Elizabeth national park
About Queen Elizabeth national park
Facts about Queen Elizabeth national park: Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda situated in southwestern in four districts namely Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri. the national park was gazetted in 1952 together with Murchison falls national park and was called Kazinga national park but was later renamed to Queen Elizabeth national park in 1954 to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth 11 of Britain. The national park covers a land area of 1978 square kilometers which makes it the second largest national park in Uganda.
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park
Wild animals, the national park is a home of about 95 animals including the big four mammals which are the lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and other animals like the hippos, bushbucks, waterbucks, oribi, Uganda kobs, warthogs, giant forest hogs among others. Animals in the park are viewed during the game drive, boat cruise and nature walks.
Primates, Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the destinations which harbor the endangered primates which include chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys among others. The primates in the park are found in Kyambura Gorge.
Birds, the national park is a home of over 619 bird species including migratory, endemic bird species, forest birds, savannah birds, aquatic birds among others. Bird species in the park include black crake, open billed stork, pied kingfisher, white backed pelican, spur winged plover, squacco heron, African fish eagle, long tailed cormorant, African jacana among others.
Kazinga channel, this is a 40km water channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. Kazinga channel offers an exciting boat cruse where you will be able to view large numbers of animals on the shores, cruise near water animals like large concentrations of hippos, crocodiles and view aquatic bird species.
Kyambura Gorge, Kyambura gorge is also known as the valley of apes located in the eastern part of the park. Kyambura gorge is a habitat of primate species including chimpanzees, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, bird species among others.
Maramagambo forest, this is a natural forest that is located within the park stretching from the escarpment of Kichwamba to Lake Edward. the forest is a habitat of 7 primate species including chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, baboons, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, blue monkeys, pottos, bush babies, bird species and offers interesting activities like guided nature walks, bird watching, chimpanzee trekking among others,
Tree climbing lions, these are the famous attractions in the park. Tree climbing lions are found in Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park and they are usually seen lying up in the acacia, fig trees staring down on the antelopes which will be grazing down.
Activities in Queen Elizabeth national park
Game drive, this is one of the most popular activities carried out in the park. Game drive can either be carried out in the morning or late in the afternoon in areas like Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsular or Ishasha sector. game drive is carried out in the comfort of a safari vehicle and during the activity you will be able to view animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector, bushbucks, oribi, Uganda kobs and bird species like the hairy breasted barbet, speckled tinker bird, purple headed starling, African emerald cuckoo, grey headed kingfisher, white winged warbler, African skimmer, papyrus canary, swamp fly catcher, black bee-eater, thin tailed nightjar among others.
Nature walk, this is an interesting activity in Queen Elizabeth national park where you get out of the vehicle and explore the park on foot. nature walk in the park is carried out in different areas such as Mweya peninsular, Maramagambo forest, Ishasha River among others and during the nature walk you will have spectacular views of the landscape, vegetation types, animals, listen to sweet bird sounds, breath fresh air and feel the cool breeze which helps you to relax your mind while on a safari in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Boat cruise, boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park is done on Kazinga channel a water body that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. The boat cruise in the park is conducted in sessions where by the morning session starts at 9:00am and the afternoon session at 2:00pm, both sessions start from a landing site near Mweya luxury lodge. Each boat cruise session takes about 2 hours and gives you an opportunity to view large concentration of hippos in water, crocodiles, mammal like buffaloes, antelopes, elephants along the water banks, bird species like black crake, black bee-eater, African skimmer, saddle billed stork, pink backed pelican, yellow billed stork, marabou stork, long tailed cormorant among others.
Bird watching, Queen Elizabeth national park is the best birding destination in Uganda in that it harbors over 619 bird species. Birding in the park is conducted in different areas including Kasenyi plains, Marammagambo forest, Mweya peninsular, Katwe area, Ishasha sector, lake Kikorongo, Kazinga channel and Katunguru Bridge. On your birding safari you can look out for bird species like chapins flycatcher, pink backed pelican, African broadbill, white tailed lark, martial eagle, African skimmer, white winged warbler, papyrus Gonolek, long crested eagle, brown snake eagle, African emerald cuckoo, black cuckoo, swamp flycatcher, red chested sunbird, grey headed kingfisher, blue naped mouse bird, African mourning dove, African finfoot, blue throated roller, honey guide greenbul, black cuckoo, pygmy kingfisher among others.
Chimpanzee trekking, this is the second most done activity in Uganda after gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park is carried out in Kyambura Gorge which is also known as the valley of apes situated at the edge of the park. Chimpanzee trekking is done in two sessions that is the morning session and the afternoon session, each session takes about 2 to 4 hours in the jungle depending on the location of the chimpanzees. During chimpanzee trekking you will view other primate like black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons, red tailed monkeys, bird species and once the chimpanzees have been found, you will spend one hour with them in their natural habitat learning about their lifestyle, habits, behaviors, watching them playing with each other’s, females nursing young ones as you take plenty of photos and record the moments.
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth national park
The national park has a wide range of up-market, midrange, budget and campsites where you can stay on your safari including Mweya Safari Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Ishasha Wilderness camp, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Engazi Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Park View Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, Mweya Hostels and Cottages, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Lake Chibwera Camp, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Kyambura Tented Lodge, Jacana Safari lodge, Katara Lodge, Kitandara Hippo Hill Lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge among others. the lodges provide comfortable double, twin, single and family rooms with en-suite bathrooms, verandas, sitting room, siting lounge, free Wi-Fi in public areas, laundry services, bar, restaurant where they serve local and international dishes, gardens for relaxation, spectacular views of the park, Kazinga channel, animals and offer activities like game drive, boat cruise, bird watching, nature walk, hot air balloon among others.
When to visit Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best period is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore the vegetation in the park will be short which enables clear viewing of the animals, access roads to the park will be dry and passable and animals will gather along the water shores which gives you an opportunity to clearly view large numbers of animals and take clear photos.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
The national park is located in southwestern Uganda and can be accessed by both road and air transport means
Road transport, when using road transport means there are two routes that you can use for example route from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi and then to the park headquarters and another route from Kampala via Mubende, fort portal and then to the park and the whole journey takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive.
Air transport, when using air transport there are domestic companies such as Aerolink Uganda which operates daily scheduled and chartered flights from Entebbe airport or Kajansi airfield to Mweya or Kasese airfield.
with the above facts about queen Elizabeth national park, one can make decision on when to visit the park
