If there is that one place that never misses on almost every itinerary for Uganda safaris, then it is Queen Elizabeth National Park. Known as the “medley of wonders”, this 1978-square-kilometer Protected Area is the second largest National Park in the country and one of the unmissable places.
Location and size of Queen Elizabeth National Park
At 197800 hectares, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest Park in Uganda and is nestled within the Western side of the country with its borders covering a number of districts (Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi, and Kamwenge).
Queen Elizabeth National Park history
The Protected Area was gazetted in 1952 as “Kazinga National Park” and two years later (1954), its name was changed to “Queen Elizabeth National Park” to commemorate the visit of late Queen Elizabeth II the same year. This Park is only 2-4 hours’ drive from Kibale National Park, and makes up several remarkable areas that include Kazinga Channel, Maramagambo Forest, Mweya peninsula Kyambura Gorge and the stunning Kasenyi sector.
Interesting things to see in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a special destination with unique attractions. The park features abundant wildlife, birds, unique vegetation and landscape. ‘
Wildlife
Queen Elizabeth National Park has the second highest number of mammal species at 95, after Bwindi Impenetrable National Park that has 120 mammal species. Some of the must-see species here are Cape buffaloes, elephants, Uganda Kobs, Topis, Defassa waterbucks, Mongoose, bushbucks and warthogs. While the lions, leopards, Hippos, spotted hyenas, jackals, serval cats, and giant forest hogs are found here, they are rarely-spotted.
Birds
Queen Elizabeth National Park holds the record for the “highest number of bird species in Uganda” with over 620 unique bird species to look-out for. Some of these birds include African jacanas, yellow backed weavers, hooded vultures, lesser and greater flamingos, scarlet-chested sunbird, yellow-wagtails, Chapin’s flycatchers, slender billed storks, papyrus canary, African harrier-hawks, blue-napped mousebirds, open-billed stork, white-tailed lark, pin-tailed whydahs, spotted redshanks, grey headed kingfishers, African wattled plovers, water thick knee, African mourning doves, slender tailed nightjars, African broadbill, swamp flycatchers, grey kestrels, Verreaux’s eagle owl, African fish eagles, black-bellied bustards, yellow-throated cuckoos, bateleurs, knob-billed ducks, papyrus gonoleks, black bee-eaters, brown snake eagles, to mention but a few.
Tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Game drives
Game drives are the commonest activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park offering a 95% chance of encountering African bush elephants, lions, cape buffaloes, leopards, Defassa waterbucks, spotted hyenas, Uganda Kobs, common warthogs, bushbucks, Mongoose, Hippos and warthogs. If you undertake your game drive in the southern Ishasha sector, there are high chances of seeing the tree climbing lions, alongside Topis and many other wildlife species.
Boat cruises
The Kazinga Channel is another excellent wildlife viewing location in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and can be explored by boat rides. Cruising 2-3 hours through this 40-kilometer long channel introduces visitors to one of the highest pods of Hippos and basks of crocodiles alongside elephants, buffaloes and a plethora of birds (aquatic and wetland species) that include the pelicans, African fish eagles, pied and giant Kingfishers, African skimmers and so much more.
Birding tours
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the top 5 birding hot spots in Uganda with over 620 bird species to look-out. These birding tours increase chances of encountering hooded vultures, lesser and greater flamingos, scarlet-chested sunbird, yellow-wagtails, Chapin’s flycatchers, slender billed storks, papyrus canary, African harrier-hawks, blue-napped mousebirds, open-billed stork, white-tailed lark, pin-tailed whydahs, spotted redshanks, grey headed kingfishers, African wattled plovers, water thick knee, African mourning doves, slender tailed nightjars, African broadbill, swamp flycatchers, grey kestrels, Verreaux’s eagle owl and others in their various ecosystems.
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking is undertaken in Kyambura Gorge, in the Eastern boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park where a number of habituated chimpanzees live in the 100-meter deep and 500-meter wide natural gorge which is 16 kilometers long. Aside chimpanzees, Olive baboons, the black and white colobus monkeys, and Vervet monkeys also live in this Gorge.
Guided Bush and forest walks
Bush and Forest walks are the best ways to explore areas that are hard to reach via game drives and these are conducted within Maramagambo Forest, the nearby Kalinzu Forest and bushlands of Queen Elizabeth National Park. In so doing, you can see smaller creatures like Banded mongoose and their natural habitats, unique vegetation types and birds among others.
Experiential tours
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only Protected Area providing experiential tours such as Hippo Census, Mongoose tracking, Lion tracking and Bird Counts. Lion tracking is so far the commonest and involves going off-track following lions (together with researchers) with trackers and learning about their unique behavior.
Village and Cultural Tours
A number of community-based projects around Queen Elizabeth National Park allow visitors to learn about the cultures and traditions of locals and these include the Kasoga Cultural Experience, Nyanz’ibiri cave community, Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group, Leopard village and the Katwe village walk among others.
When to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park activities are offered all year round. Nonetheless, the months of June to September and December to February provide wonderful game viewing experiences because there are minimal rains which means animals converge around water points and grasses are shorter. This explains why these months receive higher visitor numbers.
The months of March to May and October to November receive more rains hence animals have more watering points and grasses grow taller hence becoming difficult to sight animals. These months however are the best for birding as many migratory species arrive the country.
Where to stay.
There are numerous accommodation options in Queen Elizabeth National Park ranging from budget to Luxury. These include Pumba Safari Cottages, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge & Campsite, Topi Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, Bush Lodge, Enganzi Game Lodge, Kazinga Channel View Resort, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Elephant Plains Lodge, Tembo Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Katara Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Mbogo Lodge, and Enjojo Lodge among others.
Getting there
Situated in western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park can be accessed by air and road. For air, you will take the one-hour flight to Kasese or Kihihi then proceed to the Park. For road, you can use the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi-Kasese route or the Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal-Kasese route, and the latter is shorter.