Queen Elizabeth national park is Uganda’s second largest designated area after Murchison falls, Queen Elizabeth national park is perched in the western corner of Uganda, and Queen Elizabeth National park lies in the four districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri.
Queen Elizabeth national park occupies an area of 1,978 square kilometers, Queen Elizabeth national park protects over 95 mammal species such as Uganda’s famous tree climbing lions of the Ishasha sector, African elephants, cape buffaloes, leopards, Bushbucks, waterbucks, hippos, Uganda kobs, warthogs, hyenas, primate species like l’hoest monkeys, chimpanzees, baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and over 600 bird species. Queen Elizabeth national park provides numerous interesting wildlife safari activities which include the following.
Top wildlife safari activities to be done in Queen Elizabeth national park
Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park
Game drives are the top done wildlife activity in Queen Elizabeth national park that involves exploring this park in your comfortable safari vehicle and an experienced driver guide. Game drives at Queen Elizabeth national park can either be carried out early in the morning, in the afternoon or at night while searching for nocturnal animals following different game tracking trails. game drive at Queen Elizabeth national park is mostly done within Kasenyi plains, tourists can be able to spot animals such as African elephants, cape buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, Uganda kobs, predators such as lions, hyenas, and leopards, hyenas among others.
Queen Elizabeth national park provides night game drives where travelers may be able to explore this park at night with strong spotlight torches so that travelers can view nocturnal animal species easily. During your night game drive which is only done along the Mweya peninsula, travelers are always accompanied by an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority park ranger for protection purposes and to help you view those nocturnal animal species easily such as hyenas, lions, leopards, bush babies, civet, genal, some elephants, serval cats, antelopes, and view hippos grazing among others.
Boat cruise in Kazinga channel of Queen Elizabeth national park
The boat cruise of Queen Elizabeth National park’s second best-done tourist activity, Boat cruises are done on the Kazinga channel which is a 40 km water body that is connecting Lake Edward and Lake George. During your boat cruise takes approximately 2 to 3 hours, travelers can be able to spot animal species such as Nile crocodiles along the water banks, a school of hippos, African elephants, antelope species, cape buffaloes, watch water bird species such as cormorants, bee-eaters, hornbills, and kingfishers among others.
Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park
Chimpanzee trekking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park is an adventurous tourist activity where travelers move on foot into the forest searching for the chimpanzees and once they are found travelers can only spend an hour with the chimpanzees in the jungle. Chimpanzee trekking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park is being done in Kyambura Gorge which is commonly famous as the great valley of apes and is situated in the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. The chimpanzee trekking experience at Kyambura gorge begins with an early morning briefing regarding the rules and regulations to be followed during your trekking session. After the morning briefing, your trekking begins while moving in the forest with a professional park guide. During the chimpanzee trekking, travelers can be able to spot other primate species such as olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, bird species, and many mammal species, once the chimpanzees are seen travelers can only be with the chimpanzees for an hour while monitoring their behaviors such as feeding habits, hunting skills, play and fight with each other in their natural environment.
Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is among Uganda’s top best bird watching destinations because it protects more than 600 bird species which include migratory bird species, forest bird species, and water birds. Queen Elizabeth national park offers different bird-watching trails such as Kasenyi plains, Kazinga channel, Mweya Peninsula, Maramagambo Forest, Ishasha sector, Katunguru bridge area, Lake Kikorongo, and Katwe area among others. Traveler’s bird watching tours are always accompanied by a professional bird guide whose work is to help you spot different bird species easily, Queen Elizabeth national park bird species include like swamp flycatcher, collared pratincole, palm nut vulture, Peel’s fishing owl, African skimmer, African fin foot, Caspian plover, broad-billed roller, papyrus gonolek, great blue turaco, yellow-throated cuckoo, rufous bellied heron, grey winged robin chat, white-backed night heron,white-winged tern, red chested sunbird, yellow-bellied wattle eye, pink backed pelican, western banded snake eagle, Huggins gull, common sand martin, black bee-eater, and Ayres’s hawk-eagle among others.
Nature walks in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park nature walk is an amazing activity where travelers explore the park on foot while being escorted by an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority park ranger who is supposed to protect travelers from any danger plus an expert park guide who is so conversant with different nature walk trails to follow. Nature walks within Queen Elizabeth national park can be done along Maramagambo forest, Ishasha River, Mweya peninsular, Lake Nyamasingiri, and Kyambura Gorge among others. Queen Elizabeth national park’s guided nature walk offers up-close different wildlife species such as primates like velvet monkeys, chimpanzees, L’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, view many bird species, and butterfly species, and enjoy the cool breeze of the Kazinga channel.
Best time to explore Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park can be toured throughout the year but can be best visited in the dry months of June to September which is best known as the peak season and from December to February. From June to September there is little or low rainfall received in this protected area which makes wildlife viewing tracks dry and passable and the vegetation is thin which makes game viewing easier.
Although Queen Elizabeth national park can also be explored in the wet months of March to May and from October to November because it is the best season for bird watching when all the migratory bird species are available in this national park.
How to approach Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park can be approached by road transport, where travelers are driven from Entebbe or Kampala through Masaka- Mbarara or Mubende- Fort Portal-Kasese road to Queen Elizabeth national park headquarters, the drive from Entebbe or Kampala takes approximately 5-6 7 hours in a 4 WD safari land cruiser.
Queen Elizabeth national park can be approached by Air transport by the use of a charter or a domestic flight operated by Aero link Uganda from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi to Mweya or Kasese airstrips and then connect immediately to the park’s headquarters by road. Air transport is the fastest mode of transportation.
Where to stay while on your safari to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers a wide range of lodging facilities where travelers can stay during their wildlife safari. Queen Elizabeth national park accommodation options are classified into budget lodges, mid-range lodges, and luxury types including Ishasha Jungle lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Pumba safari cottages, Aramaga Rift Valley lodge, Elephant Plains lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Simba safari camp, Enganzi lodge, Bush lodge, Parkview Safari lodge, Elephant hab lodge, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Kyambura gorge lodge, Kyambura Tented Camp, Lake Chibwera Camp, King Fisher Kichwamba, Ihamba safari lodge, Katara Lodge, Ishasha Tented Camp, Ishasha Jungle lodge, Kitandara Hippo Hill Lodge, and Ishasha Ntungwe River Camp among others.