Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth National Park

About Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth National Park covers 2,056 km² of land; it is located in South of the Rwenzori Mountains, bordering Congo and the park`s two beautiful lakes of Lake Edward and Lake Gorge are connected by the famous Kazinga Channel that is known for the breathtaking and most rewarding boat cruise. The topography of Queen Elizabeth National Park is made up of open savannah and wetland areas. The park is crossed by the equator in the south west of Uganda on the Rift Valley between Lake Edward and Lake Edward. The western side of the park is boarded by Democratic Republic of Congo.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a famous home for the African Big Four which include Elephants, Lions, Leopards and Buffalos. The park is also a famous birding paradise and recognized by the Important Birding Area (IBA) by the Birding International.

What to Expect

Over 90 species of mammals dwell in Queen Elizabeth National park, among these include; Uganda Kobs, leopards, Buffaloes, spotted hyenas, lions, elephants, waterbucks, bushbucks among others and primates such as the rare chimpanzees, blue monkeys, Vervet monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys, olive baboons and red-tailed monkeys among others. The park also represents a list of 606 species of birds that have been recorded in the area and this is one of the best birding paradises in the world.

Tourism Activities

A launch trip along the Kazinga Channel offers a breathtaking and memorable experience as you enjoy the views of huge crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes and a massive number of species as they gather along the water channel shores to quench their thirst. Game drives in the Kasenyi plains in the northern part of the park allow you to see a variety of animals before you even drive to the southern sector in Ishasha sector to search for the rarest tree climbing lions in the acacia trees. Then Kyambura gorge is in position to reward you with the tracking of chimpanzees and Maramagambo forest is best for bird watching.

Accommodation

The park has quite good number of lodges that provide good services to clients and these include Mweya Safari lodge, Jacana lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Lodge, Elephants Plains Safari lodge, Mazike Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp in Ishasha (Luxury), Enganzi Safari Lodge, Katara lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Kasenyi Wildlife Lodge (Mid-range accommodation), Simba safari camp, @The River Ishasha, Bush Lodge Camp, Buffalo Resort (Budget facilities).

Accessibility

From Kampala tarmac road via Mbarara town-Bushenyi leads to the park centre passing a mere 22 km from Mweya Peninsular, the main tourism hub .Approaching the park from the south via Mbarara covers a distance of 420km while the north through Fort Portal covers a total of 410 km.

It is easy to connect to Queen Elizabeth national park from other Parks like Lake Mburo National Park, Kibale National park renowned for chimpanzee tracking and Bwindi Impenetrable National park-A world famous gorilla tracking area which is located in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

By flights, scheduled daily flights are readily available from Entebbe to Kasese, Mweya and Ishasha main airstrips either with a morning or an afternoon flight schedule.