Queen Elizabeth national park is the oldest and second largest national park located in western Uganda. The national park was gazette in 1952 and covers a total land area of 1,978 square kilometers which is composed of savannah vegetation, grassland, forests, wetlands and lakes which act as habitat for wildlife species including elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, primates like chimpanzees, monkeys, bird species like martial eagle, yellow throated cuckoo among others. Queen Elizabeth national park derives its name from the Queen of England and it’s famously known for the tree climbing lions which are seen lying up in fig tree branches in Ishasha sector southern part of the park.

Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park

• Wildlife, Queen Elizabeth national park is a home of about 95 mammals including elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, Uganda kobs, lions, leopards, hyenas, topi, giant forest hogs, oribi, hippos, crocodiles, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys among others.
• Birdlife, the national park harbors over 600 bird species which makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. Various birds can be spotted during the game drive, boat cruise on Kazinga channel, birding safari or nature walks. Common bird species that can be seen include black bellied bustard, African wattled plover, white browned robin chat, grey backed fiscal, African mourning dove, African emerald cuckoo, blue breasted kingfisher among others.
• Tree climbing lions, tree climbing lions are a unique species of lions that are found in Ishasha sector southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Manyara national park in Tanzania. The tree climbing lions can be seen lying up in fig, acacia tree branches during the game drive and its believed that they climb trees to run away from ground heat, to have a clear view of the prey, to run away from biting insects like tsetse flies, mosquitoes among others.

• Kazinga channel, Kazinga channel is a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. It’s also the channel where the boat cruise is carried out which provides great views of animals like elephants, warthogs, buffaloes, waterbucks, lions which come to drink water, large concentrations of hippos in water, view Nile crocodiles, water birds among others.
• Kyambura Gorge, Kyambura gorge which is also known as the valley of apes is situated in the northeastern part of the park and known for harboring primate species such as chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons. The gorge offers interesting activities like chimpanzee trekking, birding and nature walks.

Activities in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives

Game drive is one of the popular activities where you will be able to explore the park in the comfort of a 4WD pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth Natipnal Park are best done during morning hours because that’s the time when wildlife is most active. During the game drive you will follow different game tracks where you will be able to view animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, leopards, lions, giant forest hogs, waterbucks, view different bird species, plant and tree species among others.

Night game drives

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the few national parks in Uganda which offer night game drives where you will be able to drive around the park at night accompanied by an armed park guide with spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals, night game drives in the park are carried out on Mweya peninsular and not allowed in Kasenyi plains because it’s always flocked with frequent vehicles during the day. During the night game drive you will be able to see nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, hyenas, see hippos grazing , elephants moving around and other animals resting.

Hot air balloon

Hot air balloon is an amazing activity that is only carried out in two Ugandan destinations that is Queen Elizabeth national park and Murchison falls national park. During the hot air balloon you will take off to the skies in a balloon which gives you spectacular views of the park, tree tops, animals grazing, view different birds in the air among others.

Boat cruise

Boat cruise is an exciting activity that is carried out on Kazinga channel a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. The boat cruise is done in schedules the morning and afternoon where each schedule takes about 2 hours ride. During the boat ride you will have an opportunity to ride close to different animals like large concentrations of hippos in water, view Nile crocodiles basking on the water banks, see elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks drinking water along the shores, spot water birds like cormorants, kingfishers, hornbills, bee-eaters among others.

Bird watching

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the top birding destinations in Uganda in that it harbors more than 600 recorded bird species including water birds, near endemic birds and migratory birds from Europe. There are various birding spots in the park such as savannah grasslands, forests, wetlands, lakes like Lake Katwe and Bunyampaka salt lakes where you will be able to spot different bird species like red chested cuckoo, blue breasted kingfisher, African mourning dove, swamp nightjar,  blue napped mousebird, grey capped warbler, swamp flycatcher, black headed gonolek, blue throated roller, broad tailed weaver, African paradise flycatcher, black bishop, lesser and greater flamingos, little stint, southern red bishop, red capped lark, croaking cisticola, long created eagle, African crake among others.

Chimpanzee trekking

Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the protected areas in Uganda which offers chimpanzee trekking which is carried out in Kyambura Gorge also known as the valley of apes. Chimpanzee trekking is an interesting and adventurous activity where you will move deep into the gorge in search of chimpanzees and once found spend one hour with them in their natural environment. Chimpanzee trekking starts very early at around 8:00 am with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking and after the briefing you will be allocated a chimpanzee family to trek and a park guide who is well conversant with trails in the gorge.  During the trekking of chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, you will have great views of colorful bird species, other primates, view butterflies, bats, different plant and tree species among others. Once the chimpanzees are found you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feeding, breastfeeding, playing among others.

Nature walks

This is an exciting activity where you will get an opportunity to explore the park on foot. Queen Elizabeth national park offers short walks and long walks to Maramagambo forest, Mweya peninsular among others where you will be accompanied by an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from dangerous animals. During the guided nature walk you will have stunning views of the park, get up close and personal with animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, banded mongoose, primates like chimpanzees, l’hoest monkeys, red tailed monkeys, listen to sweet sounds of birds singing in trees, view colorful butterflies, different plant and tree species, relax your mind and enjoy the cool breeze, take beautiful pictures among others.

Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time to visit is during the dry season in the months of June to October because that’s the time when the park receives little rainfall in the park therefore vegetation will be thin and animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives you an opportunity to have clear wildlife views and also take beautiful photos. During the dry season walking trails are dry and passable compared to the wet season when the trails are muddy and slippery hence making nature walks and chimpanzee trekking activity difficult.

The national park can as well be visited in the wet season during the months of November to April because that’s the best time for bird watching where bird lovers will be able to view migratory birds from Europe.

Where to stay during your safari in Queen Elizabeth national park

There are a wide range of accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth national park where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange, budget and camping sites including Mweya safari lodge, the bush lodge, Kyambura gorge lodge, Ishasha wilderness camp, Katara lodge, Kingfisher lodge, Ihamba lodge, Kasenyi safari camp, Simba safari camp, Pumba safari cottages, Enganzi lodge, Park view lodge, Elephant plains lodge, Queen Elizabeth safari camp, Elephant hub lodge, Mweya hostels and cottages, Kyambura tented camp, Lake Chibwera camp among others.

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western Uganda and can be accessed by both road and air transport means,

Air transport, when using air transport means you can book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mweya airstrip or Kasese airstrip. Flights can however be booked by your trusted tour operator after booking a safari.

Road transport, the national park is commonly accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala on Kampala, Masaka, Mbarara road or through Kampala, Mubende, Fort Portal road to the park headquarters which takes about 7 hours drive.