Attractions in queen Elizabeth national park
Attractions in queen Elizabeth national park: Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Uganda, found in the western region, the park was named Queen Elizabeth national park from Queen Elizabeth II the ruling queen of England.
Queen Elizabeth national park stretching through an area of 1,978 square kilometers in districts of kasese, kamwenge, Rubirizi and rukungiri is a thrilling destination, as it host many impressive attractions such as
Wildlife
Animals
Queen Elizabeth national park is a thriving habitat for a wide range of animals over 90 species which thrive in the different regions of the park dominated by savannah grassland fields and forested regions, animals in Queen Elizabeth national park include warthogs, waterbuck, Uganda kob, topi, leopards, giraffes, bush warthogs, Sitatunga antelope, elephants, buffaloes, lions, antelopes, Uganda kob, hippopotamuses, crocodiles and many more. There are also primates thriving in the forest galleries of the park and they include Vervet and black-and-white colobus monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees and many more.
Birds
Queen Elizabeth national park is a great habitat for birds, which are found in most of the regions of the park. the park is a habitat for over 600 bird species and these species include African finfoot, African hobby, African skimmer, Ayres’s hawk e. Black bee-eater, Black-rumped buttonquail, Broad-billed roller, Caspian plover, Collared pratincole, Common sand martin, Crab-plover, Great blue turaco, Great white pelican, Grey-winged robin-chat, Heuglin’s gull, Palm-nut vulture, Papyrus gonolek, Pel’s fishing-owl, Pink-backed pelican, Red-chested sunbird, Rufous-bellied heron, Shoebill, Spotted redshank, Western banded snake eagle, White-backed night heron, White-winged tern, Yellow-bellied wattle-eye, Yellow-throated cuckoo and many more
Mweya peninsula
Mweya Peninsula is an exciting section of Queen Elizabeth National Park, located on the northern bank of Kazinga Channel. This peninsula offers an amazing game drive experience, as many tracks pass through this area, allowing you to spot a variety of animals while driving. Mweya Peninsula is also where the luxurious mweya safari lodge is situated, from the peninsula, you get great views of queen Elizabeth national park including kazinga channel.
Kazinga channel
Kazinga channel is an impressive attraction in Queen Elizabeth national park, the channel is 32 kilometers wide and 20 miles long, connecting Lake George in the west and Lake Edward in the west. Kazinga channel is one of the best sights in the park for game viewing, as it is always crowded by a big population of buffaloes, hippopotamuses, elephants and many other animals that come to the channel to drink water. Kazinga Channel also facilitates boat cruise safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can view a variety of wildlife, including buffaloes, elephants, and many birds such as Great White Pelicans, Pink-Backed Pelicans, African Shoebills, Yellow-Billed Storks, Great Cormorants, Long-Tailed Cormorants, Open-Billed Storks, Saddle-Billed Storks, Darters, Black Crakes, Jacanas, and more that inhabit the waters of the channel and the surrounding swampy vegetation.
Equator and the queen’s pavilion
The Equator landmark in Queen Elizabeth national park is a good spot for taking pictures while on a safari in the park. The equator divides the world into the northern and southern hemispheres, which makes it a thrill to stand at a point where you can stand in both hemispheres.
Ishasha sector
The Ishasha sector is the most famous sector in Queen Elizabeth national park and what makes it famous is the tree-climbing lions. The ishasha sector is located in the southern region of the park. Ishasha is dominated by candelabra trees and savannah woodland tree species such as huge fig trees, cactus trees and acacia trees. These tree branches are where tree-climbing lions are clearly spotted resting; the best time to spot these kings of the jungle is in the early morning and late in the evening. In ishasha sector it is possible to spot other animals, such as leopards, antelopes and Uganda kobs.
Crater lakes
Queen Elizabeth national park is dotted with many magnificent crater lakes which are 10 or more in number, these lakes create a scenic view that is amazing to view. among the lakes the most notable ones are bunyaraguru crater, Ndali-kasenda craters, lake Nkugute, lake Katwe and many more. These lakes offer hiking and sightseeingsafaris in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Kyambura escarpment/gorge
The Kyambura Gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park is a spectacular feature; this gorge, also referred to as the Valley of Apes, is situated in the eastern part of the park. What makes the gorge interesting is its valley form, which is 100 meters deep; the Kyambura River, which drains through the valley; and the thick forests, which host chimpanzees. Kyambura gorge is a breathtaking location with stunning views created by rain forests dotting around the valley, the gorge is a habitat to a wide range of wildlife that includes primates and birds, which can be viewed upon your visit. Primates in the gorge include olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, red colobus monkeys, chimpanzees and many more. Birds found in the park include the African skimmer, papyrus canary, white-tailed lark, papyrus gonolek, Verreaux’s eagle owl, lesser and greater flamingo and many more.
Katwe salt works
The Katwe salt works in Queen Elizabeth National Park offer a thrilling adventure where visitors can observe how salt is collected using local methods. This process takes place at Lake Katwe, a saltwater lake located in the northern region of the Mweya Peninsula within the northwestern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lake Katwe is one of the crater lakes in the area of the park; this lake is also an attraction of its own, as it is noticed to have no outlets and it is filled with salt pans, which are formed as a result of too much sunlight heating the salt waters, most especially in the dry season. Upon your visit to the lake, you will see numerous small dug channels connecting to the lake, which are used to collect water and salt pans, and you also get to interact with the locals carrying out the activity of salt mining.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is always open for tourists throughout the year but as a tourist who has paid his/her money for a safari, the best safari experience is the reward. The best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park for a safari is in the period of dry season, which is in the months of June, July, august, September, January and February. During this period, the park is relatively dry, and the animals are easy to see through the short grassland.
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park has got comfortable and amazing accommodation facilities available to accommodate tourists on a safari in the park, these facilities are situated either in the park or around the park and are offered in three categories that is luxury, mid-range and budget to fit the budget of every tourist (luxury, mud-range and budget facilities are priced differently and offer different services and facilities). Accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth national park include
Luxury accommodation
- Jacana safari lodge
- Kyambura gorge lodge
- Volcanoes kyambura gorge lodge
- Ishasha wilderness camp
- Hippo safari lodge
- Mweya safari lodge
- Kyambura game lodge
Mid-range accommodation
- Bush lodge
- Enganzi game lodge
- Marafiki safari lodge
Budget accommodation
- Pumba safari cottages
- Kazinga channel view resort
- Mweya hostel
- Simba safari camp
- @the river ishasha
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is situated in the western region of Uganda, which is approximately 420 kilometers from Kampala, the biggest city in Uganda and the starting center for most of the safari, as a tourist on a safari to Queen Elizabeth national park you can get to the park by road or by air. By road it is a drive of approximately 5-6 hours using either Kampala via mbarara route or Kampala-kasese via fort portal route. By air, domestic chartered flights are offered from Entebbe international airport and kajjansi airstrip to kasese Airstrip, mweya airstrip and kihihi airstrip, using airstrip is the fastest way of getting to Queen Elizabeth national park for a safari.
