Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda known for the abundant wildlife, nearest the town called Fort portal, and close to the districts of Kamwenge, Kasese, Rubirizi, Rukungiri, the park is renowned as a center for the Uganda’s wildlife in that there are over 95 mammal species, a variety of the bird species that are over 600 bird species, over 10 primates, reptiles without forgetting a variety of the insects like the butterflies and many others, that is the reason to say that Queen Elizabeth National Park is renowned for being the richness of the Uganda’s biodiversity.
Attractions at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Wildlife.
Queen Elizabeth national Park has a variety of the wildlife including the 95 mammal species, over 600 bird species, reptiles, insects species, not only that the park is well famous for the greater numbers of the hippopotamuses in the entire East Africa that are over 300 hippos, and also the park is known for the highest number of elephants, buffalos which makes the park the most thrilling in Uganda.
Three climbing lions.
Tree climbing lions are also the major and magical attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park, these are easily spotted in the park minus imagining them, though they are part of the wildlife, but here they are specified alone as another attraction in the park being the fact that they are unique, imagine seeing the lion climbing a tree, these are only found in Ishasha sector southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. Mostly the tree climbing lions known as the king of the jungle do climb the trees to easily spot theory prey like kobs, giraffes, hyenas and among others, these are attractive to every tourist in the park.
Kazinga Channel.
Kazinga channel is known as among the main attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park because being the most blissful, and here most of the park animal species can be found in this area especially during the dry season, the area is such beautiful and known for the launch cruise safari, also among the shores of Kazinga channel the visitors usually spot the large amounts of the hippos while cooling themselves in water, and herds of buffalos in mud, the crocodiles, elephants all along the shore line, then the launch cruise being the major activity done at Kazinga channel this gives the tourists better chances of spotting the a variety of the bird species, actually the place is known as the important birding areas in Africa.
Bird species.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a birding haven with over 600 bird species which makes it a popular birding destination for various birders to Uganda, the park has got a variety of the bird species including the grey headed kingfisher, little bee eater, swallows, croaking cisticola, hooded vulture, white backed vulture, yellow wagtail, sacred ibis, shoe bill, saddle billed stork, white winged tern and among others.
Activities done at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Chimpanzee trekking at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Chimpanzees are the most loved primates on the planet, that carries 98% DNA of a human being, these are tracked at Kyambura Gorge in the southern part of the Queen Elizabeth National park, the chimpanzees are trekked by the tourists on a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park and this takes them two to four hours, on the way to trek the chimpanzees and these are better seen in the morning and also the tourists are offered the opportunities to see other species like variety of bird species, snakes, butterflies and among others.
Bird watching.
Queen Elizabeth national park is the birding haven in Uganda, the most of the bird species are observed at Bird Observatory in Mweya, and the park becomes more colourful when the migratory birds from Europe comes in the park that makes it a birding paradise. Among the bird species that can be seen during bird watching in the park includes Yellow backed weavers, White-winged warbler, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Grey-headed Kingfishers, Great white and Pink-backed Pelicans, brimstone Canary, Brown Snake Eagle, Slender-billed, Spotted redshank, Saddle-billed storks, Ringed Plover and among many others.
Game drives.
Game driving is most popular safari activity done at Queen Elizabeth National Park, this is where you see almost 100% of the species in the park, game driving takes place in different areas of the park like Kasenyi plains, Ishasha sector, Katwe crater fields, this is where the tourists get the chances to spot all the wildlife of the park, the park having the suitable plains it attracts the variety of animal species like buffaloes, antelopes, elephants, hyenas and many others. The most favorable sector that you choose to take during game driving safari is the one that they take you with the experienced rangers or park guides. The park offers two game drives that is morning game drives, evening game drives which are all suitable for a tourist to spot all the animal species in the park.
Launch Cruise.
Launch boat cruise also takes places in Queen Elizabeth National Park along Kazinga channel that’s the best place to view most of the wildlife in the entire country, the channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and that’s where most of the animals gather to drinking water, bathe which makes it the perfect place for spotting various bird species, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, elephants and among others.
Nature walks.
Tourists on the safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park enjoys the nature walks and this is when the tourists explore the park on foot with the experienced park guides and this is the only activity where the tourists encounter the wildlife of the park, mostly nature walks in the park takes place at the Maramagambo forest where the tourists explore over 9 species of primates like chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, baboons which gives the tourists the best moments in the park.
Visiting the Lake Katwe salt mines.
Lake Katwe being the most known salt lake in East Africa, here the tourists visit the lake to explore how the activity is done in the area, most of the salt that is used in the country is extracted from that area, and on a safari to Katwe the tourists get to know and learn salt mining industry at the same time while interacting with the locals that makes their safari the most grateful one.
Spotting the tree climbing lions.
Queen Elizabeth National park is the most loved national park that hosts the tree climbing lions, the tourists enjoy seeing these unique lion species in Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park, here the game drives done in Ishasha sector can be mainly to spot the tree climbing lions, but though not only the tree climbing lions the tourists at the same time can spot animal species like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs and among others.
Cultural tours.
A safari cannot be complete minus visiting the locals, in Queen Elizabeth National Park this can be done in way that tourists visit the Kikorongo Equator Cultural group to watch and participate in traditional dances, drama and fire making, with also the interesting of Kikorongo Equator cultural group, here the tourists are taught how to make the local art and craft like weaving baskets using the natural fibers, where some of them can be sold from there, also the tourists can proceed to the local people’s homes to learn how to cook and among other related activities.
Entrance fees at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The entrance fees at Queen Elizabeth National Park for Adults is 40 USD for Non-foreign residents, 30 USD for Foreign residents and then 20,000 Uganda Shillings for East Africa citizens and for the Children is 20 USD for Non-Foreign residents, 10 USD for Foreign residents and 5000 Uganda shillings for East Africa citizens.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park is not specified as seasons change accordingly and the park is an open place, but however the best time to visit the park for wildlife viewing if during the months of January to February and June to July because this is the dry season.
