Queen Elizabeth National Park

In western Uganda, near the town of Fort Portal and the districts of Kamwenge, Kasese, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri, is Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is renowned for its abundance of wildlife. The park is home to over 95 different mammal species, over 600 different bird species, over 10 different primates, reptiles, and a wide range of insects, including butterflies and many others.

Queen Elizabeth National Park attractions.

Wildlife.

With over 600 bird species, 300 hippopotamuses, 95 mammal species, and over 600 different species of reptiles and insects, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife. It is also famous for having the highest concentration of elephants and buffalos in Uganda, as well as the highest number of hippopotamuses in all of East Africa.

Three climbing lions.

Imagine seeing a lion climbing a tree. Tree climbing lions are a major and magical attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Although they are a part of the wildlife, they are specifically mentioned here as a separate attraction in the park due to their rarity. These lions can only be found in the Ishasha sector of the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. Most often, the tree climbing lions, often known as the king of the jungle, will climb trees to spot their theoretical prey, which includes the park’s many tourists-attractive kobs, giraffes, and hyenas.

Kazinga Channel.

The area is so beautiful and famous for the launch cruise safari that visitors frequently see large numbers of hippos cooling off in the water, herds of buffalo grazing in the mud, crocodiles, and elephas. Kazinga channel is known as one of the main attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park because it is the most blissful, and here most of the park animal species can be found in this area especially during the dry season.

Bird species.

The park has a variety of 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. Queen Elizabeth National Park is a birding haven with over 600 bird species, making it a popular birding destination for various birders to Uganda.

Activities done at Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Chimpanzee trekking

The most popular primate on the planet, chimpanzees have 98% of the human genome and are tracked at Kyambura Gorge in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Tourists trek the chimpanzees on a safari to the park, which takes two to four hours, and they are best able to see them in the morning. Additionally, the tourists are given the chance to see other species like v

Bird watching.

The majority of Uganda’s bird species may be seen at the Bird Observatory in Mweya, and Queen Elizabeth National Park becomes even more colorful when migrating birds from Europe arrive, which makes it a birdwatcher’s heaven. Yellow-backed weavers, White-winged warblers, Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, Grey-headed Kingfishers, Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, Brimstone Canaries, Brown Snake Eagles, Slender-billed, Spotted redshank, Saddle-billed storks, Ringed Plover, and many other bird species are among those that can be seen while bird watching in the park.

Game drives.

The most popular Uganda safari activity at Queen Elizabeth National Park is game driving, which takes place in various park areas like the Kasenyi plains, Ishasha sector, and Katwe crater fields. Here, visitors have a good chance of spotting all of the park’s wildlife because the park’s suitable plains attract a variety of animal species like buffaloes, antelopes, elephants, hyenas, and many others. The game driving safari sector that they take you on with the knowledgeable rangers or park guides is the most advantageous one. The park offers two game drives—morning and evening game drives—that are both adequate for allowing visitors to see every type of animal that inhabits the area.

Launch Cruise.

The Kazinga channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward, is where most animals congregate to drink water and bathe, making it the best place in the country to view most of the wildlife. It is here that launch boat cruises are also held in Queen Elizabeth National Park, making it possible to see a variety of bird species, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, elephants, and others.

Nature walks.

The only activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park that allows visitors to see the park’s wildlife is nature walks. The majority of these walks take place in the Maramagambo forest, which is home to over 9 species of primates, including chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and baboons. These primates provide visitors with some of the best photographic opportunities in the park.

Visiting the Lake Katwe salt mines.

As the most well-known salt lake in East Africa, Lake Katwe attracts tourists who want to learn more about the local way of life. The majority of the salt used in the nation is mined there, so when visitors go on a safari to Katwe, they also get to learn about the salt mining industry and interact with the locals, which makes their trip the most memorable.

Tracking Tree Climbing Lions

The most popular national park that has tree climbing lions is Queen Elizabeth National Park. Tourists enjoy seeing this rare species of lion in the Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park, where game drives are conducted. Although not only the tree climbing lions can be seen here, tourists can also see elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, and other species while on the game drives.

Cultural tours.

A safari wouldn’t be complete without meeting the locals, and in Queen Elizabeth National Park this can be accomplished by having visitors stop by the Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group to observe and take part in traditional dances, dramas, and fire-making. In addition to this group’s attractions, visitors can learn how to make local arts and crafts like weaving baskets using natural fibers and sell some of them there.

Entrance fees at Queen Elizabeth National Park.

For adults entering Queen Elizabeth National Park, the entrance fee is $40 USD, $30 USD for foreign residents, and then 20,000 Uganda Shillings for East African citizens. For children, the entrance fee is $20 USD, $10 USD for foreign residents, and 5000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.

Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park.

As Queen Elizabeth National Park is an open area and the seasons change appropriately, it is difficult to pinpoint the ideal time to come. However, as these are the dry months, January through February and June through July are the greatest times to visit the park if you want to see animals.