Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of Uganda’s oldest and most popular game parks in Uganda with a variety of Flora and Fauna and it’s known to be a habitat for over 95 mammal species with about 612 species of birds.
The various species in this park, have made it a unique park, and most liked by Tourists.
The Park is home to a variety of wildlife and boasts a range of attractions and interesting activities that make it truly gifted by nature.
Lakato Safaris provides you with our suggested list of the top things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
GAME DRIVES
Queen Elizabeth proves to be a delight that gives you a chance to view even the most elusive of the park’s fauna.
The thrilling drives which are best done during the morning hours, features up-close viewing of the wildlife which inhabits the park in the comfort of a vehicle.
Your driver guide knows the different trucks in the park intimately and will take you in search of the different wildlife.
There areover 10,000 buffaloes, over 300 Elephants that you can find in the crater valleys along the explosion crater drive.
Not only are there Buffaloes and Elephants but Warthogs, Waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Topi Antelopes and even the rare semi-aquatic Sitatunga Antelopes that have webbed toes.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is also home to a number of feline cats that you can often spot on game drives, in some cases on Night Game Drives such as Lions, Leopards, Civet Cats, Genal, and Serval Cats.
During the game drives, you could spot an Elephant, the largest land mammal skillfully using its trunk to feed, a Lion preying on an Antelope or a Hyena patiently waiting to devour the Lion’s leftovers from a distance.
BIRD WATCHING
Queen Elizabeth National Park is classified as an Important Birding Area (IBA) by Birding International as one of Uganda’s top birding spots.
A haven to over 600 bird species, the enthusiastic bird watcher is in for a major delight at the park.
This is the greatest of any East African National Park, and a phenomenal number for such a small area. Present in the park are numerous birds to grace your photographic memories.
They include;54 raptors and various migratory species. Key species include the Martial Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African Skimmer, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Pinkbacked Pelican, African Broadbill, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed Lark, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, Corncrake, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, Shoebill, Bar-tailed Godwit.
Do not miss the Flamingos found at the Katwe and BunyampabaSalt Lakes.
For the best birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park, don’t miss these birding hot spots:
Kazinga Channel, Kasenyi Area, Mweya Peninsula, Maramagambo Forest, Ishasha Sector, Lake Kikorongo, Katunguru Bridge area and Katwe Area Tours can be booked through Katwe Tourism Information Center.
BOAT TRIP/LAUNCH CRUISE
The boat trip/launch cruise which takes place on the Kazinga Channel is one of the must do and see highlights of a safari to Queen Elizabeth Park, a long natural water channel linking Lake Edward to Lake George is an exhilarating event for the visitors at the park.
During the cruise, one gets to enjoy the various sights and sounds that the park’s rich aquatic life extravagantly offers. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to 5000 hippos which is one of the largest concentrations of hippos in Africa found along Kazinga Channel taking their dips in the waters, the fierce Nile crocodiles basking lazily on the channel banks for a feel of the warm sun are some of the lifetime experiences you will encounter on the Cruise.Not to miss are the Pied Kingfishers attempting to grab a meal.
The Launch Cruise is a 2 hour plus Boat Safari where you can see Hippos, Crocodiles, monitor Lizards, Elephant herds, Buffaloes, Antelopes and many hundreds of different kinds of water birds.
This is one of the highlights of your time in Queen Elizabeth Park.
THE TREE CLIMBING LIONS OF ISHASHA
This remote Southern region enjoys fewer visitors than the North, but those who venture this far may be rewarded with sightings of Ishasha’s most famous residents – the tree-climbing lions – lounging in the branches. Not every day do you see a lion climbing a tree, in fact it was considered a safe bet to climb one if you ever found yourself being chased by one.
Not while in Ishasha sector though, a region comprising a portion of Queen Elizabeth National Park where lions are perched up on acacia and fig trees.
Whether it is for a better view of their surroundings including potential prey like the Uganda Kob that grazes in the vicinities, seeking the cool breeze in the trees or escaping the notorious bites from the tsetse flies on the ground below, the reason for the Lions choosing residence up the trees remains an intriguing mystery.
Ishasha sector where these Lions are found is accessible on the journey to or from Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest as one heads or returns from Gorilla Trekking in the forest. Besides the amazing tree climbing king of the jungle, the sector is also home to other animals such as herds of Buffaloes, large numbers of Elephants, Warthogs and Antelopes.
This is one of the highlights of your time in Queen Elizabeth Park.
CHIMPANZEE TREKKING
The Kyambura Gorge, also known as the Valley of Apes found in the Northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to Chimpanzees.
The Chimpanzees in Kyambura are habituated meaning they have been accustomed to human presence and this does not deter them from going on with their activities.
The underground rainforest in a gorge which makes for an excellent protection from the sunshine as one enjoys the immense beauty of nature hidden there in.
You will experience lush savannah grasslands leading to the gorge, to the flowing rivers and creeks. Red tailed Monkeys, Baboons, Butterflies and different bird species are among other inhabitants of this little paradise worth sighting besides Chimpanzees.
Besides the primates, the forest boasts of great hiking trails upon which there is a lot to explore.
While walking in the forest, look out for soldier ants as they have such a painful sting.
Otherwise you are in for an exciting experience while trekking one of man’s closest primate relatives.
Chimpanzee tracking can also be done in Kalinzu forest which is just a 45 minutes’ drive from the Mweya Area of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
EXPLOSION CRATER DRIVE
The huge round basins scattered across the Equator are evidence of the Albertine Rift’s bubbling volcanic activity in times past.
A past which was not that long ago and occurred around the time the Egyptian pyramids were built.
The explosion craters are a must-see for those with a particular interest in the region’s fascinating geological history and interesting scenery.
Even National Geographic has found this a fascinating area and has published pictures of it.
The 27km drive between Kabatoro gate and Queen’s Pavilion takes in views of the enormous craters, circular lakes, the vast Rift Valley escarpment and the Kazinga channel, Lake George and Lake Edward all with a view of the Rwenzori Mountains of the Moon.
These are our top activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. You can choose to have all these or some depending on your interests.
You can inquire about a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park
