Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the top National Parks to visit while on your tour in Uganda. It has a wide range of different tourist features which include wild animals, big tree species, primates, Savannah grasslands and different bird species.
It is located in the South western part of Uganda bordering Kibale forest National Park in the Northern part characterized with tropical rain forest, Savannah grasslands and some parts covered with Swamps.
The best way to reach Queen Elizabeth National Park is by use of Kampala- Masaka – Mbarara highway with an en-route stop over at the equator for some brief explanation about the equator, photographs and snacks; it’s about 389kms from Kampala up to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Wild animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park include kobs, Elands, Cheetah, some of the African Big fives like Elephants, Buffaloes, Lions and leopards, primates include Chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge, Black& White Colobus Monkeys, Vervets, Baboons, Red tailed monkeys, Blue Monkeys, insects like Butter flies, tsetse flies, aquatic species like Hippopotamus, crocodiles and different bird species.
But Queen Elizabeth National Park is popularly known for the tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector as most of Visitors enjoy seeing them resting up in the tree branches gazing at the ground feeding animals like Kobs, these Lions usually climb trees in escape of their enemies like Buffaloes, Elephants and more plus the heavy sunshine, biting insects like tsetse flies experienced while on the ground.
Activities done in Queen include: –
Game Drive
This involves driving around the park in search different wild animals like Elephants, Buffaloes, leopards, primates like Black & White Colobus Monkeys, Baboons, Vervets, Blue monkeys, and different bird species, usually it’s done with a vehicle which is characterized with a top up roof such that you are able to stand and do your game viewing successfully.
It’s usually done during day and night so it’s your choice to choose what to take, it costs $20 USD to go game driving around the park plus the park entrance which costs $30 USD per 24 hours.
Boat Cruise
This involves sailing on the waters of Kazinga Channel by use of a speed boat and it’s one of the most interesting and attractive activities done in Queen, while on boat cruise you are able to see different aquatic species which include lizards, hippopotamus, Crocodiles, Fish and different water birds on top of that you experience the cool air on the waters of Kazinga Channel, usually a maximum of 40 people are taken on this boat cruise and it takes about two hours. It costs $30 USD per person to go boat cruising on the Waters of Kazinga Channel.
Chimpanzee Tracking
Chimpanzees are one of the interesting primates found in Uganda and usually Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best places to go for Chimpanzee tracking and are found in the Kyambura gorge side, these chimpanzees of Queen are rarely seen during some seasons since they move very deep into the forest in search of what to eat, this tracking activity costs $50 USD per person.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best bird Watching sites in Uganda with different bird species which include both forest and Water birds recorded sightable in this park, mostly birds are found in the Suburbs of Maramagambo forest, Kyambura gorge, Ishasha sector and along the Kazinga Channel.
The best way of sighting most of these bird species is either by game driving around the park or boat cruise along Kazinga Channel.