Queen Elizabeth National Park, Occupying approximately 1978 sq. km of the pearl of Africa land, picturesque Queen Elizabeth National Park is among the most popular savannah parks in Uganda. The park boasts of about 96 species of mammals, including healthy numbers of hippos, elephants, lions and leopards as well as chimps and hyenas. The tree-climbing lions placed in the isolated remote Ishasha sector, in the far south of the park makes it prominent and a must visit destination while on a trip to the pearl of Africa, these females enjoy spending the long, hot afternoons snoozing photogenically in the ancient fig trees, making them the most memorable sight in the entire park. As one of the outstanding treasures of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park was designated a Biosphere Reserve for Humanity under UNESCO. It is the most popular and easily accessible game park in Uganda.
Never the less, the superb birdlife on the wonderful boat trip on the Kazinga Channel makes queen Elizabeth national park a birder’s paradise that should neither be missed. A total of 547 confirmed and 15 unconfirmed bird species have been recorded in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is one of the highest totals in the world and is truly remarkable for such a relatively small park. Species recorded include the Shoebill stork, black bee-eater, 11 types of kingfishers and a variety of raptors, including several falcons and eagles. In the crater lakes, spectacular flocks of flamingos gather creating the image of a moving pink carpet making it to match Lake Nakuru national park in Kenya. A boat cruise along the wildlife rich Kazinga Channel that connects Lakes Prince George and Prince Edward is a memorable way to view the abundant game in Queen Elizabeth and to see an astounding number and astonishing bird species.
In the eastern section of the park is Kyambura Gorge where visitors can climb through a tropical forest in hopes of catching a glimpse of a variety of primates, including chimpanzees.
There are a few game reserves in the world that can brag of such a high biodiversity rating and with a diverse vegetation and remarkable variety of eco-systems including savannah, bushland, wetlands and lush forests.
Visitors take the two-hour boat cruise up the Kazinga Channel the spillway that slices through the park to connect two lakes (Prince George and Edward). It is along here that wildlife congregates. Both the morning and afternoon’s boat cruise reveals a succession of giants. Elephant herds squirt water on the banks as large hippo pods roll on sandbanks, and crocodiles bathe in the sun. Some hippos escape the water to wander across the savannah, and barge past a series of ungulates also in search of water. This wonderful boat cruise also reveals quite a good number of birds, species recorded include the Shoebill stork, black bee-eater, 11 types of kingfishers and a variety of raptors, including several falcons and eagles.
Guided nature walks through the forest in Maramagambo are available. Trips on the forest trails here are taken mostly by birdwatchers, though there are nine species of primates that necessitates primate trekking a case in point being chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge, and it’s quite common to see pythons hunting and eating bats. Down at Ishasha, hippo encounters are pretty likely on short walks along the river and, if you’re there early in the morning, there’s a chance of spotting a giant forest hog.
Queen Elizabeth National Park can be accessed most easily from Kampala. The tarmac road from Kampala via Mbarara town and Bushenyi leads to the center of the park, passing just 22 km from Mweya Peninsula, the main tourism hub. Approaching the park from the south via Mbarara covers a distance of 420km while the north through Fort Portal covers a total of 410 km, which takes approximately 7hrs drive from Kampala
QENP can also be accessed through air. Aero link a scheduled/charter flight company organizes 3hrs domestic flights from Kajjansi airstrip to Queen Elizabeth National Park at existing airstrips of Kasese, Mweya and Ishasha.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most visited parks in Uganda. It is for this reason that many investors have ventured in accommodation to ensure that your Safari is filled with comfortability. These lodging facilities range from Budget, Moderately Priced, Upmarket and Luxury Lodges that have a proven track record with our clients over the Years. Below are some of the accommodation facilities we have used and highly commend for consistently providing our guests with the privilege of living in an exclusive and serene space overlooking the skyline, with proximity to the various wildlife game in QENP; Kyambura gorge lodge, Mweya Safari Lodges, Elephant plains lodge, Ishasha wilderness lodge, Jacana lodge, Katara lodge (Luxury) Twin lakes lodge, Park view safari lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Ishasha Ntungwe River Lodge, Kingfisher lodge, Savannah resort hotel, Enganzi lodge, Bush lodge, Savannah Resort Hotel (Mid-range) Simba safari camp, Mweya Hostel, Ishasha River Camp, Tembo Camp (Budget).