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The park that is in existence since 1952 was initially called Kazinga channel national park but the name was later changed to Queen Elizabeth National Park after a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England. Queen Elizabeth spreads over 1978 square kilometers in the western arm of the rift valley.
The home to the big five including tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, buffalo, elephant, hippo, and leopard is the most visited park of all Uganda national parks, its rich ecosystem with a diversity of flora and fauna from the savannah grassland, humid forests, lakes, wetlands has made it an ideal habitat for so many wildlife including mammals, reptiles, primates, and over 600 bird species
The park offers sightings of some of the most famous physical features in Uganda like the Kazinga channel which joins Lake Edward and George with its banks lined with elephants, hippos, buffaloes, and different bird species, the sight of Mountain Rwenzori’s steep escarpments, numerous crater lakes flooded with flamingos, Maramagambo forest one of the largest surviving natural forest.
A visit to Queen Elizabeth provides one of the most memorable experiences on your Ugandan safari.
Embark on a game drive through the savannah wilderness in your safari vehicle searching for the diversity of wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park including buffalo, elephants, Uganda kobs, and of course, the famous tree-climbing lions who are normally sighted lazing on the branches of fig trees, especially in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The game drive can be done both in the morning and evening.
Embark on the 3 hours boat cruise on the Kazinga channel – a waterway that connects Lake Edward to Lake George. Possible sightings include herds of elephants, buffalo, and antelope, families of warthogs, large groups of hippos, and crocodiles basking on the shore. Kazinga shores are a haven for numerous birds, including many migratory species as they make their way south to warmer climates.
The boat cruise can be done in the morning or the afternoon based on your preference.
Enjoy a wild breakfast in the jungle after a morning game drive. In a secluded spot, a fine dining experience is set up for you with different snacks and drinks laid out on the table with a personal chef at your service for any hot meal you could need.
A sundowner experience is one of the best ways to conclude your evening game drive. A mini buffet is arranged for you inside the park with different hot and cold drinks and snacks prepared for you. The sundowner provides beautiful sightings of the sun setting and also different animals as they ascend to their homes for the night and the nocturnal animals begin to come out of their hideouts.
Lake Katwe is a saltwater lake on the north side of Queen Elizabeth National Park. A visit to the Crater salt mine brings you to a close interaction with the local salt miners, they will take you through the salt mine production and also observe how salt is evaporated and purified.
The salt mining visit takes about an hour.
The Kyambura chimpanzee tracking is a search for the wild chimpanzees in the forested gorge which is 100m deep and 1 km long. Most of the chimpanzees in the gorge are habituated and they are used to human presence. The overall population of chimpanzees is estimated to be 80 members, however, the gorge is also home to other wildlife like birds like Bee-eaters, Horn bills, kingfishers, etc., monkeys, and baboons, elephants, hippos among others. The gorge has a river in the middle that attracts both resident animals and many from the park.
The chimpanzee trek starts from the park headquarters where you are briefed about the chimpanzee trek guidelines, rules, and regulations by the ranger guides. Proceed on your trek down to the forest with your ranger who keeps informing you about the daily lifestyle and behavior of the chimpanzees like the fact that they stay in groups of about 35 – 40 individuals of all genders, they like cracking nuts from the roots of trees, they like chewing leaves, they like jumping from one tree to the other and the food they like most – fruits, young antelopes and goats. You also be to see the chimpanzees swing from the trees, prepare their nests to rest and overnight in, mating, nursing their babies among others.
The Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trek occurs twice a day starting at 0800hrs and 1300hrs and it is done in 2 groups of four hence a maximum of 16 people are allowed to trek the chimps a day and the trip takes about 3 hours depending on the time of sighting the primates. Both times are satisfying and rewarding.
Nature walks in Queen Elizabeth Park are done in Maramagambo forest, Kyambura gorge, Mweya peninsular, and Ishasha sector and they are the best ways for man to experience nature at a closer range.
Nature walks can either be done in the morning or afternoon in accompaniment of the ranger guide depending on your level of fitness. Possible sightings include tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector, crater lakes, mongoose, Kazinga channel, and animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, monkeys, bats, baboons, and river Kajojo and Kilyantama waterfall among others.
Enjoy a good hike around the different crater lakes in Queen Elizabeth like Nyamunuka Crater, and Munyanyage Crater, and with a variety of wildlife like flamingos, and warthogs among others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a cat family sustainable and conservation unit with over 250 large cats spread in both Mweya and Ishasha sectors including lions, and leopards. Apart from the usual lions, QENP is home to the rare but famous tree-climbing lions in the world in the southern sector of the park that can be seen on a game drive. However, the predator tracking activity is done in the northern peninsular of Mweya in the Kasenyi plains.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth is more of a researcher activity done in 3 sessions like the early morning, afternoon, and night and goes for about 2 – 3 hours with your researcher who informs you of the rules and regulations of the tracking before you proceed to the savanna regions.
The researcher uses radio collars to track the predators and their movements on and off the demarcated tracks. It is a research project the number of people is limited hence a booking is important.
Upon sighting the lions, the researcher will turn off the vehicle engine to avoid disrupting the lions, you will learn and monitor how they feed, behave, defense mechanisms and watch how the juveniles play among others. The data collected is used to better understand the lives and ways of the predators.
