A Guide to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda
Welcome to Queen Elizabeth Game Park Planner, a definitive guide to planning a safari to Uganda’s most popular and accessible savanna reserve. Find the best things to see, things to do, places to visit and all the information you need to know to plan your Uganda safari. The 1978km2 is bounded by the Ishasha River and Lake Edward in the west, the Kyambura Gorge and Kalinzu Forest Reserve in th East, the Rwenzori Mountains in the North, and Kigezi Wildlife Reserve in the South.
Why Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most scenic and diverse park. This world known biosphere reserve is a wonderful location on the floor of the Albertine Rift
Valley, 914 metres above sea level, at the foot of the 5,100 meter Rwenzori Mountains.
Explore the varied habitats such as lakes, rivers, open savanna, acacia woodland, tropical forest and vast wetlands. The park supports an impressive 95 mammal species and over 600 species of bird.
It’s a remarkable total for a park covering less than 2,000 sq km – one that is surpassed in Africa only by the neighboring and larger Virunga National Park in Congo.
Popular Safari Experiences
Top Things to Do
There are endless things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park. We bring to you the most popular adventure activities that you can enjoy during your safari in Uganda’s world biosphere reserve.Launch Trip
Most visitors do not miss taking a launch trip up the Kazinga Channel. With a little luck, visitors can see thousands of hippos and birds along the cruise. There are also chances of seeing plenty of wildlife that comes for a drink at the channel and the lakes including elephants, buffaloes, etc. There are trips ta 9AM, 11AM, 3PM and 5PM.
Kyambura Gorge Walking
Kyambura lies in the eastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The gorge is beautiful and walking safaris can be arranged at he ranger post. The gorge hosts a variety of primates including chimpanzees that are often visible on the walking safaris. Walks take from 3 to 5 hours.
Game Drives
I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.About Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular national park. With its diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forest, sparkling lakes and fertile wetlands, Queen Elizabeth National Park is ideal habitat for a safari in Africa. The park is home to classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees and over 600 species of birds.
Set against the magnificent backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains (the mountains of the moon), the park’s magnificent vistas include 72 enormous craters carved brutally into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.
Biodiversity
From open savannah to rain forest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward, it is little wonder that QENP boasts one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world.
Almost 100 mammal species and a remarkable 606 bird species makes this superb safari territory, with elephant, a profusion of hippos, the elusive giant forest hog and handsome Uganda kob all regularly sighted around the tourist village on the Mweya Peninsula – which also boasts a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Elsewhere, the remote Ishasha Sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbors habituated chimps, the Maramagambo Forest is home to an alluring selection of forest monkeys and birds, and flocks of flamingo are resident on the crater lakes.
About the Park
The 1978km2 Queen Elizabeth National Park enjoys a stunning location on the rift valley floor between Lakes Edward and George where a mosaic of habitats supports 95 mammal species and a remarkable 612 species of birds. Forty years ago, Douglas Willocks described the diverse features that led to its creation in 1952. There still exists no better introduction or a more enticing invitation to visit the park.
‘Scenically the area had everything. Thirty miles to the north, the blue Rwenzori exploded from the plain, a composite, jagged mass of mountains, sixty miles long and forty wide and looking in certain lights as if you could reach out and touch them. Across Lake Edward to the west, the Mitumbe hills stood sentinel on the Congo, blue too in the long sight but in the closer green, wooded, precipitous, unfriendly and epitomizing darkest Africa. The eastern boundary of this possible park was marked by the calm green escarpment of the western Rift Valley. And between all the hills, mountains and lakes was endless savanna, its constantly repeated motif the branched cactus arms of the candelabra euphorbia tree.’
The park forms part of an extensive system of contiguous protected areas, namely the Kigezi (265km2) and Kyambura (154km2) Wildlife Reserves, Kalinzu Forest Reserve, Kibale National Park (766km2) and, in neighboring DRC, the 2000km2 Virunga National Park. Rwenzori Mountains National Park lies a few kilometers north.
The dramatic scenery is largely due to mountains beyond the park boundary. The park itself lies on the rift valley floor where it rises 480m from 91 Om at the Kazinga Channel to 1390m in the Explosion Crater field. The low altitude and its location directly on the equator mean that temperatures can be warm, rising from a mean minimum of 18°C to a mean maximum of 28°C. The park receives up to 1250mm of rain, mostly during March – May and September – November.
Plan Your Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth national park is truly amazing and spectacular! It’s a popular tourist attraction located in the western region of Uganda. Being designated as a National park, allows the local official to control the area and set the rules. You can expect to see a large variety of native wildlife species including birds, reptiles and mammals. At Queens Elizabeth national park, provisions have been made for camp sites and lodging accommodations for visitors.
During a safari around Uganda, always be sure of only glorious scenery and escapades. Hop into the safari van and spend hours keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife. It’s all out there; you just have to pay attention. These animals are made to blend in with their surroundings and if you blink, you may miss an amazing opportunity.
This national park is endowed with every kind of wildlife you can think of especially wild game like four of the big five (lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards) hippos, buffaloes, warthogs, bush pigs, a variety of antelopes etc . The park has over 606 different bird species as well as plants that are rare.
What is the best time
for visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park?
During Dry season from June to September and December to
February every year is the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National park. The
park can as well be visited all year around and you will be able to see the
wildlife and do a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Dry seasons offer
great sighting of wildlife compared to wet seasons.
The park can be visited by tourists during the weekends and most trips to the park start from 3 Days! Many tourists combine Queen Elizabeth National Park with the neighboring national parks such as Kibale Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Semuliki National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains.
Where can I stay in Queen Elizabeth
National Park?
On your flying safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park, you atleast need to spend
a night in either Entebbe/Kampala before the start day and at the end of your
safari. This will help you catch up with the flight departure and return times
as well avoid the risk of missing the flight in case of uncertainties like loss
of your luggage, missed connecting flight to Entebbe on your flight to Uganda
among others.
Accommodations in Queen Elizabeth National Park range from
budget, mid-range to luxury. Budget options include Pumba Safari Lodge,
Elephant Hab Lodge among others and their Fares range from 90-100 dollars a
night per person. Mid-range options include Buffalo Safari Lodge, Bush Lodge, Enganzi
Lodge, Irungu Safari Lodge, Park View safari Lodge, Ihamba Lake side Lodge among
others and their fares range from 100-200 dollars a night per person. Luxury
options include Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Mazike Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge and Mweya
Safari Lodge, Kasenyi safari camp among others and their fares range from
200-400 dollars a night per person.

Four Arrested Over Death of Lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Amazing Things to Make Your Day in Queen Elizabeth Park

How Possible Is It To See Tree Climbing Lions In Ishasha?

Enjoy a Self-Drive Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Enjoy Amazing Game Drives and Boat Cruises
