Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in South Western part of Uganda close to Rwenzori Mountain and Kibale Forest National Parks. To all tourists interested in visiting Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is always a must visit destination given the fact that it is one of the best wildlife viewing spots in East Africa.
In this park, you will have a chance to see all the Big 4 animals among other savannah wild animals. It is as well a great place for birders given it hosts over 600 bird species, great for sightseeing and photography most especially the sprawling beautiful savannah grasslands and crater lakes.
Major activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park include game drives for wildlife viewing, boat cruise on Kazinga Channel which is always a highlight of your safari in this park, community visits, birding, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge among others. For those who have more time you can as well opt to visit Ishasha sector located on the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park where you can do game drives to search for Tree climbing lions among other wildlife.
Queen Elizabeth National Park – At a Glance
- Queen Elizabeth National Park covers 1,978km2.
- The park spans the equator line; monuments on either side of the road mark the exact spot where it crosses latitude 00.
- The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, and renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II.
- The park is home to 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
- The main vegetation habitats include forest, grassland, bushy grassland, Acacia woodland, and lakeshore/swamp vegetation.
- The Katwe explosion craters mark the park’s highest point at 1,350m, while the lowest point is 910m, at Lake Edward.
- The average temperature ranges from 18°C – 28°C.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest in Uganda after Murchison Falls National Park. The park is situated in western Uganda, lies on the floor of Africa’s western Rift Valley, which runs from northern Uganda to Malawi. Nearby attractions include “Mountains of the moon” Mt. Rwenzori. Queen Elizabeth is dominated by savannah grassland and woodland so, game drive is inevitable while in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Highlights
QENP is one of Uganda’s oldest parks but it was officially formed along with Murchison Falls National Park in 1952. It was initially known as ‘Kazinga National Park’ before it was renamed in 1954 to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
QENP contains 95 species of mammal – more than any other park in Uganda. Hippos are efficient lawn mowers. They prefer to graze short grass, each animal eating about 40kg each night.
From the lodge terrace, it’s almost impossible to tell which way the Kazinga Channel is flowing. It actually flows west (to your right) from Lake George to Lake Edward. But since the change is water level along the 36km Channel is just 40cm it moves extremely slowly.