While on safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park, hiking/nature walk is that one thrilling experience you need to take part. There are many hiking trails in and around Queen Elizabeth National Park each of which allow you to discover unique and varied natural wonders in different habitats in this park.
Nature treks are one of the more active ways to explore the landscapes and wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Locations include the shady Maramagambo forest, with many bird species, a bat colony and the all-white Cormorant Tree – a resting place for cormorants and a cultural site for local people.
Mweya Peninsula offers savannah and woodland with beautiful views and bold warthogs, while the Ishasha River Walk gives visitors the chance to get up close to hippos and water birds. Book your tour with a trained UWA guide at the Mweya Visitor’s Center.
Popular Trails in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Here are the popular trails in Queen Elizabeth National Park;
The Kyambura Gorge hiking trail
A hike down and in the pristine Kyambura Gorge is truly an experiential adventure. It takes you through chimpanzee trek that gets you close to chimpanzees, a great opportunity to explore their behaviors, take as many photos as possible. While at Kyambura Gorge, you hike through the forest and this rewards you with exceptional sights at varied primates, birds, butterflies, mammals a mention but a few. Kyambura Gorge is also best called the lost valley.
Hiking through Maramagambo Forest
Maramagambo Forest trails allow you to explore variety of birds, primates, lush rainforest among others. Maramagambo Forest comprises of Crater Lakes, thick ironwood, caves including the bat cave and others. The Maramagambo Forest Loop can take you the whole day to explore and you will need some packed lunch.
Kasenyi track
Kasenyi track is a popular wildlife trail where most visitors embark on game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This track rewards visitors with exceptional sights at varied savanna wildlife species including Uganda Kobs, lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, birds a mention but a few. Game drives along the Kasenyi track are conducted in the morning and afternoon.
The Mweya Peninsular
Mweya Peninsular takes you through mongoose research tracking about 3 hours. Explore more about on the banded mongoose, their habits and behaviors. Besides, enjoy amazing sights at elephants, buffaloes, lions, warthogs, birds and many others while on game drive via Kasenyi track.
The Ishasha track
Ishasha track on southern side of Queen Elizabeth National Park allows you catch a glimpse at the tree climbing lions while relaxing on the tree branches as well as many savanna wildlife dwellers.
Kalinzu Forest
Hike through Kalinzu Forest to view chimpanzees with park ranger guide. Kalinzu Forest is one most exceptional site for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. It is about 45 minutes’ drive away from Mweya area.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is open for hiking or nature walks at any time of the year. But the dry months are the best as most trails remains drier due to low rainfall received making it ideal for nature walk or hike. The dry months in Queen Elizabeth National Park start from June to September and December to February. However, it is also possible for you to explore its trails during wet season which takes place from March to May and from October to November.
Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park
The notable places for visitor overnight stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park include Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ihamba Lodge, Katara Safari Lodge, Kingfisher Lodge, Kyambura Game Lodge, Bush Lodge and others.
Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is reachable by road or by air. By road, start your journey from Kampala or Entebbe through Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi route approximately 420 kilometers or Kampala via Mubende-Fort Portal to Kasese route which is about 410 kilometers. By air, take a flight from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kasese/Mweya/Ishasha airstrip.