About Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the western region of Uganda approximately 400 kilometers west of the capital city Kampala. It lies in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and is the most popular safari destination in the country. It covers an area of about 1,978 square kilometers traversing districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. Queen Elizabeth National Park arches over the equator line monuments at the precise speckle it crosses latitude 00 on either side of the road. The park has manifold ecosystems like the stretched-out savannah grasslands, reclining lakes, shady, humid, and chilly forests, and high-yielding wetlands. These make it a consummate haven for over 10 species of primates, and over 95 species of mammals, and of these, there are 20 species of carnivores and 600 species of birds. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to some of the big five animals of the African savannah and grasslands like lions, elephants, buffalos, and leopards. Among the big five animals, the rhino is the only animal missing in the park.

History of the park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular national park in Uganda. It is also the second largest national park after Murchison Falls National Park. Queen Elizabeth National Park was established in 1952 as Kazinga National Park. This was because of the large water channel that connects Lake George to Lake Edward called the Kazinga channel. Kazinga National Park was later changed to Queen Elizabeth National Park in 1954 two years after its establishment. This was to commemorate the visit by the queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II to the park in 1954.

Major tourist attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Tree-climbing lions

The tree-climbing lions are the most popular and major tourist attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is due to their unique ability to climb trees which is not a common behavior of some other lions. Tree-climbing lions are found in the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda and Lake Manyara in southern Tanzania. The tree-climbing lions in Ishasha are seen during game drives and also during lion tracking in the park. These lions usually rest and lie peacefully on top of fig trees and cactus branches away from the scorching heat of the day. These lions developed the ability to climb trees as a way of escaping the irritation and biting of small ground insects. They also targeted the cool breeze from high up in trees to escape the heat of the day.

Chimpanzees

Kyambura Gorge is known as “the Valley of Apes” because it is a natural habitat for chimpanzees and other species of monkeys. The gorge is located in the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park and is a haven for chimpanzees. This is due to its underlying thick vegetation and the rich tropical rainforest as a result of its position on the equator. The tropical rainforest provides seasonal fruits that are the main course for the chimpanzees. The gorge is also well drained by River Kyambura which is a source of water to the chimpanzees.

Kazinga Channel

Kazinga Channel is one of the dominant tourist attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kazinga Channel is a long natural water channel that links Lake Edward and Lake George. It is 32 kilometers wide and stretches for over 40 kilometers. Kazinga channel is a haven for over 5000 hippos that live in groups known as schools across the channel. It also harbors countless Nile crocodiles, the largest freshwater reptile on earth, and other aquatic living organisms. Kazinga Channel also serves as a source of water for most of the animals in the park. These come to the channel for a drink and also to cool off their massive bodies from the scorching heat of the day. The channel also hosts countless species of birds like the African fish eagle, squacco herons, pied kingfisher, wattled plovers, spur-winged plovers, knob billed ducks among others. These fly in from miles away for a drink as well as hunt for fish and also some birds build nests in the trees along the channel. Boat cruising on the Kazinga Channel offers an opportunity for tourists to view and explore the wildlife along the channel. There are also other tourist attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park and these include; Over 600 bird species range from the resident birds and the migratory birds. Migratory birds fly in during the summer from Europe and South Africa, from November to April. The park’s vast natural features have become significant habitats for different species of birds. The Maramagambo forest area which is on the right side arm of the rift valley along the Kichambwa escarpment is a habitat for birds. These include the African mustached warbler, African emerald cuckoo, black coucal, yellow bill, and African fin foot among others. The low lake area of Lake Kikorongo an extension of Lake George has been home to bird species like knob-billed duck, African jacana, yellow wagtail, shoebill, sacred ibis, and black crake among others. Lake Katwe is also another attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lake Katwe is a crate lake that is rich in salt. It is used as a mining site for rock salt. The park also has over 10 other crater lakes such as Bunyaruguru and Ndali-Kasenda Craters. Crater lakes are lakes formed when crates formed from volcanic eruptions are filled with water. A crater is formed when a volcanic eruption has occurred and the earth’s surface is pushed away leaving a deep hole. These volcanos occurred million years ago and they are not extinct.

Major tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Lion tracking

Lion tracking is an interesting activity in the park. it is usually done by researchers who are studying the behaviors of lions in the wild. Lion tracking takes place in the Kasenyi pains and Ishasha region of the park. The tree-climbing lions are the target because of their unique behavior of climbing trees. Lions with radio collars make it easy to be tracked but this activity can take entirely the whole day.

Chimpanzee trekking

The Kyambura Gorge “Valley of Apes” is a suitable home for chimpanzees due to its tall rainforests that sprout seasonal fruits that are the main course for the chimps. Chimpanzees can be seen by trekking which involves walking through the rainforest in the gorge in search of an opportunity to see these amazing primates. Chimpanzee trekking in the park is favorable in the morning hours from 8 am to 2 pm, especially in the dry seasons.

Boat cruise

The boat cruise is a 3-hour boat ride experience on the Kazinga Channel that offers an opportunity for tourists to view and explore the wildlife along the channel. These include hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffalos, and different bird species to mention but a few.  These come to take a drink and cool off their bodies from the hot sun. Boat cruise is done in two sessions one in the morning from 11 am to 1 pm and the second one from 2 pm to 5 pm. It sometimes stretches to three sessions to cater to the demand of tourists.

Mongoose tracking

Mongoose tracking takes place in the Mweya peninsular overlooking the Kazinga channel. A mongoose is a small animal of the same size as a domestic cat. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 400 banded mongooses. These are social animals and therefore live in groups of over 20 individuals and at night they stay together in underground dens. Mongoose tracking is done in groups of twelve with four people each with a researcher who tracks the mongoose in their trails using a locator device. Tracking is done in two sessions, in the morning from 7 am and also in the later afternoon for 1 to 3 hours. Bird watching which is an amazing experience done as a hobby or for research purposes that can be down all year round. It is rather best when there is plenty of food and less rain like from late May to September and June to July. Games drives offer an opportunity for tourists to have a glimpse of the game out in the African savannah while seated in the comfort of their vehicle. Other activities done in the park include professionally guided nature walks that are done in two sessions both in the morning and evenings for 2 to 3 hours on different hiking trails in the park such as in Maramagambo forest for forest hikes, around Lake Nyamasingiri for birders, bat caves that harbor bats and rock pythons.

 How to access Queen Elizabeth National Park?

Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 400 kilometers from Kampala city. It can easily be accessed by road or by air transport. You can use the Masaka-Mbarara route through to Kasese or the Mubende-Fort portal route when you use road transport means. It is a 7-8-hour drive from Kampala in a 4WD vehicle. It takes about 2-3 hours to travel from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park by air transport. Some aviation companies that deal in air transportation include BAR Aviation, AeroLink Uganda Limited, and Fly Uganda.

Accommodations in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park has several accommodation facilities that are found in all the regions inside the park ranging from luxury, midrange and then to budget. When you get a chance to stay in one of the facilities in the park, you get a feeling of sleeping with the animals in the wild. Some of the accommodation facilities include Elephant Plains Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, and Katara Lodge to mention but a few.

What is the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park?

The best time to visit the park is in the dry season from June to September.  During the dry season, the vegetation is sparse and clear, the tracks are also dry which makes navigation easy. The dry season facilitates activities like game drives, trekking, and boat cruises among others. The clear and sparse vegetation offers little cover to the game thus easy viewing. Most animals come to the water bodies in the dry season to cool off and have a drink so a boat cruise is an ideal activity to spot these animals. The wet season also offers an opportunity to view birds and animals that are active in this season.

Conclusion

Queen Elizabeth National Park offers an exciting adventure to tourists because of its tree-climbing lions, Kazinga channel, chimpanzees, birds, and other savannah wildlife. Visiting the park and taking part in different activities like lion tracking, boat cruise, chimpanzee trekking, birding, game drives, and nature walks will leave you with unforgettable memories. Queen Elizabeth National Park is truly “a Medley of Wonders.