Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National park is the second biggest park after Murchison falls National Park in Uganda. It is some times referred to as the Pearl of Africa. In Uganda the park is basically known for the big four animals that is the Elephants, Lions, Buffaloes and the Leopards. In Uganda also it is this Park which has the rarely seen Tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector which is found in the southern part of the park
Location; The Park is located in western Uganda and it is surrounded by three major districts of Kasese in the North East, Bushenyi in the south east and Rukungiri in the west.
Size; The Park lies on 5,000 sq km land or 1,900sq miles of which about 17% is in Kasese, 50% in Bushenyi and the 33% in Rukungiri districts.
Tourism activities;
Bird watching;
The park records almost 606 species of birds and these include; African Mourning Dove, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swamp Fly-catcher, Grey-capped Warbler, The beautiful Black-headed Gonolek, Collard Pranticles, Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Common Squaco Heron, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, African Skimmer, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, Great white and Pink-backed Pelicans, White-winged Terns. And the rarest of all the bird species is the shoebill stork. Bird watching is mainly done on the Kazinga channel. Birds can also be watched on a nature walk with in the Maramagambo forest.
Game drives.
There are basically three game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park.
- There is the game drive to the Northern crater area
- The Kasenyi area game drive
- The Ishasha sector game drive for the rare tree climbing lions
All these game drives enable you to sight different animal species such as the Elephants, lions, buffaloes, Leopards, monkeys such as the black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys, patus monkeys’ red-tailed monkeys and the blue monkeys. Other animals that can be seen are the bush pigs and the warthogs, antelopes such as the topi, water and the bush bucks, kobs and more.
Launch cruise.
This takes place on the Kazinga channel. The 40km-long channel that connects Lake George to Lake Edward provides the park's prime wildlife spectacle. Its shoreline attracts large numbers of birds, mammals and reptiles. These can be seen from two covered launches, Topi and Simba that cruise between Mweya Jetty and the channel's entrance into Lake Edward.
Chimpanzee tracking
This activity is carried out in the 100meter Kyambura gorge carved by the Kyambura River as it flows across the rift valley floor towards the Kazinga channel. Guided walks to search for the chimpanzees start at Kyambura's fig tree Camp.
Nature/forest walks.
The activity takes place in the Maramagambo forest. One of Uganda's largest tracts of tropical forest, Maramagambo is notable for its primate and bird populations. Trails explore the forest around Lake Nyamusigire. Wildlife sightings vary from day to day, but guaranteed events include the bat caves and the copper-rich Blue Lake. It also involves moving from the base of the kichwamba escarpments to the shores of Lake Edward.
Accommodation
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Jacana Safari Lodge
- Ishasha Wilderness Camp
- Katara Lodge
- Simba Safari Camp
- Mweya Institute of Ecology Hostels
- Hippo Hill camp
