About the park

Queen Elizabeth National Park spans the equator line with monuments on either side of the road marking the exact spot where it crosses latitude 00. It is 1,978km² and the altitude is 1300m above sea level.

The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park and renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include wide savannas, leafy rainforests, dense papyrus swamps, and natural volcanic crater lakes make it the ideal habitat for classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees, and over 600 bird species.

In addition to its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, music, dance, and so much more.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 90 mammal species hence it is ideal for spotting Lion, Leopard, Hippo, Side-striped Jackal, Uganda Kob, Spotted Hyena as well as chimpanzees and so much more.

Activities

Game drives

Like other savannah parks, game viewing is a specialty in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is home to big game i.e Elephant, Hippo, Cape Buffalo, and also smaller mammals including Warthog, Waterbuck, Uganda Kob, Topi and even the rare semi-aquatic Sitatunga Antelope. To experience the best safari adventure, the tracks through Kasenyi, North Kazinga Plains and Ishasha sector offer virtually guaranteed Buffalo, Antelope and Elephant sightings, along with baboons and warthogs. Visitors will do well to target dawn and dusk game drives as this will yield more chances to track down a pride of lions and maybe even the odd leopard. Night game drives are also possible for nocturnal species. Game drives are best conducted in a comfortable 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof. Night game drives are also possible.

Lion tracking

Lion tracking is done with the Uganda Carnivore Project (UCP) and is usually done in the morning. Visitors to the park are able to track lions in the northern Kasenyi plains of Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The Uganda Carnivore Program is devoted to the research and conservation of Uganda’s large carnivores, including lions, leopards, and hyenas. They collaborate closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and Makerere University.

UCP has two primary focuses; scientific research and monitoring of resident carnivores, and community-based wildlife conservation with the goal to develop a collaborative, holistic plan to reduce deadly instances of human wildlife-conflict with communities around the park.

During the early-morning activity on the Kasenyi plains, a UCP researcher will join you in your safari vehicle and use radio-telemetry to track and locate the collared lions being researched. Within Queen Elizabeth National Park, vehicles must stay on the designated tracks. But one of the distinct advantages of this activity is the unique ability to drive off-road in search of the lion, and it affords the privilege of an up-close lion observation experience.

Boat cruises

The launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel is one of the most popular activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It provides an amazing chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the fresh river breeze while observing a large selection of animals. Animal species commonly seen along the riverbank are Elephant, Buffalo, Waterbuck and Ugandan Kob. Large breeding pods of hippos are also seen on a daily basis. Occasionally visitors will also see giant Forest Hog, Leopard and Lion. The water birds in the area are plentiful, in particular, Water thick-knee, Yellow-billed Stork, various plovers, white pink-backed Pelicans and white-bellied cormorants.

Birding

Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a unique combination of aquatic birds, forest dwellers, woodland birds, migratory species, among others which makes it a prime birding destination. Birding can be done while on game drives, on the Kazinga Channel boat cruise and on nature walks in Maramagambo Forest. Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park usually yields Gray-capped Warbler, Blue-naped Mouse Bird, Little Bee-eater, Slender-billed Weaver, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow-backed Weaver, Gray-headed Kingfisher, Long-tailed Cormorant, Pygmy Kingfisher, African Mourning Dove, Black-headed Gonolek, Swamp Nightjar, Red-chested Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Black Crake, Red-capped Robin Chat, Egyptian Goose, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Hottentot Teal, Hadada Ibis, Olive Woodpecker, Rufus-breasted Sparrow-hawk, Yellow-billed Duck, African Black Duck, Red-billed Teal, Mountain Buzzard, Angola Swallow, White-backed Duck, Saddle-billed Stork, Lesser Flamingo, African Fish Eagle, African Skimmer, Yellow-billed Stork, African Finfoot, Blue-headed Bee eater, Martial Eagle, White-tailed Lark among others.

Chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth National Park takes place in Kyambura Gorge. The dramatic Kyambura Gorge also known as the valley of the apes is found in the eastern part of the park and it is drained by River Kyambura. The tops of the tall thick trees receive just enough sunlight while the underground rainforest vegetation is verdant. This makes it the perfect habitat for the chimpanzees seeing as the trees give fruits seasonally. Almost all the chimpanzees have been habituated to human presence. Visitors will enjoy watching the chimpanzees as they swing from tree to tree and go about their daily habits. Due to the nature of the gorge, a chimpanzee trek is a real challenge and trekkers should be fit, as it involves a rather steep climb down into the gorge to track the chimps and then climbing back out after. Chimpanzee treks are done in the morning and afternoon and start off with briefing and then trekkers set off with an expert ranger. Permits need to be booked and paid for in advance. 

Community visits

Cultural/community tours are some of the most enlightening activities to do on your safari in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park has about 56 tribes making it a rich cultural destination. This park is a UNESCO man and biosphere reserve hence there is an interesting number of cultures that co-exist inside the park with the animals. Visitors can experience the varying cultural mix by engaging in the below:

• Leopard Village / Muhokya Village visit
• Kikorongo Women Community experience
• Nyanzi Ibiri Cave Community experience
• Agro walking tour
• Katwe Tourism Information Center and visit to Katwe Salt Lake and fishing villages

Itinerary ideas

3 days Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 1 – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, overnight

Day 2 – Game drive, private or shared Kazinga Channel boat cruise, overnight

Day 3 – Drive back to Kampala

4 days Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 1 – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, overnight

Day 2 – Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, private or shared Kazinga Channel boat cruise, night game drive, overnight

Day 3 – Game drives, community tour, visit Katwe Salt Lake and fishing villages, overnight

Day 4 – Drive back to Kampala

5 days Queen Elizabeth National Park

Day 1 – Drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, overnight

Day 2 – Game drives, private or shared Kazinga Channel boat cruise, night game drive, overnight

Day 3 – Drive to Ishasha for game drives, overnight

Day 4 – Game drive, community tour, overnight

Day 5 – Drive back to Kampala

Accommodation

Up market: Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Elephant Plains

Midrange: Twin Lakes Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Jungle Lodge

Budget: Mweya Hostel