Numerous individuals refer to Queen Elizabeth National Park as the authentic Collection of Marvels! This Uganda safari park, situated in the south-western region of Uganda, is home to a variety of ecosystems, including extensive savanna, tropical rain forests, crater lakes, and wetlands. As a consequence, Uganda Tours and Safaris/Uganda safaris are popular among tourists.
Kazinga National Park, also known as Queen Elizabeth National Park, is surrounded by the moon\’s Rwenzori Mountains, breathtaking views of Lake George and Lake Edward, and the park\’s distinctive crater lakes. Typically, the numerous iconic lakes of Crater are surrounded by imposing green undulating hills.
If you visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will have an extraordinary opportunity to see the Kazinga Channel. Research indicates that being in a savanna is relaxing and stress-relieving, and this is likely how you will feel in the Savannah expanses of Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kazinga Channel is renowned for having one of the highest concentrations of hippos, but you will also see many elephants, buffaloes, and crocodiles as they come to drink or bathe in the water, typically in the afternoon.
Queen Elizabeth Park is home to a unique population of tree-climbing lions.
In addition to the opportunity to experience the wilderness and its wildlife, a trip to Queen Elizabeth National Park will provide an uncommon and distinct cultural encounter. Travelers have the opportunity to interact with locals and participate in distinctive cultural activities, such as traditional dances, storytelling, listening to traditional music, and drinking the famous gin made from bananas, which most visitors particularly enjoyed and brought back home.
After Queen Elizabeth I of England\’s visit, the park\’s name was changed from Kazinga National Park to Queen Elizabath National Park. Its designation as a special conservation area has yielded quantifiable benefits, ensuring that the park\’s ecosystems will endure for decades despite population growth in the surrounding area. Obviously, it has not been easy, as wildlife-human conflicts are on the increase, resulting in the fatalities of more than nine lions in less than six months. This is a report about it.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only park in Uganda that permits lion tracking for those seeking a front-row seat to the animal kingdom.
There are also game safaris, chimpanzee trekking in the Kvambura Gorge, Maramagambo forest expeditions, and visits to the Crater Lakes.
Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park at any time of the year, but June through September and December through January are the driest.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most renowned national park in Uganda and one of the best locations to see wildlife on safari there. It is only 5 hours from Rwanda\’s Volcanoes National Park, 2 hours from Bwindi National Park, and 3 hours from Kibale National Park.
Wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park
In the Ishasha region, the lion is best known for its tree-climbing Lions. The lion is most frequently spotted in this park and is notably frequent on the grassy Kasenyi Plains. The park\’s savannah regions are home to enormous populations of bison and elephant, and the Kazinga channel, where daily boat excursions are offered, is teeming with hippos.
Queen Elizabeth National Park highlights
A highlight of the Ishasha region of the park is the frequent sightings of tree-climbing lions reclining in immense fig trees. Both on land and in the water, giant forest hogs are exceptionally easy to detect. As a result of interbreeding with forest buffalo from the neighboring Congo, buffalo are frequently a striking shade of reddish brown. The humid tropical forest of Kyambura Gorge offers chimpanzee trekking.
Kazinga Channel
The 32-kilometer-long (20-kilometer-long) Kazinga waterway is a naturally occurring channel that connects Lake Edward to Lake Gorge. This channel is one of the most significant features of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the most renowned wildlife reserve in Uganda with a total land area of 1,978 square kilometers. The channel provides a comprehensive overview of the most important conservation initiatives in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Lake George has a surface area of 250 square kilometers and an average depth of 2.4 meters and is located on the eastern side of the Kazinga Channel. This lake is supplied by tributaries that originate in the magnificent Rwenzori Mountains, which are located to the lake\’s north. Lake Gorge\’s excess flows down the Kazinga Channel and discharges into Lake Edward, one of Uganda\’s largest freshwater lakes with a total area of 2,000 square kilometers. The beaches along the canal are home throughout the year to a variety of untamed creatures, birds, and reptiles, including one of the largest populations of hippos and several Nile crocodiles. On a canoe excursion down the channel or, more likely, near the entrance to the breathtaking Lake Edward, these animals can be observed in exquisite detail. The Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise is among the finest and most popular excursions in the nation.
In Uganda\’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, tree-climbing lions have been observed.
Are Lions Capable of Climbing Trees? It is uncommon to see lions climbing trees. There are only two populations of these lions in the world, and climbing trees is a normal part of their daily routine. One of these populations can be located in the southern region of Uganda\’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the Ishasha region. The other population is located in Lake Manyara National Park in southern Tanzania. A three-day safari is possible in Uganda.
However, the reason why these lions are climbing tree branches remains unknown. Some believe they do this to avoid the numerous biting tsetse flies on the ground, while others believe they do so to flee the ground\’s heat and appreciate the chilly breeze.
Birding in Uganda\’s Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda is one of the most renowned birding destinations in Africa. It is home to an abundance of avian species, many of which are exclusive to the African continent. Uganda is one of the top birding destinations in the world due to its abundance of prime birding locations. During your Uganda safari, you will be able to see over 1,010 different bird species, which you will find fascinating. The overwhelming majority of Uganda\’s bird species reside in the country\’s numerous national parks.
Explosion at Lake Katwe crater.
In western Uganda, there are a number of \’explosion craters,\’ or extinct volcanoes of a particularly destructive type. They were named after their craters because, unlike many other volcanoes, their eruptions were extremely violent and dispersed ash and rock over a wide area, as opposed to accumulating detritus around their vents. Despite the fact that the majority of them are now extinct, a few of them still emit sulfurous odors. The three greatest concentrations are the breathtaking Ndali-Kasenda Crater Field near Kibale National Park, the Bunyaraguru Crater Field on the spectacular Kichwamba escarpment, and the Katwe Explosion Craters in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The detonation craters in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Western Uganda offer breathtaking views and excellent trekking opportunities.
Crater lakes were discovered for the first time between 8000 and 10,000 years ago. historic volcanic activity in Uganda. slouch their current aspect as serene, beautiful waterways. When they erupted, they caused significantly more devastation than Mount Vesuvius did in Pompeii. As a consequence of the Ugandan Explosion Craters, Lake Edward became a toxic catastrophe. Even during the construction of the Egyptian Pyramids in approximately 2000 B.C., fire and brimstone continued to discharge from the explosion openings.
Uganda\’s Queen Elizabeth Launch Cruise or Boat Trip
The canoe excursion of Queen Elizabeth National Park is conducted along the Kazinga Channel, a 40-kilometer-long natural channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. The ferry typically departs daily between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. local time. During this 2- to 5-hour launch cruise, you can investigate the sea and flora along the Kazinga Channel\’s coastline in depth.
Your knowledgeable advisers will provide you with all the information you require regarding this safari or tour and will gladly answer any questions you may have regarding the wildlife or anything else.
Both wildlife excursions and Uganda safaris are available at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
In this excursion, visitors observe the animals while driving through the park. There are numerous well-kept game viewing trails throughout the park.
This Ugandan tourist park has approximately 200 kilometers of pristine wildlife trails.
The best time to go on a game drive is early in the morning because you have a greater chance of seeing elephants, bison, leopards, and a variety of antelopes and other animals.
During the two-hour boat ride on the Kazinga channel, visitors can observe yawning hippos, waterbirds, buffaloes, elephants, zebras, Uganda-kobs, topis, water bucks, bush bucks, reed bucks, duiker, mongoose, swamp antelopes, spotted hyenas, warthogs, and forest hogs in the south.
Nature Walks in Maramagambo Forest Queen Elizabeth Park.
The Maramagambo Forest is a wonderful site to spend a half or full day for birdwatchers and those who prefer off-the-beaten-path excursions.
You can explore hidden crater lakes, discover species rarely found on open plains, and gaze at the overwhelming profusion of life inside a bat cave that is shielded from the sun\’s intense rays by a thick canopy.
Snakes are concealing in the rocks on the cave floor in order to catch bats that their stronger, more ferocious neighbors hurl from their roost. Ishasha Plains are in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Ishasha\’s wilderness is alluring and profoundly attracts us. If you wish to see this attraction, you should remain in the Ishasha region. However, avoid climbing the fig trees, as lions may be competing for the finest branches.
The open woodland sector of Ishasha is situated in the southwest quadrant of the park and is on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Despite the establishment of a few adjacent lodges, very few people visit this area; instead, game drives are used to explore it. This makes for magnificent private game excursions and breathtaking sundowners.
Queen Elizabeth Park\’s crater lakes.
Varying in size, the park\’s 72 craters are evidence of the region\’s tumultuous volcanic past. Numerous of these are concentrated in the park\’s northernmost regions, making for a fascinating half-day excursion that focuses more on the landscape and geological history than the fauna.
It is humbling to consider how these craters formed, as thousands of imprints on the Earth\’s crust were absorbed by vegetation and other life over millions of years. The violent and fiery history of the craters stands in dramatic contrast to the verdant, forested sanctuary of life that now inhabits them.
When to Visit Queen Elizabeth Park
It is difficult to determine the \”ideal time to visit\” Uganda. Due to its equatorial location, the majority of the year is characterized by precipitation.
In addition, it appears that weather patterns are changing, rendering seasonality obsolete. Pack a watertight coat and always be prepared.
However, from June to early October and again from December to early March, it is typically drier. October and November, as well as the months of March through the end of May, are typically the wettest. April and May are the two wettest months, although recent years have been quite arid. Lodging in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
There are five sections within Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The Northeast Escarpment
The escarpment of the Mweya Peninsula Rift Valley Sector of the Kyambura Gorge in Ishasha.
There are numerous hotel alternatives in each location. Queens\’ diverse geography makes it easy to find seclusion or a spectacular view, and there are a variety of housing options to choose from.
Nature Addicts safaris does not utilize all available resources; rather, we focus on those with a history of delivering satisfied customers. Here are some of our best lodging recommendations.
Examples include Elephant Plains, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, and Katara Lodge.
Climate & Weather
Due to its proximity to the equator, Queen Elizabeth National Park enjoys year-round mild temperatures. During the region\’s two Wet seasons (March to May and August to December), intense rainfall renders certain routes inaccessible. There is no designated dry season, but precipitation decreases somewhat from January to February and June to July, though not always.
How to Reach and Explore the Queen Elizabeth Uganda
How to Get To Queen Elizabeth Park
The districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, and Bushenyi in western Uganda all share Queen Elizabeth Park, a 1978 km2 park.
The park is accessible from Kampala via Mbarara and Bwindi via an unpaved road within five to six hours.
The park is reachable from Kampala via Mbarara (420 kilometers) or via Fort Portal via Kasese (41 kilometers). The park is reachable by surface road in 5–6 hours from Kampala.
