The equator in Queen Elizabeth National Park: One of the countries that the equator crosses is Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only protected area in Uganda that this landmark passes through, and it passes through a lot of locations. At 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the north and south poles, is the fictitious equator.
At Kayabwe, which is located on Masaka Road or inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, the equator calls in Uganda. The equator crosses Queen Elizabeth National Park in the Kikongoro, Kasese district, on the park’s northern side. As tourists approach the national park from Kasese and Fort Portal using the northern side, they can see this lining.
One thing you don’t want to miss out on during your safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park is a trip to the equator. The fact that it only passes through 11 countries makes it visible everywhere. At any time, your trip operator may arrange a trip to the equator via nature walks or following the game drives in the Kasenyi Plains.
Nature walks in the Kasenyi plains areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park allow you to see the equator line. You will have the chance to learn various facts about the planet when you visit the equator; you will be able to stand in two different hemispheres (north and south) simultaneously, and when the safari is over, you will be able to have picture sessions for memories.
Other possibilities, such as being entertained by the Kikorongo dancing group, who perform traditional dances and tell you various tales, are available during a visit to the equator in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Tourists can visit a nearby trading center to buy handmade souvenirs and support Kikongoro women’s cooperatives.
Reaching the equator
You may get to the equator by air or road in the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park in the Kasese area. Tourists may reach the equator by road from Kampala via Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Kasese to the park’s northern side. In Queen Elizabeth, it takes seven to eight hours to travel from Kampala to the equator.
By flying to Mweya airstrip, visitors may still reach the equator in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The quickest way to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park and the equator is in an hour and fifteen minutes. Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda operate flights between Entebbe International Airport, Kajjansi Airfield, and Mweya or Kasese Airfield.
Other attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wildlife
There are 95 mammal species living in various parts of the park’s savanna vegetation, and there are 10 primate species in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The majority of these creatures are observed during nature hikes, boat tours, and game drives. In the eastern region of the park, in Kyambura gorge, there are chimpanzee hikes where you may see the chimpanzees.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a wide variety of species, including tree-climbing lions, lions, hippos, buffalos, Uganda kobs, leopards, side-striped jackal, elephants, giant forest hogs, sitatungas, topis, banded mongooses, defassa waterbucks, bushbucks, spotted hyenas, aardvarks, Nile crocodiles, small spotted genet, serval cats, and many more. Primates include, among others, chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest’s monkeys, grey-checked mangabeys, and olive baboons.
Birds
As one of the top locations in Uganda for birdwatching, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to more than 600 different bird species. In different parts of the park, including Ishasha, the Mweya Peninsula, Lake Likorongo, the Katunguru Bridge, and the Kasenyi Plains, among others, the various bird species may be found in the savannah, woodland, and riverine vegetation coverings.
The birds of Queen Elizabeth National Park include the African pied hornbill, scaly-throated honeyguide, swallow bee-eater, rufous-breasted wryneck, piping hornbill, red-throated bee-eater, African thrush, little green bull, bearded woodpecker, grey woodpecker, cut-throat finch, black sawing, grey-throated barbet, western green tinkerbird, red-rumped tinkerbird, wire-bibbed swallow, hairy-breasted barbet, spot-flanked barbet, white-headed barbet, and double-toothed barbet.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to additional bird species like the yellow-billed barbet, southern carmine bee-eater, red-shouldered cuckoshrike, black cuckoshrike, African golden oriole, red-eyed shrike flycatcher, white shrike flycatcher, red-tailed ant thrush, fork-tailed drongo, northern fiscal, northern house martin, grey-backed paradise flycatcher, red-billed paradise flycatcher, common waxbill, crested malimbe, Angolan swallow, lesser striped swallow, olive sunbird, pale flycatcher, purple-banded sunbird, plain green bulbul, fawn-breasted waxbill, and magpie manikin.
Water sources
The three main water bodies in Queen Elizabeth National Park are Lake Edward, Lake George, and the Kazinga Channel, which connects the two lakes. The main activity on these lakes is the boat trip, which is conducted on the Kazinga Channel.
The purpose of the boat excursion is to give visitors the opportunity to see the various attractions and explore these lakes. Tourists may observe aquatic species like hippos, crocodiles, and fish during the boat ride. Other park critters include elephants, monkeys, antelopes, buffaloes, and birds like the yellow-billed stork, martial eagle, papyrus gonolek, and African skimmer.
The ideal time to visit the Park
You may go to Queen Elizabeth National Park at any time of year, but some months are preferable to others. The dry months in this park are June through September and December through February. The roads leading to the park are in good condition; the vegetation is sparse and short, allowing for clear views of the sights, and the game tracks and paths are dry and accessible due to minimal precipitation.
Visitors are welcome to Queen Elizabeth National Park.