Reasons why you should visit Queen Elizabeth National Park: The things that draw visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park are the reasons to go there. In this essay, we will examine several reasons to visit the park if you want to do so. The national park is always the most visited for game viewing coupled with Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, where gorilla trekking is done and Kibale Forest national park for chimp trekking safaris.
Queen Elizabeth National Park lies in the west of Kampala, Kasese, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri districts. The national park is the most popular in the country because of the many attractions it has. The park is a sanctuary for 95 species of mammals, 10 species of primates, and 600 species of birds that live in an area that encompasses 1978 sq. km.
Tree climbing lions
The tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector of the park are a reason you need to take a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Other than in Queen Elizabeth National Park, these tree-climbing lions are uncommon worldwide. Visitors who wish to see these lions must travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park, where they can observe them relaxing on large fig trees in the Ishasha region during game drives or lion trekking excursions.
Game drives
Being home to 95 animals, 10 primates, and 600 bird species means that the park is an excellent spot for birdwatching activities. One of the greatest locations in Uganda for game drives is Queen Elizabeth National Park, where a variety of species may be viewed. Game drives are conducted in the Mweya Peninsula, Kasenyi Plains, and Ishasha Sector, where tree-climbing lions can be seen.
The game drive activities transport guests through different game vehicles to different regions of the park where different animals, birds, water bodies, and vegetation are visible. Lions, buffaloes, elephants, tree-climbing lions, hyenas, deffassa waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, gigantic forest hogs, Uganda kobs, sitatungas, monkeys, olive baboons, and much more can be seen by visitors on game drives.
A home to chimpanzees
Endangered chimpanzees can be seen in Kyambura Gorge and Maramagambo Forest in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Tourists who want to see these chimpanzees should visit the park and be part of the thrilling once-in-a-lifetime activity. A few chimpanzees have become accustomed to the morning and nighttime tourist activity in Kyambura Gorge.
The chimpanzee trekking adventure is led, and it starts with a briefing when trekkers are informed about the laws and regulations of the trekking activity. The trip takes visitors deep into the Kyambura Gorge, where they begin searching for potential chimpanzee habitats. There are possibilities to interact with various creatures during the search, but once chimpanzees are spotted, visitors have an hour to spend with them, observe their daily routines, learn about their habits, and snap pictures, among other things.
Birding
Over 600 bird species can be found in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is why visitors, particularly birders, should visit this protected area. The park is one of the greatest birding places in Uganda, with the majority of the bird species visible during nature walk activities. Ishasha, Katwe area, the Maragambo woodland, Lake Kikongoro, Mweya peninsula, Maragambo forest, and Kasenyi area are some of the places where birds can be seen.
Blue-spotted wood dove, red-billed teal, striated heron, crested guinea fowl, African cuckoo, African sacred ibis, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, grey crowned crane, common quail, denham’s bustard, red-chested fluff tail, spotted thick-knee, three-banded plover, dusky turtle dove, African jacana, black-tailed godwit, great snipe, Namaqua dove, emerald-billed tern, European honey buzzard, and great spotted cuckoo are among the birds that can be found in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Other notable bird species of Queen Elizabeth National Park include the black-chested snake eagle, western banded snake eagle, scarce swift, crowned eagle, lesser spotted eagle, booted eagle, yellow-throated cuckoo, little grebe, vinaceous dove, African fish eagle, northern ground hornbill, African grey hornbill, African wood owl, red-chested owlet, common barn owl, scaly-throated honeyguide, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, white-browed coucal, golden-tailed woodpecker, great crested grebe, buff-spotted woodpecker, and piping hornbill.
Boat cruise
Cruise on a boat
Queen Elizabeth National Park has some of the greatest boat cruise activities. With three water bodies, lake Edward, lake George, and Kazinga Channel. The two-hour morning and evening boat tours take place on the Kazinga Channel, which connects these two lakes.
The boat ride is guided, and during the activity, UWA guides will be educating about the canal, creatures that dwell there, and also about lakes Edward and George. The boat ride allows visitors to see crocodiles and hippos while taking in the refreshing breeze. Tourists get to witness numerous water birds and also park animals along the channel grazing or drinking water.
Nature walks
Because nature walks offer wonderful opportunities to explore the wilds on foot, tourists should visit Queen Elizabeth National Park. The finest places to go on nature walks in Queen Elizabeth National Park are along the explosive craters, Ishasha, Mweya Peninsula, Maramagambo Forest, and Kasenyi Plains.
Nature walks in the park offer tourists a chance to encounter park mammals such as buffaloes, elephants, lions, giant forest hogs, olive baboons, duikers, waterbucks, warthogs, Uganda kobs, hippos, monkeys, and birds such as shoebill stork, swamp flycatcher, palm nut vulture, collared pratincole, black-headed weaver, grey kestrel, and African jacana, among others.
In addition to the park’s fauna, visitors can observe vegetation and bodies of water like Lake Edward, Lake George, and Kazinga Channel during their nature walks. Visitors will get the chance to see many lakes, including Katwe, Bunyaruguru crater fields, and Ndali-Kasenda crater fields, during nature hikes near the explosion craters.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is open year-round.
Tourists need to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park since all park activities are possible throughout the year. The park experiences the dry season and wet season, and the dry season has been demonstrated to be the optimum time to visit the park. This is because it has little or no rainfall that makes the game trucks dry, foliage is scattered and short and the roads connecting to the park are in good condition.
Tourists, especially budget travelers, ought to visit the park during the rainy season when the lodges are at a discount. The park has heavy rainfall throughout the rainy season, which runs from March to May and October to November. The forest is dense and thick with unclear views of the park animals; game tracks are muddy and slippery, and the roads leading to the park are in bad condition.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
The Queen Elizabeth National Park is around 400 kilometers away from Kampala, and visitors can go there in a single day by car or airplane. The national park may be reached by road from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Rubirizi in 7-8 hours, or from Kampala via Mubende for the park’s gateway and Kasese.
Reaching any of the park’s airstrips by plane takes one hour and fifteen minutes. The planes go to Mweya or Kasese airports from Kajjansi Airport and Entebbe International Airport. These flights are arranged early in advance with airline firms like Bar Aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda.