7 Fun Things To Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park + Photos
Discover the ultimate guide to top Things To Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park. These must-see tourist attractions are what defines this Uganda safari park.
Established in 1952 under the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Queen Elizabeth national park is located in Kasese western Uganda seated on 1978 square kilometers, 410 kilometers from Kampala.
Named after Queen Elizabeth II the park is a popular destination for wildlife enthusiasts. It’s home to a variety of mammals, 95 mammal species to be exact, the likes of the famous tree climbing lions, buffaloes, hippopotamuses, the Kob and many more. Plus, the park homes over 600 bird species making it richest in wildlife biodiversity in the country.
The park runs plenty of adventurous activities such as safari game drives, boat cruise on the Kazinga channel, bird watching, guided nature walks, lion tracking, chimpanzee tracking, air balloon safaris and many much more activities.
Here’s an overview of the 7 Best Things To Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park;
The Top 7 Best Things To Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda:
Boat Safaris on the Kazinga Channel.
Boat safaris are one of the most popular ways to explore the park. The Kazinga channel is a rich feature in wildlife. It connects lake Edward to lake George and along its cruising comes its unique blend in bio diversity.
The Kazinga channel banks are lined with hippos, buffaloes in herds, elephants and the endless glamour of the Ishasha plains. Along the comfortable cruise of at most ten tourists on board, you get to observe the outstanding beauty of the wide range of flora and fauna the channel has along its shores from a completely different perspective.
The panoramic scenery of the Kazinga channel, topped with master class guide tours on the cruise and infotainment at its best, makes boat safaris on the Kazinga channel an exhilarating experience for one to miss at the queen Elizabeth safari park.
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Safari Game Drives.
Facilitated by comfortable well spaced open roof vehicles with clear windows and park guides, safari game drives are an exciting opportunity to encounter wildlife and one of the best things to do in queen Elizabeth national park.
These game drives allow you to tour around the park comfortably while taking photos of the diverse wildlife in their natural habitats. As the game drives reach close to wildlife, short stops are made to explain and provide information on the wildlife being encountered.
This is done by the tour guides on board and this gives you the chance to learn about the eco systems in a class outside a classroom. How cool can this be? well not as cool as driving through the Kasenyi plains encountering its renowned open Savannah granting the opportunity to spot wildlife and famously the tree climbing lions.
On the safari game drives, touring the Mweya Peninsula is one of the sites with gorgeous scenic views as it gives you an on road view of the Kazinga channel. One of the reasons as to why safari game drives is one of the top things to do is that its tour guides take heart to understand the wildlife interests of tourists. They tailor individual wildlife interests making it a memorable experience for all on board.
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Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge.
Chimpanzee trekking is only done in the morning and afternoon sessions with a maximum of 8 tourist each session. Tracking these intelligent primates in their natural lush forest habitats led by lead guides along the journey is a well rounded adventure for all nature enthusiasts out there.
Sighting chimpanzees in the valley of apes is at an 85% chance as these mammals are quite loud and their vocals are astonishingly coordinated. Chimpanzees seem not to be as dull as we think they are as these beauties are social in nature when given their peace.
Ever had a chimpanzee hug? If not then chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura should top your list of things to do in queen Elizabeth national park. Tracking chimpanzees is not as hard on paper than on ground when the right process is followed.
Park rangers register and brief tourists on the tracking adventure first before the trekking starts. They locate the chimpanzees and on encountering them they lead tourists in the observation of these social primates.
Regulations and specific procedures may vary and adherence to the guidelines briefed by the tour guides is priority to ensure the safety of both tourists and chimpanzees.
Lion Tracking.
Tracking lions is truly a tense encounter and tops the list of thrilling Things to Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park, but an outstanding experience as well. This thrilling journey through the parks diverse landscapes gives a unique blend of adventure for individuals obsessed with wildlife.
Lion tracking is usually done in the early mornings and late afternoons spear headed by licensed tour operators and skilled researchers. These trackers use radio collars to guide them through the Ishasha sector straight to the location of these lions.
Lions move in groups of between 4 to 20 and this implies engagement of very few individuals in the tracking process. This is done so to prevent scaring them away, most importantly to avoid stressing them. Stressing these lions puts conservation of lions at risk.
It is essential to follow park regulations, priorities safety and respect the animals and their environment for a memorable and responsible wildlife experience. Tourists have a wide list on how to experience the adventure of lion tracking. This list includes game drives, walking safaris or even specialized lion tracking excursions arranged by lodges within queen Elizabeth national park.
Lion Tracking in Queen Elizabeth Park shares insights into lion behavior in the ecosystems and the challenges they face. Tourists dive deep into the concept of these animals fostering a connection on the importance of preserving these species and their habitats.
Participating in the adventure of lion tracking in Ishasha directly supports wildlife conservation. This happens as the funds generated from this adventure are aligned to park maintenance, poaching measures and community based conservation projects hence protecting the park’s bio diversity especially in the rare species of these lions.
Nature Walks and Guided Bush Walks.
This thrilling experience is head by tour guides who on the journey detail the flora and fauna encountered. The walks are famously through the Mweya peninsula, the Ishasha plains, Maragambo forest and the Kyambura gorge.
What is assured on these walks is the high definition view of the exhilarating wildlife such as the chimpanzees in the Kyambura gorge, the tree climbing lions in the Ishsha sector, the dense vegetation in the Maramagambo forest, crocodiles and hippos along the Kazinga channel and many more thrilling wildlife.
The walks offer a spot on scenery to the likes of the rare white tailed lark on the shores of the Kazinga channel and the saddle billed stork. Never seen any of these? Well then nature walks and guided bush walks might be just the adventure you need. To differ a bit from nature walks, bush guided adventures are quite more intense.
These are characterized more with wild insights, sounds and scents, and encounters with bush in habitats. This is also an intimate unforgettable experience you wouldn’t love to miss out at the queen Elizabeth national park. The highlight of all these walks is on the world class experience on nature venturing and safety measures by the tour guides.
These male and female guides tour you around calmly and with content and navigate through all these plains identifying and notifying tourists on potential risks and measures on how to keep safe.
Tip on safety while on these walks is to always keep in sight of these guided tour leads, stick to designated paths and preserving excitement for night chats. Remember straying disturbs wildlife exposing you to unthinkable danger.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris.
This experience is absolutely magical! As the balloon gently ascends, you are treated to an overhead panoramic scenery of the park’s true nature. The perspective from above provides a unique vantage point to spot wildlife in their natural habitat.
The flight is usually of not more than 8 tourists, accompanied by a tour guide and on board infotainment. The highlights of this adventure is undoubtedly rising and setting of the sun with its rays in flamboyant colors of the spectrum.
The view of the trekking of buffaloes and elephants in their herds from above is purely outstanding as these mammals know how to keep their numbers in the most proper ways of organization. Hot air balloon experience is another adventure that should appear on every traveler should add on their Things to Do in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Visiting Katwe Salt Mines.
Here you get the opportunity to witness the labor intensive process of harvesting salt from the shallow crator lakes. This is guided by the travel tours. Salt extraction has been a practice passed on down through communities. It’s of great cultural importance for natives and this is briefly on how signifant it weighs;
- Heritage and tradition.
This has been a practice passed down from one generation to another forming a crucial part of the crucial part. As a native, engaging in salt mining reflects resilience and adaptability to a practice that lives within the hearts of the natives
- Economical livelihood.
Salt extraction is a source of income for many families in the area. The economic significance cannot be overstated as it sustains livelihoods of those involved in the extraction process
Visiting not only provides a glimpse into the economic aspect of salt extraction but also offers a deeper understanding of the cultural fabric and heritage of communities surrounding queen Elizabeth national park.
Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Experiencing wildlife and sighting the species can vary based on the time of the year due to seasonal changes. Queen Elizabeth national park encounters two seasonal changes thought its calendar year, the wet and dry seasons. Its dry season is mainly in the months of December, January, February, June, July, August and September.
The wet seasons is encountered in March, April, may, October and November. In the dry season, animals are observed gathering around water sources making it easier to spot them during safari drives, nature walks among other sighting procedures.
The dry season also gives a stare at the birth of young animals especially carnivores. Does your family love baby cubs?, visit the park in the dry season and give them a memorable adventure like no other. The wet season meanwhile is a bit less adventurous as the dry season tho its evident that most birds breed and fly around vividly and gallantly in this season.
Afrik-Trek Holidays invites you to be part of a conservation success story while providing an unforgettable Things to Do in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Whether you seek wildlife wonders, stunning landscapes or cultural immersion, this park promises an enriching journey into the heart of Uganda’s natural treasures. Come explore and create memories that will last a life time.