Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest and most popular national park located in western Uganda in Kamwenge, Rubirizi, Kasese and Rukungiri districts. The national park is composed of different vegetation types such as savannah grasslands, acacia woodland, swamps which act as habitat for animals like the big five mammals (elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, other animals like Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs among others which can be seen in Kasenyi plains or Mweya peninsula, primates like chimpanzees,  red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, baboons in Kyambura gorge and over 600 bird species including martial eagle, papyrus canary, yellow throated cuckoo among others. Queen Elizabeth national park is known for harboring the tree climbing lions which will be viewed lying up in acacia/fig tree branches staring at the antelopes grazing in the open savannah plains.

Top 5 things to do in Queen Elizabeth national park 

Game drives

Game drive is one of the popular activities where visitors get an opportunity to explore the park in a comfortable 4WD safari vehicle. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are best done during the morning hours because that’s the time when animals are most active. Game drives in the park can be done in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsular and Ishasha sector where you will follow different game tracks which offer great views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, topi, bushbucks among others grazing in the open savannah grassland plains, views of predators like lions, leopards, hyenas looking for a morning hunt, different bird species among others. 

Boat cruise on Kazinga channel

This is an amazing activity that is carried out on Kazinga channel a 32 kilometers long natural channel that joins Lake Edward and Lake George. The boat cruise is done in two schedules the morning schedule which starts at 9:00am and the afternoon schedule which starts at around 2:00pm. During the boat ride which takes about 2 to 3 hours you will be able to cruise meters away from large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, view aquatic bird species like squacco heron, open billed stork, pied kingfisher, black crake, yellow backed weaver, pink backed pelican, long tailed cormorant, African jacana, African emerald cuckoo, blue breasted kingfisher, African finfoot among others. You will also be able to see the fishermen preparing their fishing gears for night fishing hence giving you lifetime experiences.  

Bird watching

Queen Elizabeth national park harbors more than 600 recorded bird species including migratory birds, forest dwellers and water birds which make it one of the top birding destinations in Uganda. Bird species in the park can be spotted during the game drive in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsular, nature walks in Maramagambo forest, Ishasha sector and bout cruise on Kazinga channel.  During bird watching you should look out for bird species like African broadbill, greater flamingos, white winged warbler, papyrus gonolek, black bee-eater, chapins flycatcher, pink baked pelican, verreaux’s eagle, yellow throated cuckoo, papyrus canary, martial eagle, saddle billed stork, open billed stork, chestnut wattle eye,  scaly breated illadopsis among others.

Chimpanzee trekking

Chimpanzee trekking is another interesting activity of the top 5 things to do in Queen Elizabeth national park. Chimpanzee trekking is carried out in Kyambura gorge also known as the valley of apes located in the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge starts in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will be allocated a habituated chimpanzee family to trek, an experienced park guide who will lead you into the jungle and then start trekking which takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on their location because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge you will be able to spot other primates like vervet monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, baboons, view different plants, view and listen to sweet sounds of bird species like African kingfisher, blue headed bee-eater, African fish eagle among others. Once you find the chimpanzees, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to observe their habits, behaviors, lifestyle, watch them feed, groom each other, fight, rest, breastfeed, hunt, take photos, record videos with a flash less camera which gives you unforgettable memories.

 Nature walks

This is an incredible activity which allows you to get out of the vehicle and explore the park on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from dangerous animals. Nature walks in Queen Elizabeth national park are done in Maramagambo forest, Mweya peninsular, Ishasha river among others and during this interesting activity you will be able to get close and personal with different animals like hippos, primates like black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, have great view Kazinga channel, view beautiful butterflies, breath fresh air, relax your mind among others.

Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Top 5 Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

 Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed by both road and air transport means

When using road transport you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Fort Portal and then to the park headquarters which takes about 5 to 6 hours drive. The park can also be accessed from Bwindi impenetrable national park where you will pass via Ishasha sector to the park headquarters which takes about 3 to 4 hours drive.

When using air transport means you will book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mweya or Kasese airstrips and flights to the park can be booked by your trusted tour operator.

For more information about the top 5 things to do in Queen Elizabeth national park or safari bookings, you can contact Achieve Global Safaris.

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