Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda and enjoy an exhilarating game drive in the home of the tree-climbing lions. Spanning an area of about 1,978 square kilometers, Queen Elizabeth National Park lies within the western Rift Valley on altitudes from 884-1,337 meters above sea level. Queen Elizabeth National Park is between Lakes Edward and George, connected by the 32-kilometer-long Kazinga Channel. Queen Elizabeth National Park is among Uganda’s oldest national parks, officially established in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth National Park attracts the most visitors on Uganda safaris, who come for these fun-filled and insightful game drives to explore the park in a comfortable 4X4 pop-up safari vehicle. These are driven by an experienced driver guide, who also enhances the tour by providing insight into the different wildlife species found in the park. Game drives are done at 6:30 am to catch the early risers or some nocturnal animals, or in the afternoon while the animals are feeding at sunset hours of the day.
Day game drives are done in the southern parts of the park, particularly in the Kasenyi plains, the Mweya peninsula, and the Ishasha sector. Day game drives offer a perfect opportunity to spot the tree-climbing lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants, Uganda Kobs, hyenas, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, hippos, giant forest hogs, and giraffes among others. There are also numerous bird species to spot, including the black herons, African jacanas, grey-crowned cranes, shoebills, pelicans, and others.
There are also night game drives at Queen Elizabeth National Park, and during this experience, tourists are offered an opportunity to explore the site during nightfall, to view nocturnal mammals. A night game drive can be done only in the Mweya peninsula since the Kasenyi plains are usually crowded with tourists at that time, which would distress the animals if it also happens at night. Night game drives offer a perfect opportunity to spot the tree-climbing lions, leopards, buffalos, jackals, hyenas, serval cats, and others.
Unlike day game drives, night game drives are usually guided by experienced and armed park rangers. Have a spotlight torch to have clear views of the mammals in the pitch darkness. While a day game drive at Queen Elizabeth National Park may take 3 to 4 hours, a night game drive takes 2 to 3 hours and starts at around 7:30 or 8 pm.
Other tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Lion Tracking experience
Lion tracking experiences are unique opportunities mostly done by researchers, who locate and closely observe lions at Queen Elizabeth National Park on special arrangements. The lions are tracked with the help of devices operated by expert trackers to allow for easy monitoring of the lions.
Boat Cruise
The exciting boat cruise experience allows visitors to navigate the cool Kazinga Channel for 2-3 hours. This is a significant Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park where you sit on a motorized boat to spot aquatic wildlife species including hippos, crocodiles, shoebills, African fish eagles, squacco herons, pied kingfishers, and others.
Birdwatching
Queen Elizabeth National Park harbors at least 600 bird species spotted by enthusiastic birders on birdwatching excursions. The birds include both residents and migratory species for example the papyrus gonoleks, grey crowned cranes, black-headed gonoleks, saddle-billed storks, African mourning doves, swamp flycatchers, white-winged warblers, sedge warblers, grey-headed kingfishers and shoebills among others.
Forest hikes
Maramagambo Forest, approximately 300 square kilometers of forest bordering Queen Elizabeth National Park to the north is suitable for forest walks. The tropical rainforest is significant for its primate population comprising L’hoest’s monkeys, vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, bush babies, and others. There are also a variety of bird species, butterfly species, and other wildlife spotted by visitors on forest or nature walk tours. There are also unique features such as bat caves that can be observed up-close with the guidance of ranger guides.
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking can be done in Kyambura Gorge, a 156 square kilometers forest in the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park near the border with Kyambura Wildlife Reserve. Visitors can locate a habituated chimpanzee group from the over 80 chimpanzees roaming in the luxurious rainforest of Kyambura Gorge. Other wildlife species to spot while on a chimp-tracking adventure in Kyambura Gorge include birds, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, and others.
The best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive
Travelers on Uganda safaris can visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives throughout the year. The site is at the equator and thus experiences stable climatic weather conditions with slight variations in average temperatures. But, the ideal time is during the dry season, which occurs from June to September and December to February. The dry seasons are characterized by fewer rainfall patterns, which ensures that the park tracks are not as muddy and slippery as those in the wet seasons. This facilitates easy navigation in the park to locate wildlife.
The skies are also clearer during the dry seasons compared to the wet seasons to spot and take photos of the wildlife in the park. Also, the park vegetation is less dense during the dry season compared to the wet season thus providing less cover for the wild animals, to be spotted easily.
How to access Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives?
To reach Queen Elizabeth National Park for game drives, you should use road or air transportation Entebbe or Kampala. Queen is approximately 392 kilometers west of Kampala the capital city of Uganda, and it takes 7-8 hours on the scenic road trip via Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Kasese.
Using a reputable tour company like Standard Safaris is advisable to plan your safari with meals, accommodation, transportation, and the best tourist sites. Air transportation is a perfect option for a faster and more convenient journey. This offers an opportunity to get aerial views of Uganda’s physical features including lakes, rivers, hills, mountains, rift valleys, and others. The journey starts from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Kasese, Ishasha, or Mweya airstrips. After your arrival 60 minutes later, you arrange for ground transportation to your lodging.
