QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the top visited savanna parks in Uganda and a perfect location to find the tree climbing lions. Unlike other safari parks in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts beautiful biodiversity, clearly spotted roaming freely in its diverse habitats: savanna grassland, lakes, wetlands and forests.

Queen Elizabeth National Park was originally founded as Kazinga National Park in 1952. In 1954, its name changed to the present Queen Elizabeth National Park in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II visit.

Location and size in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a magical park located in Western Uganda. It is perched right between Lake Gorge and Lake Albert, two scenic lakes linked by the Kazinga Channel. The Park stretches up to 1978 sq.km of land area and it is located on the Western rift valley floor, between altitude of 910m and 1350m.

History of the park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the oldest parks in Uganda and its history dates back to 1952 when it was officially established as a National Park. The present area where Queen Elizabeth NP was used by Basongora pastoralists to graze their livestock.

In 1921, most cattle died due to rinderpest epidemic and sleeping sickness. The outbreak of the pandemic was thought to have been caused by the colonial government under the guise of a livestock campaign. There was increase in wildlife population and this led to the eviction of pastoralists by then the British colonial government. The led to creation of Game Reserve North of Lake George in 1906.

In 1912, the entire Ishasha and Lake George area was declared as restricted areas. On 31^st March, 1952, the now Queen Elizabeth National Park was gazetted as Kazinga National Park. The land area of the protected area was expanded encompassing the Eastern Lake Edward and Kazinga Channel.

Tourist Attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

A hippo enjoying the waters of Kazinga channel

Wildlife

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the leading wildlife destination, a home to over 95 species of mammals, reptiles and more. Some of the interesting wildlife inhabited in this park include elephants, giant forest hogs, Uganda Kobs, waterbucks, hippos, buffaloes, lions, duikers, reedbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, hyenas, crocodiles, etc.

Tree climbing lions are a few unusual creatures that make Queen Elizabeth National Park a special wildlife safari destination. These exist in the Ishasha sector, the Southern side of the park.

Birds

Birds of Queen Elizabeth National Park total up to 620 bird species, these include resident and migratory birds. The birds to see on Queen Elizabeth Park birding tour: palm nut vultures, brown backed scrub robin, flappet lark, pink backed pelicans, pygmy kingfishers, slender tailed nightjars, black lored babblers, hooded vulture, grey backed fiscal, black bellied bustards, sitting cisticola, blue napped mousebird, black crowned tchagra, scarlet chested sunbirds, papyrus canary, rufous bellied heron, Heuglin’s gull;

Other bird sightings to expect at Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western banded snake eagle, papyrus gonoleks, spotted redshanks, collared pratincole, Caspian plovers, white throated cuckoos, martial eagles, flamingo and more.

Safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Game drive

Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park introduces you into the wild to encounter the African big game. 3-4 hours on Queen Elizabeth National Park game drive comes with incredible sightings such as elephants, cape buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, hyenas, giant forest hogs, birds and more.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth NP are carried out in the Northern game tracks- Kasenyi Plains. You can go enjoy the morning game viewing starting at 6:00am or afternoon game drive.

Birding

Plenty of birds await you to spot in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They include among others the martial eagle, grey headed kingfishers, African skimmers, verreaux’s eagle, grey headed kingfishers, shoebill stork, papyrus canary, sedge warblers, long tailed cormorants, papyrus gonoleks, white winged warblers, black bee-eaters, swamp flycatchers, slender billed stork, black rumped buttonquail, Chapin’s flycatchers, African mourning dove, African beautiful black headed gonolek etc.

Boat cruise

Launch trip is always arranged at Kazinga Channel. Tourists enjoy 2-3 hours of navigating in a classic boat on Kazinga channel, a natural channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward.

On a boat trip, the likely sightings include hippos, crocodiles, aquatic birds and more. The aquatic bird life to identify include swamp flycatchers, African fish eagles, squacco heron, papyrus canary, long tailed cormorants and more.

Tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector

Lion tracking experience

Lion tracking is entirely a research activity. It involves close observation of the lions, their daily behaviors. You track the lions using device such as radiation trackers to keep monitoring their movements.

Chimpanzee tracking Kyambura Gorge

Kyambura Gorge is the best place to track chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. The gorge is 100m deep, 500m wide featuring a verdant rain-forest where different primates, birds all live including chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and more. Birds such as martial eagle, squacco heron, verreaux’s eagle owl, etc.

Forest walks

Nature lovers can also have the best of Maramagambo Forest while on a forest walk or nature walk. In Maramagambo Forest, enjoy incredible sights of primates including L’hoest’s monkeys, bush babies, vervet, red-tailed monkeys and others.

Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is open to visitors at any time of the month or day. The park enjoys favorable weather climatic conditions, though the dry season is more preferable: June to September & December to February.

Places to stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

There is a long list of comfortable accommodation choices; budget, midrange and luxury in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They include Elephant Plains Lodge, Twin Lakes Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Elephant Hub, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Katara Lodge, Simba Safari Lodge and more.

How to get there.

Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park located in Western Uganda is possible by road, about 7-8 hours’ drive from Kampala via Fort Portal or via Mbarara – Bushenyi route.

By flight, take 60 minutes on scheduled / chartered flight from Entebbe Airport to Kasese, Ishasha or Mweya airstrips.

Sándor Jakubinyi

14:31 22 Feb 24

2019 megigazulás

12:45 21 Feb 24

We went on a two-week trip with my family, organised by Coleb from Standard Safaris.I had my concerns about organised trips, but this one didn’t justify any of those. Everything went very smoothly, even when some problems arose with one of the cars it got fixed by next morning, the accomodations were clean and comfortable, the programs were exciting and well-balanced - everything was done to a truly high standard.If you plan to visit Uganda and are looking for a guide, I warmly recommend Coleb and his team. In case you have a choice of drivers, go for Godwin, his presence made this trip even more enjoyable - cheerful, helpful, good sense of humour, generally a great person. Just look for the guy with a big smile and big heart:)

Bert Simoens

09:38 08 Jan 24

We recently embarked on a safari adventure with Standard Safaris in Uganda, which was truly exceptional. Our guide, Yonah, was outstanding - his kindness, knowledge, and discretion significantly enhanced our experience. He was the heart of our trip.The local company's planning was offering a tailor-made journey that matched our interests. We saw an array of wildlife in Murchison, enjoyed rafting at Jinja, and experienced mountain biking at Sipi. A visit to Kidepo National Park was a highlight and comes highly recommended.The vehicle provided was comfortable and reliable. We highly recommend Standard Safaris for anyone seeking an unforgettable safari in Uganda. Their professionalism and the exceptional guidance of staff like Yonah make them an great choice.

Michał Kostrzewa

00:41 15 Nov 23

We are all extremely grateful Standard Safaris for an incredible East Africa experience. I recently booked a custom trip for group of 8 people, including an 8-year-old boy, from Kampala through Queen Elizabeth National Park and on to Rwanda and Burundi. Coleb delivered on everything that was discussed and agreed upon beforehand.The car provided was in great condition and our driver Meddy went above and beyond to make sure we were comfortable, informed, and had the best possible time. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. All local services were inlcuded in (reasonable) price that we agreed, so there was no need to worry about payments during the 6 day trip. Also Standard Safaris agreed took care about safety and security by helping us organize armed ranger while in the park.The whole trip was hassle-free and smooth. We saw amazing wildlife in Queen Elizabeth NP, took in the sights of Rwanda and Burundi, and made lifelong memories.I would happily book with Standard Safaris again in a heartbeat and recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone looking for the best East Africa trip. They provide top-notch service while ensuring you have an incredible, customized experience. If you want a hassle-free, flawlessly organized African adventure, Standard Safaris is the tour operator to book with.

Ivan Nammanda

18:31 27 Oct 23

Very organized travel operator who chose awesome guide to make our trip wonderful.We booked a nine days trip with Standard Safaris and all was perfect from start to finish. Coleb was very prompt at replying and easy to liaise with ahead of the trip. We had done a lot of research and had an itinerary in mind and Coleb helped us to put everything together to make this happen for a very reasonable price.  On the trip we had a private vehicle for the whole tour which was exactly what we wanted. Bryan was our driver and an amazing guide - really friendly and knowledgable, working hard to find the things that we wanted to see and quickly understanding what was of interest to us/how much information to give.Would highly recommend a trip to Uganda with Standard Safaris. We are definitely coming back soon!

MUGAIGA KENNETH

18:01 27 Oct 23

The company has very courteous tour guides with wide knowledge of fauna and frola in the whole of East Africa.The choice of safari Lodges is good with first class treatment.Game drive security is assured.Almost The whole of September I was traversing through DRC, Uganda,and Rwanda on a gorilla tour and wildlife expedition.Everything was arranged and booked perfectly by Standard Safaris.The owner, Coleb was always helpful whenever we needed to ask questions about this gorilla safari in Uganda and beyond.It was a complex expedition but Standard safaris and Coleb made it look amazingly easy.I’ll recommend Standard safaris 200%, for all gorilla safaris in Uganda, Rwanda and wildlife tours in east africa.

travel uganda

16:35 27 Oct 23

This is so far the best gorilla trekking company in Uganda, and africa, by far. I had a wonderful time with Standard Safaris as a solo traveler.My guide was excellent and our safari planner, Coleb was quick with responses and the prices were very friendly.I’ll definitely book with Standard safaris on my next gorilla tour in Rwanda and Uganda.