Safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park are mainly related to game safaris in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park is situated on the floor of the Albertine rift valley at the foot of the Rwenzori ranges that form mountains beyond park boundaries but also offers scenic beauty. The park is surrounded by valley the rift valley escarpments, Lake Edward and lake George. Queen Elizabeth National Park occupies an area of about 1987 square kilometers.

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While in Queen Elizabeth National Park some of the unmissable safari activities include game drive, birding, launch trips, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge, forest walks and others.

The range of safari activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park is attributed to its varied habitats including the 40 kilometers long Kazinga channel, acacia woodland, open Savannah, vast wet land, closed forest and others.

Daglas Willocks was mescimerised by the biodiversity of Queen Elizabeth National Park and described the features that led to it creation in 1952.

What to Do on Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a safe habitant to a number of wild animals some of which you may get chance to see during a game drive on the tracks of this park. By taking the Kasenyi grassland plains you may open better chance of finding prides of lions that prey on the Uganda kobs that are common residents of this area. The northern Kazinga channel area is one of the prime game viewing spots in the park. 

During the game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park some of the notable wild animals you may spot include, herds of elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, hyenas, lions, leopards and others. A game drive in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park may give you the opportunity to spot the tree climbing lions that love spending time in the large fig trees.

Visit the Edward flats in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park may be that opportunity to see topis, during the hot seasons, you may find a number of animals wallowing in its mud.

The launch trip on Kazinga channel

Kazinga channel is the link between lake Edwards and Lake George but is the prime game viewing spot in Queen Elizabeth National Park as animals from across the plains in the park visit this spot to quench thirst and enjoy a bath to cool off the day’s heat. This 2 to 3 hours return trip on Kazinga channel starts from the Mweya peninsula to lake Edward.

From the launch you may spot on the shoreline a number of Nile crocodiles and multitudes hippos that call this channel home, a plethora of birds flock the channel daily including foreign migrants that fly from as far as Europe, herds of elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks and others are regular visitors here.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kyambura Gorge is a result of the erosion of River Kyambura as it made its way towards Kazinga channel and this gorge is about 100 meters deep. The chimpanzee trekking experience in Kyambura gorge is quite strenuous where you have to hike in order to get to where these primates may be spending their day.

On the way, you may spot other primates that live in this forested area include olive baboons, vervet monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, black and white colobus and others. A number of forest birds also find home in Kyambura Gorge forested area.

 There are two chimpanzee trekking sessions in Kyambura gorge that is morning and afternoon session.

Crater Lakes Drive In Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is punctuated by a number of crater lakes resulting from Volcanic actions in this area. The 27 kilometers long crater lakes drive winds through a scenic cluster of extinct volcanic craters. Some are dry craters while others are filled with water. Some of the outstanding craters of Queen Elizabeth National Park including lake Nyamunuka with a putrid smell of rotten eggs, blue copper lake close to Maramagambo forestland others. Sometimes flamingoes’ may be spotted around the craters adjacent to  Kyambura Wildlife Reserve.

Forest walks in Maramagambo Forest of Queen Elizabeth National Park

A guided forest walk in Maramagambo one of the few still surviving natural forests in Uganda is refreshing. During the forest walk on the trails within this forest, you may spot a number of primates including blue monkeys, black and white colobus, grey cheeked mangabey, olive baboons and others. A number of birds may be spotted wandering in the forest includes Albertine rift endemics.

The trails explore the forest around Lake Nyamusingire where you may get the chance to spot some wild animals that are common to this area. Visit the Bat cave where multitudes of bats roost during the day and emerge from there as day time gives way to night to take charge.

Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park

More than 612 bird species have been identified as residents of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The chances of finding birds in this Park Range from easy water birds sightings while on the launch trip to those you may find in Maramagambo forest. Some of the birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park include papyrus gonolek, African fish Eagles, shoebills, great blue Turaco, African fin foot, African eagles, Egyptian geese, greater and lesser flamingos and others.

Scenic Viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park

When at Mweya peninsular, you get to enjoy the stunning view of Queen Elizabeth National Park that spreads on the floor of the rift valley. While standing at the baboon platform, you get to watch out for the different features that make up the stunning scenery of this park including the view of the blue Rwenzori that explodes from the floor of the rift valley plains and overlooking the park . When looking in certain lights you may imagine as if it is just an arms stretch to reach out and touch the jagged ranges.

Katwe Salt Lake Visit

A vist to the Katwe salt lake is a moment to see the ancient industry in Uganda. The salt mining in this lake is carried out using rudimentary tools in pans. The salt is obtained by evaporation method and dried. The buyers from different parts of Uganda and her surroundings normally get the chance to purchase this salt.

When is the best time to do a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The dry season is the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park even though the park is open all year. The vegetation of Queen Elizabeth National Park is lower in the dry season providing better visibility of the different wild animals and beauties around the park. 

The dry season too is the high tourism season of Uganda that is June to October and December to February so more tourists normally visit the park. While on a game drive in this park, you get to meet other safari vehicles with tourists however the number are not overwhelmed to obstruct your visibility.

Demand for logistics that support safaris in Uganda is high in the peak season so it is safer to reserve all the necessary amenities for this Uganda safari in advance including accommodations, transport and others.

The wet season is not to be ignored when planning to do a Uganda safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park because it also has its highlights. The wet season which is normally March to May and November is not bad time to so a safari in the park as this may be the chance to witness a big number of infants as there is plenty of food to support the growing population . even the carnivore mothers find the wet season a comfortable season for giving birth since they can hide there infants in some of the covered locations

Those with a limited budget may take advantage of the wet season which is normally the low season in Uganda to do a safari. There are chances of bargaining for discounts on amenities that support safaris including transport, accommodation and others.

How much is the cost of a safari To Queen Elizabeth National Park

The cost of safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park depends in the activities within the park that you wish to be part of. The safari packages for Queen Elizabeth National Park are divided into Luxury, mid-range and basic but with each, tourists must be pay park entrance fees which is compulsory. 

Currently the cost of Park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth National Park is $40 per person per 24 hours from the time of entry into the park. For those destined to do chimpanzee trekking safari in Kyambura gorge, the current costs of chimpanzee trekking permits in Uganda are $100 for international nonresidents, $80 for International residents and 50,000shs for East Africans.

For a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, one needs to book the necessary logistics including accommodations, transport and others.

Carry some hard cash to use for on ground purchases because credit cards are not so much used in Africa because of the lengthy process of collecting money from them.

How Get To Queen Elizabeth National Park

From Kampala, the drive to Queen National Park is about 6 to 7 hours and you may use the northern route which is via fort Porta highway at 410 kilometers or southern route which is via Mbarara at 420 kilometers. The roads are quite bumpy so do not expect a smooth ride. You may make an optional stop over at Kayabwe for a photo standing on both sides of the equator at the same time but this the when you take the southern route. At the northern route, an optional stop at the Nayima mythical tree makes a break in the journey. 

Scheduled daily and charter domestic flights from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Kasese airstrip are available on request.

What Accommodation To Book For A Safari In Queen Elizabeth National Park

Accommodations to book for a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park are categorized into luxury, mid-range and basic. Some of the accommodations for Queen Elizabeth National Park include Mweya safari lodge, Bush lodge, Katara lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Jacana lodge, UWA Hostels, Simba safari Camp, Elephants Plain lodge.

When booking accommodations for Queen Elizabeth National Park, ensure you find out the inclusions and exclusions in the cost of the entire package in order to plan accordingly.

Is Queen Elizabeth National Park Safe For Doing Safaris

Queen Elizabeth National Park is safe to visit for a safari because on ground is a well trained team of ranger guides who routinely patrol the Park premises to ensure that it is safe for its inhabitants and visitors. There are guidelines that every tourist is expected to follow when on a visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park and these are aimed at keeping safe the inhabitants and visitors.

As a tourist, security while in Queen Elizabeth National Park starts with you so ensure never to walk in the park because it has predators. Do not make noise in the night that may alert nocturnals about your presence. Ensure never to travel along with the precious belongings that you may be afraid to loose in the jungle.

Do not step out of your vehicle while on game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park unless in the company of an armed ranger guide because you do not know what may be watching.

Is The Safari In Queen Elizabeth National Park Worth the Money and Time

The safari experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park is worth taking because it is an opportunity to enjoy the view of the floor of the rift valley. The park has some notable points that speak loudly about the history of Uganda take an example of the Queen’ Pavillion, the presence of Lake Edward and George and others.

The biodiversity of Queen Elizabeth National Park cannot be ignored one that can only be seen in a few locations in the world. By pay park entrance fees, you contribute to the conservation fund that supports the existence of this park.

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