Accommodation Facilities In Queen Elizabeth National Park

There are variety of accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth National Park, You may decide to overnight with in the park or on the outskirts as long as you can safely rise up to go for early morning game drives.  When booking a uganda safari to Queen Elizabeth National park, selecting a lodge with great views of the park is a fabulous choice.

All lodge plans ranging from Luxury, midrange and budget facilities are available in the northern sector or the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. whether you are travelling solo, in a group or as family around the park are many loges, campsites, and hostels where one can rest after the long day to or from the different activities in the park.

The costs of accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park varies with the services provided like most luxury facilities offer full board services, while some budget facilities offer bed and breakfast only. A restaurant is at Mweya peninsular for other meal plans for those staying within Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The Average Cost for accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National park is
Up market/ luxury cost 190US$ and above

Midrange/ moderate 75US$ -185US$

 Budget lodges 35-70 US$

Or shoestring below 35US$

Mweya Safari lodge (up market)

This five-star accommodation facility lies close to the main administrative center of Queen Elizabeth National park. The lodge is located within the heart of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Mweya lodge offers access to delicious food, gardens a bar and classic rooms.

From its compound you and rooms you have stunning views of Kazinga channel where lots of hippos, crocodiles love to show off. You may also watch from the comfort of your lodge other animals like herds of buffaloes or elephants getting down to quench thirst or take a bath.

You can book single rooms, double, twin room or presidential suite as you wish.

Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge (up market)

This up market lodge is composed of 12 bandas overlooking the southern Kazinga Channel of Queen Elizabeth National Park. To blend with nature, there architecture is crafted from natural material and canvas.  Each room is elevated above with ground by a wooden platform.

The lodge also offers 2 Self-contained tents and 10 non self-contained tents under a grass thatched roof. There is sharing bathroom and facilities but during the night you are advised not to step outside your room. If you do so you may become the day’s meal for the carnivores.

Bush lodge can be reached from the main road and if you’re in for Kasenyi game drive it’s easier to access

Ishasha Wilderness camp

Ishasha Wilderness Camp is located in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National park with its front washed by River Ntungwe. This upscale lodge lies amongst huge trees that cover up this area. It is a modern tented camp nesting in the wilderness of a biosphere reserve.

Sometimes lions pay a visit and spend some time in the surrounding trees. Different monkeys love the treat from the trees close to the camp. Some of the monkeys you may get to see include vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus and so many others.  It’s a great overnight choice if you wish to do game drives in the southern sector of the park. The lodge has a great dining area where tourists enjoy their meals at while listening to grumbling water of River Ntungwe.

Ishasha Ntugwe river camp (mid range)

This lodge lies in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The costs of this facility are quite affordable with great lodge services. The and closer to Ishasha entrance with about five tents and excellent meals. The lodge offers self-contained rooms with great views of Ntungwe River. ‘

The lodge lies close to the Ishasha sector tracks that are known for possessing tree climbing lions that love pausing in the figs to spot there next prey.

Its compound is regularly visited by elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, leopards, water bucks, bush bucks to mention but a few.

As the day goes by several birds love spending some time in the compounds of the lodge like Grey Capped warbler, Sun birds, Fish Eagle to mention but a few.

Kingfisher lodge (mid range)

A very spacious mid-range lodge with a good visual impression too as it appears as a fortified mountain. It is also conveniently located about 40minutes drive away from park headquarters.  The lodge rooms were constructed from local material and modern touch of stone applied too. You can enjoy a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National park early morning or late evening.

The rooms in the lodge are spacious within built bathrooms and toilets that are ecofriendly. From its compound you watch wild animals enjoy the freebies of the park.

Katara lodge (up market)

Katara Lodge is an eco-friendly lodge located on the Kichwamba escarpment. This lodge has 8 grass thatched cottages, with cool breeze and great view of stars at night. it’s awesome especially for big groups and families. The lodge has a swimming pool facility with salty water that acts as a natural disinfectant. For lighting the lodge solar power is used even with heating water.

From the Katunguru gate of Queen Elizabeth National Park Katara lodge is 16 km away. You can plan to do activities like game drives, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge, visit Kazinga channel and so much more.

Jacana Safari Geo lodges (up market)

Jacana lodge is an upscale accommodation facility with in the forested area of Queen Elizabeth National park. Its architecture is a mixture of traditional and modern materials. The lodge offers great views Queen Elizabeth National Park especially the Maramagambo forest. Monkeys usually hangout in the trees surrounding the lodge.

The lodge has great views of double private suits with a private veranda overlooking the floor of the rift valley. Jacana lodge has a great bar and restaurant while one is relaxing there is a range of primates and birds observed.

On a hot sunny day you can lay by the poolside although rooms are aerated by the cool breeze from the surrounding trees.

Hotel Margheritah (mid range)

This midrange facility is located on the outskirts of Queen Elizabeth National park. It lies close to Kilembe road with a perfect view of the Rwenzori mountains
It is comfortable and accessible through Kasese. You can visit the Kilembe mines golf club when staying at this lodge which is about half hour away.

Virina gardens (budget)

This selective setup of thatched bands with green grass around where visitors relax. Twined rooms and shared wash rooms in addition bread and breakfast is present.

White house (shoe string)

Budget facility close to Queen Elizabeth National park. although not located in the park, It is just a limited time taken to drive and enjoy a game drive in the park. Very affordable comfortable lodge with a decent bar and restaurant.

Simba safari Camp( Budget)

Is situated Queen Elizabeth National park overlooking Lake Kikorongo.  From this lodge you can easily get to Kasenyi plains. It quicker to get to Kazinga channel and Mweya main administrative center from this lodge. The lodge has over 70 bed inclusive of a family cottage, twin rooms and dormitories.

Bush Lodge

This well placed accommodation facility in Queen Elizabeth National Park has 12 self-contained bandas. Each banda occupies enough space to provide privacy to those occupying it.

The inside is specious with ensuite bathrooms, flash toilet and well aerated to give a great resting holiday feeling. Bush Lodge also has none self-contained tents under a grass thatched roof.

Activities To Do In Queen Elizabeth National park

Game Drives

Queen Elizabeth National park is home to variety of wild animals both on land and aquatic life. This is awed to different vegetation zones that make it favorable for these animals to thrive. The Park has forest grassland, bushy grassland, Acacia woodland and Lake shore vegetation. All this support different wild animals

Some of the animal you may get to see include lions, leopards, water bucks, bush bucks, warthogs, topis, elephants, cape buffaloes, a plethora of birds to mention but a few.

By driving through different track like the crater lakes track, you enjoy great views of crater lakes both dry and wet. Some of the most outstanding are Lake Nyamunuka with a putrid smell, Blue lake which is copper rich, Lake Katwe the ancient salt mining industry of Uganda.

Chimpanzee trekking

Kyambura gorge is the main chimpanzee trekking point of Queen Elizabeth National Park. This gorge results from Kyambura river that flows at the floor of the rift valley to Kazinga channel. A number of chimpanzee live and enjoy the day with the trees in this gorge. You must carry hiking materials especially during the wet season when the slopes are slippery.

Book a chimpanzee trekking permit for Kyambura gorge before taking part.

Forest walk in Maramagambo Forest

Taking a walk in this tropical natural forest is exciting as you get to see a number of monkeys like blue monkeys, grey cheeked mangabey, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus, bush babies and so many other. The rich birdlife that enjoys the forest treats is unbelievable.

Tails explore the forest around lake Nyamusingire. You can visit the bat cave where a huge python for years is lucky to be feeding on these bats.

Launch trip on Kazinga Channel

The highlight of activities in Queen Elizabeth National park is a launch trip on Kazinga channel. It starts from the pier just below the Mweya peninsular taking about 3 hours. During this trip, you may get to see wild animals that come down to quench thirst and others take a bath. The regular suspects are the hippos and crocodiles.

 You may get to see animals like lions, leopards, herd of elephants, cape buffaloes to mention but a few. A number of birds grace the shores of the channel including Kingfisher, African skimmers, greater and lesser flamingos, Egyptian geese, yellow –backed and lesser Masked Canary and others.

Birding In Queen Elizabeth National park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is a remarkable birding destination in Uganda because of the abundant habitats. This remarkable diversity is reflected in its bird list of over 605 species the largest of any protected area in Africa. At the shore of Kazinga channel is a bird magnet that attracts domestic and foreign birds that fly from as far as Europe.

You may get to spot birds like African skimmer, Papyrus Canary, Red-chested Sunbird Slendee-billed, Gabon and Slender tailed, Temminck’s Courser, Collared Pratincole and Red-capped Lark to mention but a few.

Scenic Viewing In Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National park has great views for taking wildlife photos. In case you want a photoshoot in the wild this is the best place to select. You can spend time at the Queen’s pavilion where the fallen Queen Elizabeth II held a meeting with local leaders of Uganda.

Katwe Salt Explosive Crater

Visiting the ancient salt mining industry of Uganda is amazing as you get to see locals extracting salt from the pans. You can follow a winding road for about 27 km in the crater drive between the main and Equator gate.

How To Get To Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kampala to Mbarara to Queen Elizabeth National Park

This is the southern on land route you can take from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park for about 420 km.

Kampala to Fort Portal to Queen Elizabeth National Park

This is the northern route from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National park taking about 410 km.

Both route can form a circuit in case you wish to use both either by arrival or Departure for your Uganda safari to this park.

Buhoma to Queen Elizabeth National park

In case you have gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park on your itinerary, you can use this route. to get to Mweya the main administrative center of the park from Buhoma, it takes about 160 km or 64 km from Ishasha sector.

Flights

Daily domestic flights from Kajjansi air strip and Entebbe Airport land in Kasese Air strip. You need a transfer vehicle to your lodge.

Please contact us for more information and don’t forget to check out our trip advisor.