Queen Elizabeth National Park
Few reserves in the world boast such great biodiversity as Queen Elizabeth National Park. The landscape comprised of savannah, bushland, wetlands, forest, rivers and lakes. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to almost 100 species of mammals. Wildlife species include elephants, Ugandan Kob, hyenas, hippos, and lions. The park is divided into various sectors. Outside these sectors the wildlife is not as prolific. The Mweya Sector in the north is particularly renowned for boat safaris on the Kazinga Channel. While, the Ishasha sector in the south known for its savanna wildlife, and tree-climbing lions. In the northeast, the Kyambura Gorge is a good destination for chimpanzee trekking.
highlights
Game Drives in Mweya
Game drives in the Mweya Sector, around Kazinga and the Kasenyi Plains are renowned for concentrations of wildlife, including waterbuck, elephant, hippos and lions. Leopards and Giant Forest Hogs are also regularly seen in this area.
Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha
In the south, Ishasha is a considerable wilderness area. Ishasha gets much less traffic than Mweya. The tall grasses and limited road network make wildlife viewing more challenging. The area famous for tree-climbing lions preferring to spend hot days in the large fig trees of the area. The swamp areas around Lake Edward are also good to spot the rare shoebill storks.
Kazinga Channel Boat Trips
The Kazinga Channel connects Lake Edward and Lake George in the Mweya Sector. The channel is one of the real highlights of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The channel provides a great opportunity to relax and watch the animal herds come down to the river. Enjoy observing the hippos in the water, and a chance to see a wide variety of birds.
Kyambura Gorge Chimpanzee Trekking
Maramagambo Forest Walks
The ironwood Maramagambo Forest is one of the largest semi-deciduous forests in Uganda. There are many trails and walks that can guests take through the forest. The most popular of which is a visit to the Bat Caves, where thousands of fruit bats roost every day.
Katwe Explosion Craters
The Katwe Explosion Craters are a cluster of 10 crater lakes formed by extinct volcanoes. The 27km Crater Drive is a great way to explore these lakes and the scenery and views across the park and into the neighboring Virunga Mountains of DR Congo are breathtaking.
Best time to visit
The drier months from June to September and January to February is the best time for wildlife viewing and chimpanzee trekking. Temperatures are usually warm. Daytime temperatures are usually about 28°C/82°F and drop to about 15°C/59°F at night. The wet/ rainy season is the months of March, April, May, October, and November. These are not the ideal months for chimpanzee trekking as the trails and roads are slippery and impassable. But the forest is lush and green and these the best months to go a bird watching in the park.
