Queen Elizabeth National Park has an amazing history that is worth exploring while on safari in western Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park occupies an area that formerly served as a grazing area for the local Basongora pastoralists. At the time H.M.Stanley and Captain FD Lugard-the British explorers paid a visit to this area towards the end of last century; they reported the area to have become depopulated due to cattle raiding from Bunyoro and Buganda. Epidemics like small pox and render pests also contributed to reduction in cattle around Queen Elizabeth National Park area. They were forced to turn into fishing as a way of earning a living. At the end, the Basongora left and allowed wildlife and vegetation began to grow.
In 1906, the region in the northern Lake George was declared a game reserve to help control what uncontrolled hunting by Africans and Europeans as well as the increasing pressure for development of cotton and wheat growing.
By 1912, Lake George and Ishasha area were became controlled or restricted areas. Adjacent local communities that engaged in fishing and farming, left the area and transferred to other places. Outbreak of diseases including sleeping sickness was experienced till 1930. The National Park Ordinance was passed on 31st/3/1952 and Queen Elizabeth National Park then formerly Kazinga National Park was officially gazetted following the intense lobbying by the Chief Game Warden at the time-Bruce Kinloch and the Governor. Because of this, the land area conserved within Lake George Game Reserve region was extended to cover parts of eastern Lake Edward and Kazinga Channel.
By 1952, Queen Elizabeth National Park was gazetted as national park but at the time, it was called Kazinga National Park. After 2 years, its name changed to Queen Elizabeth National Park when it was named after Queen Elizabeth the second.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda approximately 420 kilometers away from Kampala capital city and bordered by Kasese, Bushenyi, Rubirizi, Rukungiri and Kamwenge districts. It derived its name from the Queen England the second. Today, Queen Elizabeth national Park is a home to 95 mammal species including African elephants, lions, leopards, hippos, chimpanzees, antelopes and others, over 620 bird species. Other unique tourist attractions to explore in Queen Elizabeth National Park include Lake George an area with papyrus swamps and home to sitatunga antelope, explosion craters, Katwe salt lake, Kasenyi track, Mweya Peninsular, Kazinga Channel, Kyambura gorge, Maramagambo Forest a mention but a few.