There are endless things to do in Queen Elizabeth national park. With boat trips on the 40 km Kazinga Channel, a meandering drive among spectacular volcanic craters, lion viewing on the Kasenyi Plains, chimpanzee tracking in the depths of Kyambura Gorge, walks into the dark depths of Maramagambo Forest and game drives beneath vast skies in the remote wilderness of Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park has plenty to interest any visitor.
WHAT TO DO:
A classic Uganda safari through the Queen Elizabeth National Park is packed with different adventure activities. Popular adventures include launch trips on the Kazinga Channel that offer great game viewing, as well as game drives around Mweya. Also available are chimp tracking in Kyambura Gorge and guided walks in Maramagambo Forest.
Game Drives
If you’re after a classic African safari experience, the trails through Kasenyi, the North Kazinga Plains and the Ishasha Sector offer virtually guaranteed buffalo, antelope and elephant sightings, along with warthogs and baboons. Taking an experienced guide is the most successful way to track down a pride of lions, and maybe even the odd leopard. Early morning and dusk are the best time for viewing animals, as they spend the daytime escaping from the heat under shady trees or in the park’s lakes and channels.
Game Drives – Kasenyi Plains and Mweya Sector
In the Mweya and Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park, visitors will find vast numbers of Uganda’s unique and strange Euphorbia, or “candelabra” tree. The many nearby crater lakes and mountain ranges provide a beautiful backdrop for your journey as you view the wildlife.
Game Drives – Ishasha Sector
In Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is a great place to visit for wildlife viewing and seeing the unique Tree climbing lions.
Launch Trips
Kazinga Channel is an oasis for the many fascinating species that inhabit the park. Taking this boat tour from Mweya to the mouth of Lake George gives visitors the chance to stand just a few meters from the hundreds of enormous hippos and buffaloes that spend their days cooling off in the water, while elephant families drink and bathe on the shoreline.
Visitors can hope to see an average of 60 bird species during the trip, from the saddle-billed storks with their colorful beaks to vivid malachite kingfishers and pairs of elegant fish eagles.
Nature Walks
Nature treks are one of the more active ways to explore the landscapes and wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Locations include the shady Maramagambo forest, with many bird species, a bat colony and the all-white Cormorant Tree – a resting place for cormorants and a cultural site for local people.
Experiential Tourism
Experiential tourism in Queen Elizabeth National Park is an activity that allows tourists to get up close with the wildlife species such as Lions, Mongooses and hippos through tracking them, and the results are added on the Rearchers’ databases.
Agritourism
The sweeping Kichwamba Escarpment makes up the eastern wall of the Western Rift Valley. This 2-3 hour tour begins in rural Kataara Village with a hike through the farms of the escarpment in the cool morning or early evening. Your expert local guide will point out beautiful bird species, exotic and medicinal plants and sites of cultural importance, as well as explaining local farming methods.
Cultural Tours
While on your Queen Elizabeth wildlife safari, you may choose to visit Lake Katwe and witness how the local communities are harnessing park resource to earn a living. It is also an indication why Queen Elizabeth National Park was voted as one of the Parks where wildlife co-exists with human beings. For those who want to visit the local communities, we have the Kasoga community experience project where the local community will share with you the hard experience of living near the park and how they have managed to co-exist peacefully with wildlife you will as well enjoy the cultural encounters and traditional dances.
Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge
Chimpanzee tracking is among the major activities done in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is done in Kyambura Gorge which is within the Park. Chimpanzee tracking is done in the morning and afternoon and we can book you the permits and organize this trek for you depending on the itinerary and timing of the activities. To participate in all mentioned activities, you will need more time to spend in Queen Elizabeth national Park and have a great memorable experience.
Birding
For those interested in Birding safari, Queen Elizabeth National Park is among Uganda’s best birding spots with over 600 bird species which include; Albertine rift endemic birds, water birds, and savannah birds, most of the birds can be spotted on the boat ride on Kazinga Channel and during game drives in the park.
Some of the Birds include, Collared pratincole, Palm-nut vulture, Pel’s fishing-owl, Rare Swamp flycatcher, Gray crowned crane(Uganda’s National bird), Giant Kingfisher, Giant Heron, Shoebill stork, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Nightjars, Marabou stork, Black headed lapwing, Back-bellied Bustard ,Swamp Fly catcher, Giant Heron, African Jacana, Secretary Bird among others.