QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
When founded in 1952 the park was known as Kazinga National Park. 2 years later the name was changed following a visit from the UK’s current monarch Queen Elizabeth II. Today the park covers an area of almost 2000 square kilometers offers an incredible variety of landscape, from savanna to forests to an ancient volcanic landscape comprised of cones and craters, with 2 big lakes - Lake Albert and Lake, which are connected by the Kazinga Channel.
Wildlife
Hidden amongst these landscapes are about 100 different mammal species including leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, chimpanzee, black-and-white colobus monkey, hippo, crocodile, waterbuck, topi, warthog, giant forest hog and the Ugandan Kob, a light brown antelope that is endemic to this area. A highlight is the tree-climbing lions within the southern Ishasha sector of the park, which also sport black manes, a genetic anamoly unique to Queen Elizabeth Park.
As the whole of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth national Park is just another birders paradise, with about 600 different bird species to be found. Look out for martial eagle, great flamingo, pink-backed pelican, shoebill stork, African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, black-rumped buttonquail, and papyrus canary.
Activities
The different landscapes and huge animal variety suggests that there is also a great selection of safari activities - in addition to game drives, you can also do river cruises along the Kazinga Channel, maneuvering between pods of playful hippos and menacing crocodiles, chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura Gorge and hot air ballooning.
Wildlife
Hidden amongst these landscapes are about 100 different mammal species including leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, chimpanzee, black-and-white colobus monkey, hippo, crocodile, waterbuck, topi, warthog, giant forest hog and the Ugandan Kob, a light brown antelope that is endemic to this area. A highlight is the tree-climbing lions within the southern Ishasha sector of the park, which also sport black manes, a genetic anamoly unique to Queen Elizabeth Park.
As the whole of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth national Park is just another birders paradise, with about 600 different bird species to be found. Look out for martial eagle, great flamingo, pink-backed pelican, shoebill stork, African skimmer, Chapin’s flycatcher, black-rumped buttonquail, and papyrus canary.
Activities
The different landscapes and huge animal variety suggests that there is also a great selection of safari activities - in addition to game drives, you can also do river cruises along the Kazinga Channel, maneuvering between pods of playful hippos and menacing crocodiles, chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura Gorge and hot air ballooning.
WHERE TO STAY
From our visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park, we have first-hand knowledge of the lodges and below you can find the ones we most commonly use. Those lodges include mainly our favourites sorted from low-key to deluxe, which are usually smaller lodges with very personalised service, but also some bigger places, if they are still part of the best options available. Open, close, then open each tab again to display the images of each lodge fully.
Elephant Plains Lodge - outside the park
katara lodge - outside the park
mweya lodge - inside the park
ishaSha wilderness lodge - inside the park
kyambura gorge lodge - outside the park
|
To see some itinerary suggestions or request a bespoke itinerary including Queen Elizabeth National Park, please click below.