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6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda: With abundance of wildlife and birders within the borders of Queen Elizabeth National Park, there is so much to see and do in this popular Uganda National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most biodiverse park in Uganda, and it is the second largest. Initially named Kazinga National Park, the park was later renamed in 1952 in honor of Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her first visit to Uganda with Prince Phillip.

Any safari to Uganda should include a visit to this incredible game park, mot only to see the varied wildlife but also to enjoy the varied and beautiful landscapes.

6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Elephants drinking water along Kazinga Channel

6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Let’s take a look at the most popular and rewarding activities on offer within Queen Elizabeth National Park.

  1. Visit the Explosion Craters

A journey to the Explosion Craters is a scenery fest, these volcanic craters exist because Queen Elizabeth National Park sits within the famous Albertine Rift, a seismically active region. Some are now covered in vegetation, while others are filled with water.

One of the beautiful crater lakes to visit is Lake Katwe, the lake sits in one of the Explosion Craters and has been mined for salt for centuries. Salt farms still exist there today, and decorate the rim of the lake. It is fascinating to learn about the history of this region and it is highly prized salt mines.

  1. Go on a game drive on Kasenyi Plains

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best places in Uganda for game drives, the Kasenyi Plains in the northeast of the park an especially popular part of the park for animal spotting as you can find a dazzling abundance of game spread out in a relatively plain view here.

Some of the most notable creatures in the bushy plains regions are lions, elephants, leopards, spotted hyenas, side-stripped jackals, buffaloes, Ugandan kobs, bushbucks, topis and Defassa waterbucks.

During game drive in Kasenyi Plains, have a rest stop at Bunyampaka Lake. This lake is a traditional salt mine site just like Lake Katwe. There are also cold drinks and handicrafts on sale at several kiosks.

  1. Do a boat safari on Kazinga Channel

Going on a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel is another must do activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is a real adventure to be able to enjoy animal-spotting from the water and allows to see different animals upclose.

The Kazinga Channel cuts across the game park, linking Lake Edward in the Southwest with Lake George in the northeast. This natural water channel allows water from larger, much deeper Lake Edward to flow into the smaller, very shallow Lake George. The marshes around Lake George are a Ramsar Wetland.

6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

Most visitors who head out on a Kazinga Channel boat cruise spot many hippos, elephants, buffaloes and Nile Crocodiles. Also, you see plenty of wetlands, like flamingoes, pelicans, herons, storks, skimmers and kingfishers.

  1. Go Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambura Gorge

The Kyambura Gorge is an amazing place to track chimpanzees in Uganda as well Queen Elizabeth National Park, the gorge is yet another special ecosystem within the park, and is home to a troop of chimpanzees.

Visitors can go on a guided hike into the forested gorge as part of an exciting chimpanzee trekking experience, as there is only the one troop of chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, it is not guaranteed that your will see them on the hike. (We generally advise visiting Kibale Forest National Park just to the northwest of Queen Elizabeth National Park for a more reliable chimpanzee tracking experience).

6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge

Chimpanzee tracking hikes in Kyambura Gorge take place in the morning and generally last two to three hours, you will descend into the gorge and cross the Kyambura River at various points over log bridges. If you are lucky, you will hopefully see the chimpanzees effortlessly gliding through the branches above you. During the hike, your guide will fill you in on all sorts of fascinating details about the chimpanzees and their habitat.

Of course, be on a lookout for other wildlife besides the chimpanzees. There are also other primates living in the gorge, namely olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys and black and white colobus monkeys. Other wildlife living in the gorge include striped jackals, giant forest hogs, waterbucks and jackals.

  1. Go on a nature walk in Maramagambo Forest

The Maramagambo Forest is one of the sections of Queen Elizabeth National Park and one of the best way to explore it is on a guided walk, the walk ranges from two to six hours. Also there are two crater lakes on the edge of the rainforest which you can view on certain routes.

The forest is home to various primates namely vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys and L’Hoest’s monkeys.

In addition to primates, Maramagambo Forest has a cave filled with bats which visitors can view from a little distance. You could also potentially spot one of the pythons that like to visit the cave hoping for a bat meal. There are two nocturnal species living in the forest, bush babies and pottos monkeys.

You can go on a guided night walk in the forest, so if you are keen to see these nocturnal treasures, be sure to book your spot on one of these guided nature walk.

  1. Look for tree-climbing lions in Ishasha Sector

Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha Sector found in the Southern region, the region is famous for being one of the few places in the world where lions that like to climb trees and lounge can be seen. There are a few theories for why they do this, including the desire to escape insects and the heat.

For whatever reason, it is a real treat to see a lion or more draped over the branches of a tree! They particularly like to climb and rest in fig, acacia and candelabra trees.

Tree Climbing lion in Ishasha Sector

On a Uganda safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is important to note that the region where the lions climb trees, Ishasha Sector is in the extreme south of the park. This is a very remote area, and it takes around three hours to drive there from Mweya. Given that most visitors would have already seen lions on Kasenyi Plains, and that you cannot of course even be guaranteed to find any tree-climbing lions on the day you visit.

In conclusion: the 6 Unmissable Things to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park are not only things you will can do while on a Uganda, there are so much more to do. 

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