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Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park

How to Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park: There are few protected areas in the world boasting such a high biodiversity as Queen Elizabeth National Park, situated in Uganda’s western region and covering an area of 1,978 square kilometers.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the largest protected areas in the country, and is the most famous protected area. Over 96 mammal species roam the park’s varied habitat, including a healthy population of hippos, Nile crocodiles, elephants, lions, leopards, chimpanzees, antelopes, giant forest hogs, and spotted hyenas. Just like the Lord of The Rings movie scene, the park boasts an enchanting African scenery. To the north, the blue Rwenzori Ranges explode from the plain, showing off a composite, jagged mass of mountains. The legendary mountains of the moon span sixty miles along and forty wide and look in certain lights as if you can reach out and touch them.

Across the beautiful Lake Edward to the west of the park, the Mitumba hills stand tall like a solider on guard on the DR.Congo Border. Blue is color in long sight, but closer to the hills are green, wooded, steep, unfriendly, epitomizing dark Africa.

Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park
Lion sighted in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Across the eastern boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the green rift valley escarpment, and between all the hills, mountains and lakes is the endless savannah plains. Its constantly repeated motif the branched cactus arms of the candelabra euphoria tree.

The next magnificent best thing in Queen Elizabeth National Park is the pattern of 72 explosion craters spread across the park, interlocking and overlapping like rings in a pond. Some look pretty tiny, others a mile or more across, allowing trout to grow freely.

In terms of animals, of course there is no shortage in Queen Elizabeth National Park, hippos in huge numbers wheeze and wallow, buffalos look like ochre animals. Lions easily climb fig trees and lay in branches all day in Ishasha Sector. Elephants freely roam the jungle like designated keepers. Topis graze in large herds under the eyes of lions in the trees. The aquatic birds are easily spotted along the Kazinga Channel.

Finding Birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park supports a huge concentration of bird species, last recorded at 612 bird species which ranks as 6th worldwide for protected area bird diversity and second in Africa. Only second to the neighboring and far larger Virunga National Park.

Prominent bird species in Queen Elizabeth National Park include Martial Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African Skimmer, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Pink-backed Pelicans, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Papyrus Canary, Corncrake, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, Shoebill and Bar-tailed Godwit. Forest rarities include White Naped Pigeon, Forest Flycatcher, and Ruwenzori Turaco.

Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda Kobs in Kasenyi Plains

How to Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park

Mweya Peninsula in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a primary tourist hub and can be reached via a narrow isthmus separating Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel. Because the peninsula enjoys marvelous views in all directions, several safari lodges and budget hostels are found here making it an excellent base for exploring the park. It also houses the park headquarters.

From Mweya Jetty, you can explore the shores of Kazinga Channel on a scheduled or private boat ride. The channel provides year-round water for many birds as well as mammals. The launch cruise is the most famous and exciting activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park offering unparalleled view of wildlife, the trip is a 2-hour round trip between the Mweya Jetty and Lake Edward, providing marvelous opportunities to view elephants, hippos, buffaloes, and a wide variety of waterbirds.

A network of game tracks explore the plain north of the Kazinga Channel – the Kasenyi Plains, here is where wildlife encounters are assured. A patchwork of grassland and scrubby thickets can male game viewing a bit challenging. Still, a keen and patient explorer wouldn’t miss a thing even if you are exploring the park on your won. Large numbers of animals live here, however you will need to drive slowly and look carefully to spot them.

The channel track and the Leopard Loop are probably the mostly likely locations in Queen Elizabeth National Park to find Leopard and Giant Forest Hog. The area is also memorable for its candelabra trees and the African Fish Eagles that perch on them.

Katwe Explosion Crater

Embark on a 24-kilometer crater-drive into spectacular field of extinct volcanic craters, and you will feel like you are driving on a set of Jurassic Park. The Katwa Explosion Craters, a few kilometers north of Mweya are ethereal wonders of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The highlight are the massive Kyemengo Crater and the lovely Lake Kitagata.

Kasenyi Plains

The Kasenyi Plains lies east of the Kasese highway, with open, lawn-like plains and a magnificent Rwenzori backdrop. The area ranks among the most beautiful grasslands in Queen Elizabeth National Park , it is famous for the prides of lions that prey on large  herds of Uganda kobs, especially around the kob breeding grounds.

Kyambura Gorge – The Valley of the Lost Apes

At the foot of the Kichwamba Escarpment, the Kyambura River flows through the deep, cliff –lined Kyambura Gorge towards the Kazinga Channel. The ravine contains a beautiful forest where a troop of chimpanzees finds refuge. Visitors can track a habituated chimpanzee troop and observe their peculiar behavior for at least an hour.

A chimpanzee tracking permit here is a fraction of the famous Kibale Forest National Park.

Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park
Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge

Maramagambo Forest

The Maramagambo Forest sprawls across central Queen Elizabeth National Park from the base of the Kichwamba escarpment to the shores of Lake Edward. Forest trails are used to explore a very different environment from the sunny Kazinga Plains and provide incredible opportunities to spot primates and rare forest birds.

Ishasha Sector & Tree Climbing Lions

The magnificent and remote Ishasha Sector lies in the extreme south of Queen Elizabeth National Park, it adjoins the Virunga National Park, which lies on the opposite side of the Ishasha River in the D.R.Congo.

Few tourists make the long drive from Mweya to Ishasha for game drives, but its their loss, for the sector enjoys a wilderness character unrivaled elsewhere in the park.

Most travelers who drive through the varied richness of the Ishasha Sector are on trips joining Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. it’s the shortest route to include wildlife viewing safari in Queen Elizabeth, with the gorilla trekking experience in Bwindi Forest on the same trip.

Ishasha Sector is home to a superb variety of animals, hippos are common in the Ishasha River, while buffaloes, topis, and kobs roam the plains. These are prey for leopards and the sector’s most famous residents, the rare tree climbing lions.

These rare predators can be easily spotted draped over the branches of trees and acacia trees. Their motive for tree climbing still remains unclear to us, whether it is to enjoy the shade, watch for approaching meals, or to avoid irritating bugs, Ishasha lions look incredible comfortable on their high perches.

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