Queen Elizabeth National Park
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Our Take
Queen Elizabeth is a classic savannah park with rift valley landscapes, lakes, craters and a vast array of animals and birds. There is so much to see and do here, perhaps combined with a mountain gorilla trek in nearby Bwindi?
Great places to stay – equal favourites perhaps a night in a banda at Bush Lodge or camping with the hippos by Lake Albert at Kisenyi Fishing Village.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth NP is the second largest park in Uganda with stunning, Rift Valley landscapes including Lake Edward, Lake George and the Kazinga Channel which transects the park. It ranges from savannah to wetlands to dense forests and is overlooked by the Rift Valley Escarpment to the south and the Rwenzori Mountains to the north. A particular feature of this area are the explosive craters and crater lakes which add to the spectacular landscape.
Wildlife
The park consists of a number of both separate and contiguous sectors. The best for game viewing being Kasenyi and Ishasha, the latter being especially known for its rare tree-climbing lions and both also home to elephants, buffalo and also leopard, if lucky enough to see one.
One of the top highlights is a boat safari on the Kazinga Channel, a haven for hippos, crocodiles, and a variety of bird species. It is also our favourite place for a chimpanzee trek into the beautiful Kyambura Gorge and with over 600 recorded bird species is one of the best places for birding in Africa.
Location
Located to the mid-west of Uganda, the park is well connected to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the south-west corner of Uganda with excellent potential to combine with gorilla and primate treks.
The Facts
- Established 1952. Renamed QENP in 1954 to commemorate visit by Queen Elizabeth II.
- Uganda’s second largest National Park at 1,978 sqkm
- Home to over 95 mammal species, including the rare tree-climbing lions and more than 600 birds.
- Lies on the Albertine Rift Valley, south of the Rwenzori Mountains.
- Savanna, wetlands and dense forest. Explosive craters and crater lakes.
- Transected by the wide Kazinga Channel flowing between Lakes George and Lake Edward
Camping In Uganda;
Queen Elizabeth NP
There are some great places to camp in Queen Elizabeth, all of which deliver that X Factor that only comes from camping in Uganda. A particular favourite is the resort at Kisenyi Fishing Village on Lake Edward. Looking highly unpromising when passing through the village, you are suddenly greeted by a huge open flood plain which comes alive at night with hippos, kob, waterbuck and occasionally hyena, buffalo or elephant. Similar is the sister resort at Kasenyi Village on Lake George, especially remote and with similar potential for nighttime visitors.
Another favourite is to camp among the trees by the hippo pools on the Ishasha River, a great spot to wile away the afternoon and await visitors by night, though this time with a game ranger, just in case! Finally, there is the spectacular viewpoint overlooking the twin lakes at Kichwamba Village on the Rift Escarpment. The local villagers provide firewood and keep the more inquisitive village kids away, and there is a great trek for the morning or evening between the lakes.
Mid-Range Lodges
Our favourite lodge is Bush Lodge, perhaps as the original of the lodges now overlooking the Kazinga Channel but also consistently the best, certainly in terms of quality and value.
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