Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park
There are several amazing attractions in queen Elizabeth national park that make it the most popular tourist destination in Uganda. The parks varied habitats including savannah grassland, tropical forest, lakes and wet lands, that market most visited park in Uganda since it is the second biggest park in Uganda.
These are some of the attractions in queen Elizabeth national park
Animals
Queen Elizabeth national park prides itself on a great diversity of habitat, queen Elizabeth national park has over 95mammal species including the big 4 animals including buffaloes, elephants, lions and leopards, and other animals like bushbucks, waterbucks, hippos, warthogs, hyenas, giant forest hogs, bush pigs, Topis that are found in the southern part of the park.
Birds
Birds in queen Elizabeth national park are top attractions in the park, with over 612bird species recorded in the park. Queen Elizabeth national park is a birders haven with all kinds of birds and these are some of the birds that can be spotted while on birding safari in Uganda, grey-crowned cranes which is a Uganda national bird, African jacana, flamingos though they are seasonal, black bee eater, African skimmer, palm-nut vulture, papyrus gonolek, shoebill stork, great white pelicans and many more.
Kazinga channel
The channel is 40km wide stretch of water linking from lake George in east and lake Edward in west, Kazinga channel is the beauty if queen Elizabeth national park, and on this channel is where the boat cruise is done from and its a home to the most concentration of hippos in Uganda and also birds.
Kyambura gorge
It is another amazing attraction in queen Elizabeth national park, it is valley of apes which is located in the northern side of the park, the forest has other primates apart from the chimpanzee there are others like red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, and olive; baboons.
Lake Katwe
Lake Katwe is located in the north part of mweya peninsular, lake Katwe it is the only Salt Lake we have in Uganda; therefore, it attracts tourists who want to see how the salt is mined locally. And this activity supports the local people because it is the major economic activity, they do that earns them a living.
Activities to do in queen Elizabeth national park
Launch cruise
The launch cruise takes place at Kazinga channel and it goes up to lake George this launch takes place in shifts. Visitors who go for the launch cruise get an opportunity to see variety of aquatic animals like crocodiles sunbathing on the shores of the channel, and large concentration of hippos and also a chance to visit the fishing village.
Lion trucking
Lion trucking in queen Elizabeth national park is another interesting activity that takes place in Kasenyi plains and ishansha sector where your able to see tree climbing which are very rare in other and this activity takes place in the morning and it is when you will have a clear view the big cats.
Game drives
Game drives in queen Elizabeth national park takes place in mweya peninsula and Kasenyi plains and different animals are spotted during the game drives like warthogs, waterbucks, lions, elephants, buffaloes, and some times hippos if it is an evening game drive, because they rarely come out of water during day, Kobs mostly in kikorongo side and game drives take between 3 to 4 hours.
Birding
Birding is one of the best activities to do in queen Elizabeth national park because the birds with over 605 birds’ species and most of the birds can be spotted at Kazinga channel and Maramagambo forest and some of the birds include fish eagles, flamingos chested sunbird, pelicans, hadada ibis to mention but a few.
Visiting Maramagambo forest
This one of the few tropical rains forest left in Uganda, it is located in the southern part of the park and main activity at Maramagambo is nature walks, and during these walks’ visitors get an opportunity to spot reptiles birds, red tailed monkeys, chimpanzee though they are not habituated so they are wild, and also visiting the bat cave and python cave.
Hot air balloon this is anew tourism experience that was introduced recently because previously it used to take place only at Murchison falls national park. This activity allows tourists to get an aerial view of the park and takes place early in the morning for the best experience
Cultural experiences
Communities surrounding queen Elizabeth national park are the Basongora, Bakonjo, so during the visits the visitors learn a lot about cultural heritage, traditional dances, clothing, food and many more
Visiting the new equator in kikorongo this is the current equator built up in kikorongo this attracts number of people because of its structure and history about so visitors either going to queen Elizabeth national park or from queen it a must to pass by and see it.
Wildlife research tower is the activity that allows you to get close to the wildlife and these tours are organised on personal request so it is not a must so bookings must done early so that researchers get ready and especially research is done on big cats like leopards and lions.
Best time to visit queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park can be visited any time of the year though the best time is during the dry season. During this season the park can easily be accessed because the roads are dry and wildlife viewing is also easy because the vegetation not so thick like in wet season.
What to carry while going to queen Elizabeth park national park or what to pack
Have you booked for your good wildlife safari, but still asking your self what to pack here are some of the things to carry, comfortable clothes, hiking shoes, insect repellent, sunscreen, and many others.
Inconclusion, Queen Elizabeth national park is not only known for its numerous safari activities and attractions that reward visitors with un forgettable memories, queen Elizabeth national park is one of the parks in Uganda you should not miss visiting while on your Uganda wildlife safari tour. Book with African vacation safaris and enjoy extra ordinary Uganda safari experience that will not leave your head.