Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park
- Areas of Interest in the Park
- Things to See
- Things to Do
- Tourism Information Centre
- Where to Stay (Accommodation)
- Plan Your Trip
- Getting Here
- When to Visit
About Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Park is a world bio-sphere reserve (UNESCO, 1979), includes a RAMSAR wetland site and is a classified Important Bird Area (IBA) by Bird life International. The park has over 568 of Uganda’s 1017 species of birds (over a quarter of Africa’s bird species), more than any other park in Africa.
In the Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP), you may see Crater Lakes filled with huge flocks of Flamingos. You will spot Eagles soaring and Vultures perching.
The park is known for its Fauna, although many animals were filled in the Uganda-Tanzanian war. Many species have recovered, including hippopotamuses, elephants, leopards, chimps and lions. It is now home to 95 species of mammals.
The National Park includes the Maramagambo Forest and boarders the Kigezi and Kyambura Game Reserves, Kibale National Park, and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The town of Kasese lies on the Northwestern edge of the park. The park is verily one of the very few remaining pristine wildlife Sanctuaries in the world.
Birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most accessible and popular Park. It has varied habitats. It is primarily open savanna, some areas are covered densely by acacia and euphorbia trees, and expanses of swamp especially around Lake George. These diverse habitats support a remarkable bird species, which is the highest for any National Park in Uganda and in Africa. Included in the birdlist are 54 raptors and virtually every waterbird species found in Uganda and a variety of forest and woodland birds. Some of the bird species found in Queen Elizabeth national Park are the 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 Rwenzori Turaco. Birding anywhere in the Park is good but Kazinga Channel stands out because of the myriad waterbirds that converge at it’s shores and are a truly lovely spectacle.
Uganda ‘s incredible bird species number is unequivocally the result of the solid support her protected tropical forests, grasslands and woodlands besides other natural settings give bird life.
Getting Here
By road:
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in the western part of Uganda shared by Kasese, Bundibugyo and Bushenyi. It can be accessed easily from Kampala. It’s a tarmac road from Kampala via Mbarara town and Bushenyi leading to the center of the park. It takes5-6 hours from Kampala via Mbarara to the park. Approaching the park from the south via Mbarara covers a distance of 420 kilometers while the north through fort portal covers a total of 410kilometre.The Park can also be accessed from the south from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
By air
Queen Elizabeth can also be accessed by air. Charter flights can be arranged to existing airstrips of Kasese, Mweya and Ishasha.