Quad Biking and Horse Riding in Jinja Uganda?
November 15, 2024
RIVER NILE AND ITS ACTIVITIES
November 15, 2024
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular and frequented animal conservation site. The park is located in the western districts of Uganda, specifically Kamwenge, Rukingiri, Rubirizi, and Kasese.
Queen Elizabeth National Park now covers an area of approximately 764 square miles. The park adjoins Uganda’s Kibale National Park and is an extension of Congo’s Virunga National Park. The park includes the Kyambura Gorge, Maramagambo Forest, Kazinga Channel, and areas of Lakes George and Edward. When it was founded in 1952, the park was known as Kazinga National Park.
The visit of British Queen Elizabeth II in the early 1950s impressed the administration so much that the park was named after her. Because of its location in the rain shadow of the Rwenzori mountain ranges, Queen Elizabeth National Park does not undergo extended droughts like the Maasai Maraa or the Serengeti.
As a result, it boasts green scenery for the most of the year. Even if the park did not have any species, visitors would be astounded by the sheer natural splendor of the enormous forests, woodlands, grasslands, lakes, rivers, gorges, and other volcanic features (craters and volcanic cones).
The park is home to 95 mammal species, including waterbuck, warthogs, topi, Uganda Kobs, spotted hyenas, sitatunga, Serval cats, mangoose, leopards, large forest pigs, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Jackal, hippopotamus, genial, elephants, crocodiles, civet, chimpanzees, buffaloes, and black and white colobus monkeys.
The main native tribes living around the park’s boundaries are the Banyankore, Bakiga, and Bakonjyo. The Bakiga and Bakonjo rely on subsistence agriculture, whilst the Banyankore are notable pastoralists. Salt mining is a major economic activity, particularly among Bakiga residents near the park.
The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which works in collaboration with many wildlife conservation groups and international and local research teams. Queen Elizabeth National Park is close to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Kibale Forest National Park, and Mgahinga National Park. This means that visitors can combine a complete wildlife safari with gorilla trekking in Bwindi Forest.
Accessing Queen Elizabeth National Park
Visitors can reach the park via air or car. The trip from Kampala to the park via Mbarara is around 420 kilometers and takes about 8 hours to drive. Driving time from Lake Mburo National Park is six hours, whereas from Fort Portal town it is four.
The main roads are all well-paved (tarmac), while those that travel to and through the park are constructed of hard soil. Public or private cars can reach the park gate, however no public commercial vehicles are permitted inside the park. Throughout the week, public buses leave Kampala’s bus park for Kasese early in the morning.
The price of a bus from Kampala to Kasese.
The cost of a bus from Kampala to Kasese is approximately $4. Uganda’s public buses take a long time to fill up and rarely arrive on time. The arrival time is determined by whether the bus is fully loaded on time or by overall traffic along the route to the destination.
Furthermore, most buses make frequent stops to drop off and pick up passengers in the minor towns along the route.Uganda, as previously stated, public buses do not travel to the park. One must hire a cab or motorcycle from the main high to the Katunguru park gate or Mweya at an additional expense.The best method to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park is with a tour company like Naleyo tours and travels.
This is the most secure, pleasant, and dependable method of arriving to the park and ensuring that the safari goes as planned. Tour operators usually keep time and try to make the excursion as enjoyable as possible for the traveler. They also know the park inside and out, as well as who to notify if something happens.
Visitors that want to skip the long drive from Entebbe.
Visitors who want to avoid the lengthy trip from Entebbe can take a chartered flight from Kajjansi airport or Entebbe International Airport to Ishasha, Kasese, or Mweya. To go from the airport to the park headquarters or their lodging, they must hire a private vehicle FROM NALEYO TOURS AND TRAVELS. Tour operators typically provide a driver/guide to meet and transfer customers from the airport to the park or accommodation.
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Primates at Queen Elizabeth National Park
The panorama is breathtaking, with gorgeous woods, woodlands, Savanna, wetlands, lakes, rivers, craters, gorges, and landscapes. International visitors will never be bored at this park. In fact, they may struggle to finish them all. The main attractions are nature walks, game drives, boat cruises, chimp trekking, tree climbing lions, and bird watching.
Game drives are the most popular activity, as they allow you to see 95 percent of the creatures seen in the Serengeti but with superior scenery and geography, including woodlands, savanna grasslands, marsh regions, acacia woods, crater lakes, gorges, and the adjacent Rwenzori Mountains.
The 3-4 hour game drives begin in the early morning and take participants to one of three sectors: the Kasenyi plains (near the Kazinga Channel), the Ishasha sector (tree climbing lions), or the Katwe crater fields. The crater lakes region features a stunning panorama with enormous craters and salt lakes that developed thousands of years ago. During the dry season, the crater floors provide as a water source for elephants, flamingos, and other wildlife. The grasslands serve as nesting sites for Ugandan Kobs. The plains also attract other antelope species, buffaloes, elephants, and predators such as hyenas and lions, making it an ideal location to see confrontations between big cats and herbivorous animals.
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Whatever area you choose for the game drive, expect to be led by guides and park rangers to the best game watching spots in the safety and comfort of a four-wheel drive vehicle. The early game drive is very interesting since you can see night hunters like hyenas and leopards returning to their burrows after feasting on the night’s meat.
Night game drives are ideal for witnessing lions, leopards, and hyenas hunt while also monitoring night birds. Moving with a tour guide and a park ranger enriches the safari experience. Game rangers can guide visitors to the best areas for wildlife watching while also providing information about the creatures they observe along the way. For night game drives, you may need to budget an additional $20 for hiring a flashlight. All fees are made at the Mweya Information Centre or the park’s gates.
Bird watching
The full list of birds in the park may be found at Mweya’s Bird Observatory. Birders on a tour of Queen Elizabeth National Park will be impressed by the variety of species that live in the forests such as Budongo, the Kazinga Channel, the plains, craters, and gorges such as Kyambura.
Birding at Queen Elizabeth National Park
During certain seasons of the year, millions of migratory birds visit the park to escape the harsh winters of Europe, making it a birder’s paradise. Yellow-backed, Yellow wagtails, Yellow throated Cuckoo, Yellow backed Weavers, Wood sandpipers, Winding and Carruther’s Cisticolas, White-winged warbler, white-winged terns, white-tailed lark, white-faced whistler, White and Abdim’s Storks. Whalberg’s Eagle, Water Thick Knee, The Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Swamp Flycatcher, Spur-winged and African Wattled Plovers Spotted Redshank, Slender-tailed Mourning Dove, Slender-billed, Shoebill Stork, Sedge Warblers, Saddle-billed Storks, Ringed Plovers, Red-chested Sunbirds Pin-tailed Whydah, pink-backed pelican Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary. The open-billed stork, Northern Pochard, Martial Eagle. Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Little Stint, Lesser Masked Weavers, and Birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth National ParkGreater Flamingos, Knob-billed ducks Jack Snipe, Grey-headed Kingfishers, Grey-headed Gull, Grey-capped Warbler, Grey Kestrel. Great-white and pink-backed pelicans Greater Swamp and winged warblers. Great white and pink-backed pelicans. The Great and Long-tailed Cormorants Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars, Eurasian Wigeon, Curlew Sandpipers, Corncrake, Common Teal, Common Squaco Heron, Common Snipe, Common Sand Martins, Common Greenshank, Collard Pranticles, Chapin’s flycatcher, Brown Snake Eagle, and Brimstone
Launch Cruise
This boat excursion is planned along the Kazinga Channel, one of Africa’s top wildlife viewing areas. This channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward and serves as the primary gathering area for the park’s animals to drink, hunt, and bathe. During the bird migration season, the species of birds found here are more than those found in North America.
The sheer density and variety of wildlife at the Kazinga channel will impress even those who have already gone for several safaris elsewhere. Hippos, water birds and crocodiles rule the waters while elephants, antelopes and predators like leopards drink water in the shallow ends of the channel.
Spot Tree Climbing Lions
The Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to the Ishash sector’s uncommon tree climbing lions. They are not a subspecies and do not differ from the lions found in Uganda’s Kasenyi area or other national parks. It is possible that the lions here have adapted to life spent climbing the numerous fig trees after hunting in the morning or during the midday heat.
Scientists have not found a clear explanation for why these lions climb trees, but some believe it is due to insects and parasites (such as Tsetse flies) on the ground. Game drives are planned to the Ishasha area with the main goal of viewing the lions up on the trees. In addition to lions, the Ishasha region features warthogs, buffaloes, and elephants. The Ishasha sector is located along the route leading to Bwindi, making it an ideal stopover for travelers hoping to see lions and gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Chimpanzee Trekking at the Kayambura Gorge
Chimpanzees are one of the most intriguing creatures on the planet. They are more intelligent than even larger gorillas. Chimpanzees can be seen in the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Kyambura gorge is a depression/valley in the western area of the park formed by the powerful waters of the Kyambura River.
The Gorge measures 16 kilometers long, 100 meters deep, and 500 meters wide. The gorge is currently covered in dense trees and water streams. This underground forest is home to a variety of primates, including baboons, black-and-white colobus, and red-tailed monkeys.
From the viewing platform above the gorge, guests may spot many of the species below on the treetops Situated in the wide valley. Visiting the gorge is not just about primates; you may also view birds, snakes, butterflies, and other water bodies. It is also an opportunity to learn about vegetation/species found nowhere else on the planet.
Nature Walks in the Maramagambo Forest
Visiting Maramagambo Forest is quite popular, especially among birders.Nature walks are planned in this enormous forest along established pathways to teach visitors about forest conservation while also observing small crater lakes, birds, primates, and other forest species.Nature Walks at Queen Elizabeth National Park When it comes to primates, the Maramagambo forest is home to approximately nine different species, including chimps, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Vervet monkeys, bush babies, red-tailed monkeys, and baboons. One of the routes goes to a series of caves that are home to hundreds of bats. These bats attract enormous rock pythons, which like feeding on them. Both bats and pythons can be spotted from a safe viewing area. Salt mining in Lake Katwe is one of the few saltwater lakes in East Africa. The lake is devoid of animals due to its extreme salinity.
Despite this, the area surrounding the lake is a swarm of activity, particularly during the dry season, when people congregate to remove salt from the milky waters. Salt mining has been in Katwe for generations and was previously quite profitable before new sources and ways of mining were discovered. The majority of the salt used in Ugandan houses comes from Lake Katwe.
Despite the dangers posed by hazardous saline seas, salt is nevertheless routinely mined by hand. Tourists can learn more about the mines throughout their visit. Interact with the local mining community while working in the salt mining sector. The majority of the salt is sold to manufacturers, while the remainder is taken home by the miners.
Cultural Tours
No vacation to Africa, particularly Uganda, is complete without visiting one of the local tribes. While on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, make plans to visit the Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group to witness and participate in traditional dances, theater, and fire making.
Cultural trips to Queen Elizabeth National Park.Visitors to the Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group can learn how to manufacture native art and crafts, such as weaving baskets from natural fibers.The experiences are numerous, with practically every lodge and hotel organizing its own tours for their guests.
The Kikorongo cultural ensemble is frequently called upon to perform at the park’s lodges. Other cultural experiences include the Katwe Village Walk, local school walks, and visits to the Nyanz’ibiri Cave Community.
Wildlife Conservation and Research Tours
In response to growing demand from wildlife enthusiasts, the Uganda Wildlife Authority launched research tours to learn about wildlife conservation programs while also allowing tourists to have intimate interactions with wildlife.
Lion tracking is one of the most popular activities, organized by the Uganda Carnivore Program in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. During this exercise, the large cats are tracked via radio collars placed around their necks.
Tourists observe while researchers and park employees treat and monitor the cats’ movements. During the tracking, other cats such as leopards and hyenas can be seen. Only a few people are allowed to monitor the lions on any given day, and reservations should be made in advance.
Hot Air Balloon Rides
Inspired by Murchison Falls National Park, hot air balloon safaris have just been introduced. The program begins very early in the morning with a briefing at the park’s Kasenyi Gate. The ride provides gorgeous views of all of the park’s animals from above, as well as incredible opportunity to get stunning aerial images of the beautiful park.
N.B:
The seasons with the most rain are March to May and September to November. Tourists like to visit the park during the driest months, December and February. The greatest time to visit the park is shortly after the rains have stopped, when the park is still lush green but not muddy.
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Tourists have several lodges and hotels to choose from. The lodges provide services ranging from affordable to ultra-luxury. The majority of the lodges are built in the traditional safari banda style, with wood, stone, and grass thatched roofs.
The final hotel pick is based on one’s preferences and budget. Clients with their own tents may be allowed to camp outside in designated areas at the lodges. Let us look at some of the hotels on offer:
Park Ishasha Wilderness Camp
This hotel is located near the Ishasha area on the banks of the River Ntungwe. The lodge’s structure and chambers are made of stones and covered in grass. The lodge’s living area has beautiful views of the neighboring river from its wooden but comfy chairs and coffee tables.
The lodge features a bar, restaurant, fireplace, and curio shop. The ten self-contained tented rooms provide free Wi-Fi, a verandah, double/twin beds, storage space, a desk, table, carpet, and a flush toilet bucket. The lodge offers possibilities to see park creatures such as elephants, baboons, warthogs, and antelopes that come to eat close.
Katara resort
This resort was established near the village of Katara and the park’s Katunguru gate. The lodge boasts magnificent gardens and grass-covered buildings known as bandas. The lodge features a swimming pool, a bar, and Restaurant and lounge area with comfortable seating and tables. Inside the rooms, you will find a large bedroom, a table, a chair, a flush toilet, showers, bathtubs, and a personal verandah.
One of the lodge’s unique features is the breathtaking views of the park, Lake Edward, and the Virunga and Rwenzori mountain ranges. The service quality is also excellent, providing a sense of home away from home.
Kyambura Gorge resort
This resort is located near the Kyambura Gorge and offers stunning views of the park and the Rwenzori Mountains. The lodge is ideal for travelers who seek privacy, particularly newlyweds. The eight bandas are self-contained with Wi-Fi, double or twin beds, electricity, mosquito nets, and a flush toilet and a shower. The Kyambura Gorge Lodge is great for monkey enthusiasts who want to see the spectacular gorge and primates such as baboons and chimps.
Where to Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Mweya Safari Lodge
This luxurious lodge is situated in a strategic location with excellent views of the Kazinga Channel. The lodge has both double and twin rooms that may sleep up to four persons. The rooms are self-contained and of great quality, featuring huge beds and air conditioning.
The lodge also features a bar, restaurant, and a luxurious swimming pool. Mweya Safari Lodge conducts boat tours to the Kazinga channel utilizing its own fleets of boats for people who wish to have a more private boat cruise without the throng Public/government boat.
Animal in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge
It is located in the heart of the park, among the Mweya and Kasenyi sections, close off the Mbarara-Kasese road. The lodge contains 10 self-contained rooms fashioned of local materials, including eco-friendly bathrooms and showers.
Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge is run by the Nature Group of Lodges and is ideal for people who have come for a wildlife drive in the Kasenyi sector or to monitor chimps in Kyambura Gorge. Residents may see several of the park’s wildlife, including the inquisitive baboons, from the comfort of their suite verandas.
Jacana Safari Lodge
It is situated on the shores of a crater lake near Maramagambo Forest – adjacent to the Mbarara-Katunguru road. The lodge provides an ideal setting for relaxation and becoming lost in the African nature. Although camping is not permitted at the lodge, it is possible to do so at the neighboring Research Station. One must have their own camping equipment, food, and tents.
It is located on the banks of a crater lake near the Maramagambo forest, adjacent to the Mbarara-Katunguru route. The lodge provides an ideal setting for relaxation and becoming lost in the African nature. Although camping is not permitted at the lodge, it is possible to do so at the neighboring Research Station. One must have their own camping equipment, food, and tents.
Hippo Hill Camp
It is a luxurious resort located on a hill near the park’s boundary with Katwe. The camp offers stunning views of Munyanyange and Lake Edward, both crater lakes. There are ten self-contained luxury tents, each with a comfortable bed, hot shower, and toilet. The camp also features a bar and restaurant that serves continental cuisine. Residents who have their own tents can set them up in approved areas.
