Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park are quite numerous as they range from plants, to wildlife animals, to physical features like crater lakes and much more. Here we expound on these attractions in Queen Elizabeth National park:
Wild animals
Queen Elizabeth national park is a home to about 95 animals species including the big four mammals which are the elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and other animals in the part include hippos, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, giant forest hogs among others. Animals in the park can be viewed during the game drive, boat cruise or nature walks
Primates
The national park is harbors primate species which include chimpanzees, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others. Visitors interested in seeing primates in the park can carry out primate tracking activities in Kyambura gorge which is also known as the valley of apes.
Birds
Queen Elizabeth national park is home to more than 619 bird species which makes it the best birding destination in the country. Bird species commonly sighted in the national park include gull billed tern, African wattled lapwing, spur winged lapwing, black winged stilt, African spoonbill, sacred ibis, water thick knee, swamp nightjar, cattle egret, black breasted snake, double toothed barbet, African fish eagle, brown snake, little bee-eater, malachite king fisher among others.
Kazinga channel
Kazinga channel is a 40 kilometer long channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. Kazinga channel is where the boat cruise safaris in the park are conducted which gives you an opportunity to view large concentration of hippos, crocodiles, other animals along the shores and water birds.
Mweya peninsular
This is an attraction that is located in the north eastern part of the park overlooking Katwe bay where Kazinga channel joins Lake Edward and Lake George. Mweya peninsular is a great area where mongoose tracking takes place, nature walk and game drives where you will have views of the leopards and other wildlife animals in the park.
Kyambura Gorge
Kyambura gorge is one of the frequently visited areas in Queen Elizabeth national. It is located in the eastern part of the park and harbors quite a number of primate species including the chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others.
Crater lakes
There are about 10 crater lakes located within Queen Elizabeth national park which include Lake Katwe a salt mining lake that was formed by volcanic eruption. Lake Katwe is located in the northern side of Mweya peninsular and the local people extract rock salt from the lake for sale. Other lakes include Lake Munyanyange which is one of the best birding areas, Lake Nyamunuka and Munyampaka which are found in Kasenyi plains.
Tree climbing lions
The tree climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth national park are one of the major attractions in the national park. These majestic cats are found in Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park and can be viewed lying up in the acacia, fig trees staring at the Uganda kobs grazing in the open savannah plains during the game drive.
Maramagambo forest
Maramagambo forest is situated within Queen Elizabeth national park. The forest borders Kyasanduka and Nyamasingiri crater lakes. The forest stretches from Kichwamba escarpments up to lake Edward and harbors wildlife species including animals like elephants, pygmy antelopes, bush pigs, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, L’Hoest monkeys, bush babies, pottos, bats, bird species black bee-eater, pink backed pelican, African skimmer, papyrus Gonolek, white winged warbler, martial eagle, Verreaux’s eagle owl, Chapin’s flycatcher among others.
About Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda and is situated in the western region of Uganda with the nearest town being Kasese. The national park spans over a radius of 1,978 square kilometers. It was declared a national park in 1952 and is home to about 97 species of mammals and over 619 bird species.
The national park offers its visitors activities like lion tracking experience, mongoose tracking, game drives, boat cruise safaris, guided nature walks, chimpanzee trekking, bird watching and community cultural tours among others.
The park also has a number of accommodation facilities for visitors who wish to spend two or more nights in the park. Some of the accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth national park include; Mweya safari lodge, Ishasha Bandas, Jumbo and Pelican bungalows, Pumba Safari Cottages, Tembo Safari lodge, Mweya Hostels, Engiri Game lodge and campsite, Kingfisher lodge, Park view safari lodge and Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge among others.
