Best time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Best time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park: Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda is the second largest national park in the country. It is located along the equator in western Uganda in the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri. It is also one of the most visited national parks in Uganda with rich biodiversity including 95 mammal species like elephants, bushbucks, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, leopards, lions, buffaloes, hippos, mongoose, primate species like chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, and over 645 bird species among others.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda is mainly dominated by savannah vegetation which is composed of savannah grassland and savannah woodland. The best time for tourists to visit Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda is during the dry season. The park has two rainy seasons during March to May and October to November and two dry seasons during June to September and January to February
Dry Season
The dry season is the best time to visit the park. The temperatures in the park usually range between 28degrees Celsius during the day and drop to 15 degrees Celsius at night. It is during this time that the roads in the park will have less mud which makes them ease to navigate. During the dry season the animals will be viewed easily due to short grass in the park and they will all gather around the water bodies to drink water hence offering a clear view for photos and chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge will be successful because the trekking trails will be passable.
However the dry season also has a drawback of large crowds in the park because the dry season is also the peak season which means that many visitors will visit the national park hence making the destination crowded with many visitors hence the accommodation facilities will be expensive and get fully booked quickly. Some activities which require few visitors like lion research tracking in Kasenyi plains will be competitive which means that the visitors should book in advance so as not to be disappointed.
Despite being a dry season rain can be expected any time of the day therefore visitors should pack different items for the safari such as hat and sunglasses, warm clothes because it usually gets cold in the morning and at night, waterproof rain jacket, hiking shoes among others.
Wet Season/rainy season
The wet season in Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda is experienced during the months of March to May and October to November. The wet season is also known as the low season and during this period the park receives heavy rainfall and sometimes it can drizzle the whole day. During the wet season, the roads in the national park become muddy, slippery and challenging to pass. Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park and nature walks in Maramagambo forest becomes difficult because the trails be muddy and slippery.
However visitors can also visit during the wet season because it’s the vegetation in the park will be beautiful and green, the animals will spread in the park as they graze on the vegetation, there will be less crowds in the park which gives you an opportunity to explore the whole park with few crowds, lodges will offer discounts and it’s an ideal period for bird watching with migratory birds from Europe and north Africa due to plenty of food and fruits. ‘
During the wet season visitors are advised to pack several equipment’s for the safari including long sleeved shirt and trousers, hiking shoes, garden gloves, waterproof rain jacket/poncho, warm sweater, Camera, binocular among others to make your safari in Uganda successful.
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers a wide range of unique and fascinating attractions to visitors on a safari in Uganda and these include; Mweya Peninsular, Kazinga channel, Ishasha sector, Kasenyi plains, Kyambura Gorge, and Maramagambo forest.
Activities done in Queen Elizabeth national park.
When visiting Queen Elizabeth national park, you can engage in the following activities; Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, Mongoose tracking, Lion tracking in Ishasha sector, guided game drives, launch cruise on Kazinga channel, nature walks, birding and cultural encounters among others.
Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The national park has a wide number of luxury, mid-range, and budget accommodations which make visitors on a safari to feel comfortable and at home. The lodges include Tembo Safari lodge, Pumba Safari lodge, Mweya Safari lodge, Mweya Hostels, Engiri Game lodge and campsite, Kingfisher lodge, Queen Elizabeth park view, Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge among others.
How to get to the park.
Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda can be accessed by road from the capital, Kampala. The park is located about 420 kilometers from Kampala via Mbarara and approximately 410 kilometers via Fort Portal.
The park can also be accessed by air from Entebbe international airport. Charter flights can be arranged to the existing airstrips of Mweya, Ishasha and Kasese.
