Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda in the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Bushenyi and Rukungiri. The park is the second largest after Murchison falls national park occupying an estimated area of 1,978 square kilometers. The park area extends from Lake George in the North East to Lake Albert in the South West and it includes the Kazinga channel that connects the two lakes. Queen Elizabeth National Park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park and in 1952; it was renamed after Queen Elizabeth the second when she visited the park, to commemorate the Queen’s visit.

Queen Elizabeth national park is a home to the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector. It’s also an excellent place to sight large game such as the Savannah elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos and different species of antelopes in Kasenyi area, chimpanzee tracking in kyambura gorge and Kalinzu forest not forgetting bird watching while on a boat trip on kazinga channel in the Mweya peninsula. The park is the most scenic making it the most visited with big variety of habitat including savanna grassland mixed with various kinds of trees and grassy plains but also tropical rain forest, different swamps and volcanic features comprising volcanic cones and deep craters, many crater lakes such as Katwe craters. Tourist activities carried out in park include game viewing, boat safaris, exploration of crater lakes and the Kyambura gorge combined for chimpanzees.

Queen Elizabeth national park has a great deal of lodges / accommodation facilities ranging from high-end, luxury, mid-range to budget and camping sites. Some of those include; Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Elephant plains lodge, Kyambura lodge for high-end, Mweya Safari lodge for luxury, Parkview Safari lodge, Elephant Hub lodge, Buffalo Safari lodge, Enganzi lodge, Enjojo lodge and Bush lodge to mention but a few for mid-range, Engiri lodge, Pumba Safari cottages, Kasenyi Safari camp for budget accommodations. The park can be accessed from Kampala from the south through Mbarara approximately 420kmand in the north through Fort portal approximately 410km via Kasese district and also can be accessed through domestic flights from Entebbe airport to existing airstrip of Kasese and Mweya for about 2 hours flight.