Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Queen Elizabeth National Park is among the most visited national parks in Uganda, located in western Uganda in Kasese. It is one of the best destinations to visit in Uganda for an amazing safari experience that will make your safari quite memorable. Ranked second largest in Uganda, it is one of the places where you can access four of the big five animals, various bird species, and primate species. Queen Elizabeth is home to over 600 bird species and 95 mammal species. The Park is a hub for plenty of activities including game drives, nature walks, chimpanzee trekking, hot air balloon, boat cruises, and lion trekking among others. These safari activities will provide you with a great experience and allow you to see a variety of animal species.
Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth
Several game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park will allow you to see a variety of interesting things in the park for a wonderful Uganda safari trip. There are three sessions of safari game drives conducted in the Park that is; morning, afternoon, and evening game drives. The morning game drive, which starts as early as 06: 30 am, gives you a chance to view a variety of herbivores in the park catching their first feed of the day. Also, you will be able to catch the predators on their way back to their hideouts. Thus, expect immense sights of Elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, oribis, impalas, lions, leopards, and many other exciting attractions. The game drive lasts at least 4 hours, after which you return to your lodge for breakfast.
During the nighttime game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you will have the opportunity to view a variety of nocturnal animals in the park catching their prey in the wild, such as lions, leopards, hyenas, etc. While in the park, you can also participate in nocturnal game drives, which will allow you to see how the park comes to life when the sun goes down. Among the notable bird species that can be seen during the night game drives are night jars.
Game drives in the Ishasha sector (Tree-climbing lions)
The Ishasha sector, located in the southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park, is one of just three spots in Africa where you can witness tree-climbing lions. The lions are said to have evolved this odd behavior for various reasons among which include; avoiding tsetse flies and the heat of the lower ground. Being perched on acacia and fig tree branches also helps them to spot their prey easily, since they can see them from a great height. Aside from the tree-climbing lions, there are also the Uganda Kobs, buffaloes, elephants, hippos, and zebras that can be viewed in this sector.
Experiential game drive
Tourists to Queen Elizabeth National Park can also engage in lion trekking, one of the most thrilling experiences in the Park. The experiential game drive allows visitors to visit the lion pride with the use of a radio collar, to understand their behavior and how they coexist with one another. You will learn how carnivores build their territories by urinating along the area they have defined for their territory, which helps to avoid other lion pride from raiding their territory. You may also observe female lions hunting in the wild while spending time with the carnivores.
Other pursuits in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge
Another protected region that offers good chimpanzee trekking experiences in Uganda is Kyambura Gorge. The rainforest is located in the far eastern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The 1-kilometer-long and 300-foot-deep “Valley of the Apes” canyon is bordered by huge savannah grasslands, rift valley craters, and the Rwenzori Mountains, which provide a brooding backdrop to the spectacular panorama. The gorge is home to chimpanzees, among other primates. Trekking chimpanzees down the steep slopes of the ravine, past the vines and gigantic fig trees, will transport you to an underground forest.
You’ll be wading through streams and crossing rivers in search of the chimp group; once there, you can spend an hour observing them feed, socialize, play, and go about their daily rudimentary activities. It’s like peering into a time machine and seeing Homo sapiens two million years ago. Chimpanzee permits for Kyambura cost USD 50 per person for foreign non-residents, USD 40 for foreign residents, and UGX 30,000 for East African Citizens. Every day, there are two guided chimp excursions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Boat Trips on Kazinga Channel
The boat cruise along the Kazinga channel is one of the highlights of a Uganda safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The boat cruise will allow you to see a variety of water birds in the park, including White-breasted Cormorants, Pied Kingfishers, Osprey, Double-tooth Barbet, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Familiar Chat, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, and Spot-flanked Barbet, African Fish Eagle, Pygmy Kingfisher, White-browed Coucal, Grey-capped Warbler Spur You will also see a variety of creatures, such as elephants, quenching their thirst from the bank. The channel, which joins Lake Edward and Lake George, is also a habitat for countless hippos and Nile crocodiles.
Birding
Participate in birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which will expose you to a variety of rewarding bird species. Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most memorable birding destinations in Uganda with over 612 recorded bird species. Among these include Spur-winged Geese, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen, Hadada Ibis, African Fish Eagle, Pygmy Kingfisher, White-browed Coucal, Grey-capped Warbler African Darter, African Wattled Lapwing, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Common Squacco Heron, Crowned Lapwing, and Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, to mention but a few.
