What to Do

What to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the 10 national parks in Uganda. It has a variety of wildlife, that is to say, it is a home to over 95 mammal species, 600 bird species, 10 primate species and a number of tree species. Queen Elizabeth National Park can be accessed by road or flight. It is strategically located in the western part of Uganda in the districts of Kasese, Bushenyi, Kamwenge and Rukungiri.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is under the management of Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lake Katwe, Kazinga Channel, Lake George and many more are some of the water bodies within Queen Elizabeth National Park. It offers a variety of activities to tourists who come to visit it from different places in the world.

Activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park

• Lion tracking

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, lion tracking is carried out in the Ishasha sector, which is located in the south-western part of the park. The Ishasha sector is a habitat of the tree climbing lions that are over 50 in number. They can be spotted on acacia trees within the Ishasha sector. Lion tracking takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on the location of these lions. This activity takes place either in the early morning or the afternoon and rarely at night. It is done after a briefing from the park guides, and later, visitors can proceed to carry out this activity during a game drive.

• Bird watching

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the best spots for birding in Uganda. It is a habitat for over 600 bird species, including the forest dwellers, aquatic birds, migratory birds, woodland birds and many more. Bird watching is one of the main activities carried out in Queen Elizabeth National Park and is carried out in various places in the park, that is to say, Kazinga Channel, Kasenyi Plains, Ishasha sector, Mweya peninsular and many more. Some of the bird species in Queen Elizabeth National Park include African fish eagle, African jacana, Egyptian goose, African wattle plover, martial eagle and many more.

• Chimpanzee tracking

Chimpanzee tracking is done in Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is located in the north-eastern part of the park and is part of the Kyambura Game Reserve. Kyambura Gorge is home to chimpanzees in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Chimpanzee tracking is not easy, based on the location of these primates in the Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This activity takes approximately 2 to 3 hours. Chimpanzee tracking is done all year, though it is advisable to carry out this activity during the dry season because the trails are passable, making it convenient for tourists.

• Mongoose tracking

Mongoose tracking is carried out in the Mweya peninsular in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Mweya peninsular is located in Kasese district in the Rwenzururu sub-region on the northern bank of the Kazinga Channel. Mweya peninsular is home to over 400 mongoose. Mongoose tracking is done the whole year in Queen Elizabeth National Park, though it is more convenient to do it during the dry season because the trails are passable. This activity takes approximately 1 to 3 hours. The mongoose in Mweya Peninsula in Queen Elizabeth National Park feeds on rodents, insects, reptiles, birds, and frogs and feeds on fruits as well.

• Boat cruise

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, boat cruises are carried out on the Kazinga Channel, which is located within the park. These boat rides take approximately 2 to 3 hours. This activity is done either from 9:00 am to 11:00 am or from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. While on a boat ride, a visitor gets a chance to spot the hippos that are in large numbers around the Kazinga channel, though there are also other animals like the buffaloes, elephants and many more. There are also a variety of water bird species that are most likely to be seen, for example, the African skimmer, African fish eagle, yellow billed stork, little bee-eater, blue-napped mousebird, grey-capped warbler and many more.

• Game drives

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drives are one of the top activities done by tourists who visit the park. Game drives are done throughout the year in Queen Elizabeth National Park, though the best time to visit the park for game drives is during the dry season, when the trails are dry, unlike in the wet season, when the trails are slippery. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park start in the morning at around 6:30 am or at 2:00 pm, or at night. The game drives exceed a duration of 4 hours. Game drives are mostly done in Ishasha plain, Mweya peninsular, and Kasenyi plains in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

• Nature walks

Nature walks are one of the activities carried out in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nature walks are done by visitors through hiking to various places in the park on foot. This allows them to spot various animal and bird species at a closer distance, plus different tree species within the park. Nature walks are done in places like Mweya peninsula, Maramagambo forest and many more within Queen Elizabeth National Park. Visitors follow the trails in the park while on a nature walk. These trails are less slippery and passable during the dry season, making it the best time to carry out nature walks, though it is a whole year.

• Cultural tours

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, cultural tours are carried out in places like Nyanz’ibiri Cave Community, Kikorongo Women’s Community, Leopards Village and many more. These are cultural sites in Queen Elizabeth National Park where visitors engage with the people in these areas and get to know more about them. The local people demonstrate their cultural dances along with folk songs to the visitors, and they sell them some items they make out of craft, like necklaces, bracelets and many more. They explain more about their cultures and traditions, creating awareness among the visitors. This experience enables visitors to interact fully with the locals and create beautiful memories with them.