Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park
Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park : Game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park is among the activities to do while on safari around the destination.
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in the south western part of Uganda and there are various wildlife species which can be seen in different parts of the national park including the Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsula, ishasha sector, Kazinga channel and also the Kyambura gorge.
Some of the wildlife species which can be seen around Queen Elizabeth national park during game viewing include four of the big five such as elephants, lions, buffalos and leopards. The national park is also famous for tree climbing lions.
During game viewing experiences in Queen Elizabeth national park, activities which tourists can take part in include game drives in the morning and afternoon, lion tracking, chimpanzee tracking experiences, bird watching, boat rides and also guided nature walks.
The type of vehicles used during game viewing around Queen Elizabeth national park are 4×4 vehicles which can be hired from car hire companies. There are also vehicles operated by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) which are used during game drives in the national park.
Certain rules and regulations are put in place to be followed during game viewing around Queen Elizabeth national park and they include no littering, avoiding noise, no disturbing the wildlife, driving within the speed limit of 40 kilometers per hour, avoiding driving off the tracks.
The best time for game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park is during the dry season around June to October and also around December, January and February when wildlife species can be seen during safaris around the savannah plains.
- Kasenyi plains
The Kasenyi plains consists of open savannah plains and is home to a variety of wildlife species in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Game drives are part of the exciting activities to do around Kasenyi area and some of the wildlife species to see around this area include elephants, buffalos, impalas, kobs, lions, waterbucks, hippos, bushbucks among others.
These game drives can be done in the morning or in the afternoon during safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park. Another activity which is done around the Kasenyi plains is the lion tracking experience.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is an activity which involves searching for the lions in the wilderness, observing their behavior and spending time with them which takes about 3 hours.
- Ishasha sector
The Ishasha sector is another place to visit during game viewing in Queen Elizabeth national park and is home of the tree climbing lions in Uganda.
The tree climbing lions are a unique attraction in the national park and can be seen in the acacia trees during safaris. There are different reasons which explain this behavior among the lions including hiding from insects and getting shade from the sun.
- Mweya peninsular
The Mweya peninsular is another place to visit in Queen Elizabeth national park and is found on the northern part of Kazinga channel.
Many wildlife species can be seen around the Mweya area including herds of elephants, different antelope species and bird species. Driving through the Mweya area leads to the Kazinga channel where boat rides are carried out during wildlife safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park.
- Kazinga channel
The Kazinga channel is known for boat safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park during game viewing experiences at the destination. Lake Edward and Lake George meet to form the Kazinga channel.
The boat rides take about 2 hours and during this activity, wildlife species such as elephants, buffalos, hippos and also Nile crocodiles can be seen along the water shores and also different bird species like African fish eagles, cormorants among others.
Boat safaris on Kazinga channel can be done in the morning and also in the afternoon.
- Kyambura gorge
The Kyambura gorge is the place in Queen Elizabeth national park where chimpanzees can be seen during safaris.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge takes about 3 hours and can be done in the morning and afternoon in the company of ranger guides after a short briefing. The Kyambura gorge has amazing views and is home to other primates in the forest.
Guided nature walks can also be done around the Kyambura gorge.
Park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth national park
Park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth national park are charged differently for Foreign nonresidents, foreign residents and East Africans.
Foreign nonresident adults are charged 40 USD as park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth national park and children aged between 5 and 15 years pay entrance fee of 20 USD.
Foreign residents visiting Queen Elizabeth national park are charged park entrance fee of 30 USD for adults and 10 USD for children.
East Africans visiting Queen Elizabeth national park are charged park entrance fees of 20,000 Uganda shillings for adults and 5,000 Uganda shillings.
Children below the age of 5 years are not charged park entrance fees to visit Queen Elizabeth national park.
Apart from park entrance fees charged during tours around Queen Elizabeth national park, vehicle fees are also charged per entry into the national park and this is about 30,000 Uganda shillings for tour company vehicles.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 100 USD for foreign nonresidents, 80 USD for foreign residents and 100,000 Uganda shillings.
Boat rides in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 30 USD for foreign nonresidents and foreign residents and 30,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
Chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 50 USD for foreign nonresidents, 40 USD for foreign residents and 30,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
Places to stay around Queen Elizabeth national park
There are different accommodation facilities around Queen Elizabeth national park include luxury, midrange and budget lodges as well as campsites.
Some of the accommodations in Queen Elizabeth national park include Parkview safari lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Elephant hub lodge, Buffalo safari lodge, Elephant plains lodge, Pumba safari lodge, Enganzi lodge among others.
