Queen Elizabeth National Park

Affectionately known as the QEII, the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda offers an East African game park with crater-dotted hills and open grassland. It supports an abundance of wildlife, including elephant, lion, leopard and the unique Ugandan antelope, the Uganda kob. The Kazinga Channel is said to contain the world's largest concentration of hippos and numerous Nile crocodiles – all easily viewed from a boat cruise. The park is home to more than a quarter of Africa’s total birdlife. With more than 600 species of bird within its borders, the park is a bird watcher’s paradise!

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest national park in Uganda at 1,978 sq.km and lies north and south of the equator to the south west of Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park together with Kyambura and Kigezi wildlife reserve form one of the diverse ecosystems in Africa. The melting glacier waters of the Rwenzori Mountains create a vast wetland system comprising of two main lakes, George and Edward as well as the connecting Kazinga channel.

It is a world bio-sphere reserve (UNESCO, 1979) includes a RAMSAR wetland site and is a classified Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. QENP has 600 of Uganda's 1017 species of birds (over a quarter of Africa's bird species), more than any other park in Africa.
In the Queen Elizabeth Park you may see crater lakes filled with huge flocks of flamingos. You will spot eagles soaring and vultures perching.
You will view lions relaxing and elephants ambling and giant forest hog snuffling. And, in its lakes you'll see hippos swimming and kingfishers darting. Any visitor to this park cannot fail to be amazed by the enormous diversity in each kingdom of creation. It's simply a visual feast. Take a boat trip, a game drive, a woodland walk or simply enjoy any of the myriad stunning views.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park provides an unforgettable and unique experience.

Location

Queen Elizabeth National Park is situated astride the Equator in the Western Rift Valley of South West Uganda, close to the Southern most tip of the tabled, mist covered "Mountains of the Moon - Rwenzori Mountains and is contiguous with Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire).
It is a region of varied habitats including, open grassland with thickets, thick bush, forest, swamps and lake-shore. Queen Elizabeth National Park together with Virunga National Park in (DRC) completely encircle Lake Edward which is connected to Lake George by the Kazinga Channel.

Attractions
Launch trips on Kazinga Channel down the shore of Lake Edward provides a unique vantage for viewing savannah wildlife. A launch trip starts at Mweya the park headquarters along the Kazinga Channel, which joins Lake Edward and Lake George. Truly, this is among the most exciting and memorable experience offered by the Park. While on the trip expect to be thrilled by yawning hippos and a closer view of water birds along the shores.
In the southern part of the park is the Ishasha Sector with substantial tree climbing lions found perched on savannah fig trees. The concentration of game in its savannah setting, Lake Edward and River Ishasha flats, Ishasha and riverine forest, Hippo Pool and Congo escarpment provides splendid scenery. Ishasha Sector is known for its expansive savannah landscape teeming with a variety of wildlife possibly due to its continuity cross border migration of wildlife. "Missing Ishasha is simply missing QENP".
Access
By road, the Park Headquarters is 64 kms from Kasese, which is 418 kms from Kampala via Mbarara and Katunguru. The journey takes approximately 6 hours. Air charter services are possible to the landing strip near Mweya Safari Lodge, Kasese Aerodrome and Ishasha Sector Airstrip.

Accommodation
Mweya Safari Lodge built on a peninsular and almost surrounded by water has stunning views of this magnificent panorama. A luxury lodge in the old style with a restaurant, bar, a terrace, suit bedrooms, conference theatre and swimming pool. The bedrooms are self contained with such comfort that one could ever need! The lodge is located in the prime area for the park’s attraction; it is the door gate for the entire of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The Jacana Safari Lodge is situated on the margin of Maramagambo Forest close to Lake Nyamusingiri and Kyasanduka. The log cabins built in an African way stretch from the woods up to the great views of Lake Nyamusingiri and the forest. Above all, these cabins are self contained. There is a restaurant, waterside bar, swimming pool and offers a boat trip on Lake Nyamusingiri which is encircled by a blanket of forest.
Ishasha Sector is served with accommodation facilities like the bandas, the camp sites (3) and the tented bush camp. At the tented Bush Camp, accommodation and meals are provided.

Wildlife
The checklist of mammals of QENP includes 66 species. The larger mammalian fauna of the park is characterized by a few species furnishing an exceptionally high biomass. During the late 1960s, the biomass densities recorded from the park exceeded those published for any wildlife community anywhere in the world. To date, the Park main biomass contributors includes: hippotamus, leopard, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, topi, bushbucks, waterbucks, rare giant forest hogs, advarks, porcupines, pangolins, bush pigs, and warthogs, lions, hyenas, civets, etc.

The Nile Crocodiles can be sighted along the Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward. African rock python, monitor lizards, spitting cobra, buffer adder, black mamba, Gabon viper, green snakes can be sighted.