Queen Elizabeth National Park
Overview
Uganda Parks
Philip is a renowned Africa expert and author of many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Bradt guide to Uganda.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular savannah reserve and has the widest variety of wildlife of any Ugandan park. The variety of habitats includes grassland savannah, forests, wetlands and lakes. This provides the setting for an extensive range of large mammals and primates. Four of the Big Five are present (rhino are absent) and chimp tracking is available.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
This is the most reliable park in Uganda for lion, which is particularly common on the grassy Kasenyi Plains, but is more famous for its tree-climbing antics in the Ishasha sector. Huge herds of buffalo and elephant are found in the savannah areas of the park, and an amazing number of hippo inhabit the Kazinga Channel on which daily boat trips are conducted.
Scenery
The park is set against a backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains. Additional scenic points are Kazinga Channel between Lake Edward and Lake George and at least 10 crater lakes. The most accessible part of the park is open savannah, but large forest areas are open to the public. These include the forested Kyambura Gorge and the extensive Maramagambo forest in the southeast.
Weather & Climate
Queen Elizabeth National Park’s nearness to the equator ensures uniformly warm temperatures throughout the year. Heavy rain that makes some roads impassable is a feature of the region’s two Wet seasons (March to May and August to December). Although there’s no official Dry season, the rainfall decreases somewhat – though rarely entirely – from January to February and June to July.
Best Time To Visit
Brief but drenching rainstorms often characterize the days of the Wet seasons (March to May and August to December), but this is also when the park’s environment is beautifully lush and you can greet migratory birds as they pass through. For chimpanzee trekking, though, visit when the park’s trails are more solid underfoot in the drier months.
Want To Visit Queen Elizabeth NP?
Safari Tours to Queen Elizabeth NP
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![14-Day Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzees and Wildlife Safari]()
14-Day Uganda Gorilla Chimpanzees and Wildlife Safari
$4,070 pp (USD)
Uganda: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Entebbe (Start), Sipi Falls (Highlight), Kidepo Valley NP, Murchison Falls NP, Ziwa Rhino and Wildlife Ranch, Kibale NP (Chimps), Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP (Gorillas), Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mburo NP, Entebbe (End)
Dav Safaris
5.0/5 – 100 Reviews
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![5-Day Gorilla and Chimps Safari]()
5-Day Gorilla and Chimps Safari
$1,925 pp (USD)
Uganda: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle)
Mid-range Lodge & ResortYou Visit: Kampala (Start), Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP (Gorillas), Kampala (City), Entebbe (End)
Buyaga Safaris
4.9/5 – 79 Reviews
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![12-Day Gorillas, Chimps & Wildlife Epic Safari]()
12-Day Gorillas, Chimps & Wildlife Epic Safari
$3,299 pp (USD)
Uganda: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Guest HouseYou Visit: Entebbe (Start), Murchison Falls NP, Kibale NP (Chimps), Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP (Gorillas), Lake Mburo NP, Jinja (Town), Entebbe (End)
Kajie Safaris
5.0/5 – 124 Reviews
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