Queen Elizabeth National Park

Africa's Postcard

If you want to see Lions, elephants, hippos, crocs against a beautiful african backdrop, this is your place. It isn't particularly easy to travel through independently (i.e. get there by bus etc), but certainly possible. Once there hiring a local guide is the best thing to do. We caught a taxi to Katunguru, then hired a guide called Mustafa (who is well known in the area, and is listed in the Bradt travel guide). He was fantastic, would very much recommend going with him.

The most visited National Park in Uganda, definitely deserves a visit

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most visited National Park in Uganda. Located on the Western Region, the Park occupies more then 1,900 square kilometers. I started early morning with a Game Drive in the plains. Beautiful scenery and I had the chance to see some lions and lots of monkeys. I strongly recommend a visit to Kawe village were Salt mining is done for centuries. The highlight of the day was the cruise where you can see all kinds of wildlife. Elephants, crocodiles, rhinos, the list goes on...If you visit the Western area of Uganda, don't miss this beautiful National Park.

Very nice park with a lot of real wildlife
You will see many animals and an incredible number of birds..

Huge park, lots of game, the boattrip (3AM/UWA) is amazing. The lion tracking is worth doing: you get to see lions up close (inquire with UWA) - Uganda Large Predator Project (ULPP)

AMAZING!!!!

We absolutely loved QENP! beautiful scenery and great wildlife! saw a whole pride of lions in a fig tree!!

A beautiful destination for the nature lover who prefers rugged safari without the luxuries

This my second visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park. On my first visit I went on the game drive on the Mweya side and stayed at Mweya lodge which was great. Everything was rated for. Three wholesome meals and great accommodation. I took a boat tour down the Kazinga Channel where I was able to see a lot of game on the lake shore. Which includes Hippos, Elephants, Baffaloes, Crocodiles, and Birds (African Fish Eagles, Pied Kingfishers, Goliath herons, Pelicans, Spoon Bills, Jacanas etc)

My visit this time was at the Kisenyi gate. I stayed in more budget accommodation at the Njovu lodge near Lake Katwe. It was good for the price. I was able to hire a guide through the lodge as I was driving myself. I finally saw three female lioness' which I hadn't seen the first time, and more of the regular game of which included Elephants, Water buck, Uganda Kob, Buffaloes. I was also able to see Flamingoes which I hadn't before at Lake Katwe literally hundreds of them. It was well worth the visit. One needs to remember that every visit is different, and you always see something new every time you go.

Good gamedrives, nice weather. Went on a very good boatdrive on the Kazinga channel with lots of animals.

Picturesque views, great camping and a perfect layover between seeing chimps and gorillas

As far as traditional, savannah type game parks, QENP is one of Uganda's few options. The park's beauty and open landscape is a nice change from the more typical forests in the south west of the country, however, in many respects - e.g. wildlife and vastness - QENP lags far behind parks in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania. But if you were looking for the standard safari experience you probably wouldn't be looking at Uganda in the first place!

QENP is definitely worth a visit and it's location between Kibale and Bwindi/Mgahinga make it an ideal place to spend a night between seeing the more impressive chimps and gorillas of the other parks. Because the wildlife is rather sparse in the park, grab a guide from the front gate if you must see the leopards and lions, otherwise do what we did and take a relaxing drive through the many tracks along the craters to enjoy the scenery while searching for the herds of elephants, buffalo and other animals.

As for accommodation, I highly recommend camping inside the park if you have the gear - great views, inexpensive and a nice way to experience the park. Don't worry about breakfast as there is a restaurant about 5 minutes from the campsite with an amazing view over the lake.

Considering this isn't Uganda's forte, the park offers some surprising moments and picturesque views. As long as you're not expecting the Maasai Mara, it will add to your experience of the country.

Queen Elizabeth National Park was a fantastic place to visit and to see all the wildlife including lions, elephants, various antelope along with so much birdlife complimented the fabulous views seen at dawn as the sun rose.

A crash course in biriding

QENP does have some elephants and cats, but not as many as the bigger parks in East Africa. We were not birders before this trip, but you cannot help to be one here. The diversity is so great, you are sure to find a new bird wherever you look. It is relatively quiet compared to the parks in Tanzania. There are other vehicles, but not as many as you would see in Tanzania.