Queen Elizabeth National Park

The history of Queen Elizabeth National Park is interesting: in 1925, the department for Elephant control was set up to stop the elephant from marauding villages and destroying cultivation- the overall aim being to keep them within certain boundaries, protecting both elephants and people. As a result, a series of game reserves, sanctuaries and National parks were established over the years. Across the border in the Congo, Parc National des Virunga was designated in 1925 by the Belgian colonial authorities, and pressure to protect the adjoining ecosystem in Uganda led to the establishment of lake George game reserve and Lake Edward Game Reserve in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Several geographic and name changes followed, and Queen Elizabeth National park eventually gazzetted in 1952, encompassing 1,978 square kilometers

Geography

Since its inception, the protected area has grown. Set in the western Rift Valley now covers just over 2500 square kilometers, encompassing Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kyambura wildlife reserve and Kigezi wildlife reserve. This protected area runs from the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains in the north to the Ishasha border post in the south, and falls within 5 district administration: Kabarole, Kasese, Bushenyi, Rukungiri and Kanungu.

The Queen Elizabeth protected area encompasses a wide variety of habitats ranging from savanna and wetlands to riverine and lowland forest. In this wonderfully diverse ecosystem, water is what seems to dominate the landscape, with 250 kilometers of lakeshores. Lake Edward, the kazinga channel, Lake George, the Ishasha River and series of crater lakes provide a rich habitat for both mammals and birds, offering wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities for the visitors, and spectacular scenery and landscape

Mammals and Birds
Queen Elizabeth park has more mammal species than any other park in Uganda, with 95 recorded species, including both savanna and forest species. There are elephant, buffalo, hippo, mongoose and warthog, 10 primate species including chimpanzee, black and white Columbus monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed and vervet monkey, nearly 20 predators species including lions, leopard, spotted hyena and side striped jackal, and numerous antelope species include the Uganda kob, bushbuck, water buck, topi, the shy and elusive semi-aquatic sitatunga and four species of duiker.  The buffalo and elephant found queen Elizabeth are a reflection of two key habitats coming in together. Many of the buffalo are reddish color, which is likely due to interbreeding with the Congolese rainforest sub species, and many of the elephant resemble the smaller forest dwelling species.

Birding
Bird life is abundant in Queen Elizabeth. It is said that the vast bird diversity 611recorded species at last officially count- is among the highest for any national park in the world. The parks location straddles several different ecosystems common to both East and central Africa, and is home to a myriad of species, including Albertine Rift endemics and many migrants. A bird observatory was established in 1997 to study resident and migratory birds in the park, with a particular emphasis on the annual bird migration along the Albertine rift valley.

SECTORS

The Kazinga Channel Area is the main hub of the protected area. The launch for the cruise along the Kazinga channel is situated here, which is a wonderful way to see hippo, buffalo, kob and the occasional Nile crocodile. This trip also offers spectacular bird viewing opportunities. The park authorities head quarters are situated in this sector, as is Mweya Safari Lodge and a number of wildlife trials and tracks.

Kyambura Wildlife Reserve. Kyambura gorge is the natural home of habituated chimpanzees and visitors can partake in daily-guided walks through the gorge.

Ishasha, also known as the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth, has been referred to as one of the most alluring game viewing areas in East Africa famous for its tree-climbing lions.
Maramagambo Forest
The Maramagambo forest, stretches up to the eastern escarpment and provides cool respite from the equatorial sun and offers a different sort of wildlife, including wild chimpanzees, enormous pythons and colonies of cave-dwelling fruit bats. Several forest trails have been established for walking and it is possible to rent canoes to paddle on lake Nyamusingiri. Jacana lodge is set on the edge of this lake. This forest is a valuable representative sample of east African medium altitude semi-deciduous forest, which is becoming increasingly scarce.

Wildlife viewing drives
There are a number of trials through the protected area designed for wildlife viewing. It is advisable to drive these trails in the early morning and early evening for the best viewing opportunities

Queen’s mile: Links the channel track to the main road, and intersect the royal circuit and the link track. This route can yield elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog, bushbuck, and leopard

Kasenyi track: is accessible by crossing the main Kampala -Kasese road. This is where the main kob leks (mating grounds) are located which also provides excellent opportunity for viewing lion.
Down in Ishasha, the southern circuit trial is where most of the large fig trees are found, providing the best opportunity for seeing climbing loins. The Northern circuit is similar but longer, and provides beautiful scenery and wonderful bird watching.

Access

There are two main routes from Kampala, both of which work well for visiting queen Elizabeth either as part of longer itinerary or as a stand lone destination.
The first route is the Fort portal road, which goes via Mityana and Mubende. This is also the road to Kibale, Rwenzori and Semliki.
The second is slightly longer via Masaka and Mbarara. This is also the main route for lake Mburo national park, Bwindi and Mgahinga. The park is also accessible from the south, coming through Ishasha from kabala or Bwindi, via Kihihi. For flying safaris, there are two airstrips in Queen. One Ishasha and one in Mweya area.