What is the Most Famous National Park in Uganda?

What is the Most Famous National Park in Uganda?

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most famous park in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park is in southwest Uganda, about 400 km from Kampala, the park lies against the back of Mountain Rwenzori with stunning and panoramic views that are made up of various crater lakes. A top birding destination for bird watchers with over 150 bird species.  It is known for its biodiversity, big cats, and variety of habitats. The habitats include savanna, acacia, woodlands, tropical forests, wetlands, and crater lakes. Well known for the famous tree-climbing lions. The wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park includes, but not the least, hippos, elephants, buffalos, warthogs, leopards, and antelopes. The best time to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park is all year round, but the best experiences are from June to September and December to January.

Things to do and see in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park has a plethora of attractions and activities to engage in. Some of these include the following but are not limited to.

Game viewing

During the game drive activity, one gets a chance to view various animals, including giraffes, hippos, flamingoes, elephants, pelicans, leopards, and reptiles. Game viewing is the perfect time to spot the various wildlife species going about with their daily chores. The game drives are done in the safety and comfort of your safari vehicle.

Kalinzu Forest

This forest offers rewarding chimpanzee trekking experiences, and it is located on the southeastern corner of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kalinzu Forest Reserve is well known for homing the chimpanzees with other wildlife, including birds and other small mammals. Chimpanzee tracking in Kalinzu forest is becoming a popular activity for wildlife seekers and adventure enthusiasts. This forest is home to about 70 habituated individuals who are used to human presence, and this makes it easier for visitors to observe them.

Kyambura Gorge

This is the most magnificent valley of apes in Queen Elizabeth National Park and is drained by river Kyambura. It was formed by the disorderly waters of river Kyambura. This verdant forested 100-meter-deep valley is home to a large number of primates and is popular for chimpanzee tracking in Uganda. Kyambura Gorge contains a tropical rainforest and spans around 157 square kilometers with an 8-kilometer strip that grew along the Kyambura river banks to connect the gorge and the Kashoya-Kitomi forest reserve.

Tree-climbing lions in Ishasha

With just two populations of these unique lions in the whole world, explore the southern Ishasha sector to track these lions commonly seen up in the acacia trees. While at the park, you will be amazed by the beautiful scenes of lions up in the fig and cactus trees. It is hard to believe that a huge lion weighing over 150-200 kilograms can climb a tree, but at Queen Elizabeth National Park, it is the reality. This behavior of tree-climbing began not very long ago after the lions were irritated by the bites from small ground insects.

Kazinga channel

This is a 32km long natural water channel that connects Lake Edward to Lake George and is home to a large number of hippos, Nile crocodiles, and elephants, which can be seen on the Kazinga boat cruise. It’s a major attraction as tourists take a boat cruise across its shores for magnificent wildlife sightings.

Kasenyi Plains

These plains are in the northeastern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and are visited by tourists on a safari as they are home to a very large number of antelopes, large predators, kobs, and lions. These plains have endless views of savanna. Kasenyi plains comprise the Kazinga channel, where one can take a boat cruise at noon and come close to the crocodiles and hippos, elephants are seen bathing in water.

Bird watching

For birding enthusiasts, Queen Elizabeth National Park has got you covered. With as many as 600 bird species housed in the park, there are incredible chances to spot a variety of them. Just like the trekking and tracking activities, bird watching involves walking along chosen birding trails while in search of bird species. Some of the birds here include; Pink-backed pelicans, black-headed gonolek, red-chested sunbirds, and African skimmers.

Lake Katwe

Located north of Mweya Peninsular as they are the highest elevation within the park. In this part of the peninsular, you get to see the great rift valley of East Africa and escarpments. It has been a source of rock salt for many years. Salt mining is the major activity and source of income for the surrounding community.  Visitors visit to learn and look at the lake with the bad smell because of its sulfurous chemicals, which form the salt. After a long, busy day, there is a need to rest and relax. Queen Elizabeth National Park has all the comfortable accommodation facilities. They range from luxury mid-range to budget lodges.

Other national parks in Uganda

Other than the famous Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda has other national parks that can be visited, with each park having unique attractions. These include the following.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is the biggest and oldest national park in Uganda, located in the northwestern part of Uganda. The park is known as a habitat for various wildlife, such as crocodiles, hippos, lions, giraffes, and elephants, as well as over 450 bird species. The park hosts the world’s strongest waterfall, Murchison Falls. This is one of the major tourist attractions in the park.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Housing the mountain gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is ranked among the two destinations in Uganda where one can go for a gorilla trekking safari in the pearl of Africa. Plus, the national park is home to thousands of wildlife. Other activities done in the park include bird watching, butterfly watching, nature walks, and primates. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park hosts more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population remaining in the wild.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Home to the great Mountains of the Moon, it’s in the western region of Uganda along the Uganda- Congo border. Visitors to Rwenzori Park can embark on multi-day treks to the summit of the mountain using different trails. The highest point is Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley, making it Africa’s highest peak.

Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest and closed of all of Uganda’s national parks. Located between Kampala and Mbarara city, the park offers an accessible yet immersive safari. Despite its size, wetlands cover half of the park’s surface. A 50 km long wetland system connected by swamps and five lakes within the park’s borders. The Park is a haven for wildlife and birds. Additionally, Lake Mburo supports diverse ecosystems. These support a variety of wildlife, birds, and aquatic species, making the park a must-visit destination for nature lovers.