What Is Queen Elizabeth Famous For
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular and visited wildlife conservation area. The park lies in the western part of Uganda in the districts of Kamwenge, Rukingiri, Rubirizi and Kasese. Queen Elizabeth National park currently occupies an area of about 764 square miles. The park borders Uganda’s Kibale National Park and is an extension of Congo’s Virunga National Park. The Kyambura gorge, Maramagambo forest, Kazinga Channel, sections of Lake George and Edward are all part of the park. When it was established in 1952, the park was then known as Kazinga National Park. The visit of the British Queen Elizabeth II in the early 1950’s impressed the government after which the park was named in her honor.
Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the places that justify the description of Uganda being “the pearl of Africa”. The scenery is stunning with beautiful forests, woodlands, Savanna, swamps, lakes, rivers, craters, gorges and landscape. International visitors to this park will never run short of activities. In fact, they might find themselves struggling to complete all of them. However, Vibrant Holiday Safaris brings you what Queen Elizabeth National Park is famously known for;
Game Drives: This is the most popular activity allowing you to see 95 percent of the mammals you would see in the Serengeti but with better scenery and landscape that includes forests, savanna grasslands, swamp lands, acacia woods, crater lakes, gorges and the nearby Rwenzori Mountains. The 3-4 hour games drives start in the early morning to any of the three sectors – the Kasenyi plains (near Kazinga Channel), Ishasha sector (tree climbing lions) or the Katwe crater fields. The crater lakes region has beautiful landscape with large craters and salt lakes that were formed thousands of years ago. The crater floors are a water source that attracts elephant’s flamingos, flamingos and other creatures during the drier season. The Kasenyi plains in the northern part of the park are arguably the most scenic and best places to spot wildlife in Queen Elizabeth national park. The Uganda Kobs use the plains as breeding grounds. The plains also attract other antelope species, buffaloes, Elephants and predators like Hyenas and lions – making it a perfect place to watch the battles between the big cats and herbivorous animals.
Bird watching: Queen Elizabeth National Park is a top birding destination on Uganda. The full list of the birds in the park can be found at the Bird Observatory in Mweya. Birders on a tour of Queen Elizabeth National Park will be greatly impressed with numerous species inhabiting the forests like Budongo, the Kazinga Channel, the plains, craters and gorges like Kyambura.
During certain seasons of the year, millions of migratory birds come to escape the harsh winters in Europe making the park a true birders heaven. Among the bird species to look out for are the Yellow-backed, Yellow wagtails, Yellow throated Cuckoo, Yellow backed Weavers, Wood sandpipers, Winding and Carruther’s Cisticolas, White-winged Warbler, White-winged Terns, White-tailed Lark, White-faced Whistling, White and Abdim’s Storks, Whalberg’s Eagle, Water Thick-knee, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Swamp Fly-catcher, Spur-winged and African Wattled Plovers, Spotted Redshank, Slender-tailed Mourning Dove, Slender-billed, shoebill stork, Sedge warbles, Saddle-billed Storks, Ringed Plover, Red-chested Sunbirds, Pin-tailed Whydah, pink-backed pelican, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus canary, Open-billed Stork, Northern Pochard, Martial Eagle, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Little Stint, Lesser Masked Weavers, Lesser and
Greater Flamingo, Knob-billed Ducks, Jack Snipe, Grey-headed Kingfishers, Grey-headed Gull, Grey-capped Warbler, Grey Kestrel, Great-white and Pink-backed Pelicans, Greater Swamp and winged Warblers, Great white and Pink-backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars, Eurasian Wigeon, Curlew Sandpipers, Corncrake, Common Teal, Common Squaco Heron, Common Snipe, common sand Martins, common Greenshank, Collard Pranticles, Chapin’s flycatcher, Brown Snake Eagle, brimstone Canary, bright coloured Saddle-billed Stork, Black-tailed Godwit, black-rumped buttonquail, Black-headed Gonoleks, Black Crake, Black Bee-eater, Bateleur, Bar-tailed Godwit, African White-tailed Lark, African skimmer, African Open-billed Stork, African Mourning Dove, African Jacana, African Harrier Hawk, African Fish Eagle, African Broadbill, and African beautiful Black-headed Gonolek.
Launch Cruise: This boat cruise is organized along the Kazinga Channel which is one of the best places to view wildlife in Africa. This channel connects Lake George to Lake Edward and is the single point where most of the parks animals gather to drink, hunt and bathe. During the bird migration season, the species of birds found here are more than those found in North America. The sheer density and variety of wildlife at the Kazinga channel will impress even those who have already gone for several safaris elsewhere. Hippos, water birds and crocodiles rule the waters while elephants, antelopes and predators like leopards drink water in the shallow ends of the channel. Tickets for this activity are sold at the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya $30. The activity is organized in shifts throughout the day with an option of using the cheaper public boats of more expensive private boats owned by Mweya Safari lodge.
Tree Climbing Lions; The Queen Elizabeth national park hosts the rare tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. They are not a sub-species or any different from the lions found in Kasenyi sector or other national parks in Uganda.
It happens that the lions here have adapted to life spent climbing the numerous fig trees after hunting in the morning or during the afternoon heat. Scientists have not come up with a clear explanation of why these lions climb up the trees but there are theories that they do so because of the insects and parasites (like Tsetse flies) on the ground. Game drives are organized to the Ishasha sector with the main purpose of spotting the lions up on the trees. Apart from the lions, the Ishasha sector also has mammals like warthogs, buffaloes and elephants. The Ishasha sector is located near the highway leading to Bwindi and hence a perfect stopover for those intending to see the lions and gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable forest National Park.
Chimpanzee Trekking at the Kyambura Gorge: Chimpanzees are one of the most intriguing primates on earth. They are very intelligent compared to even the larger gorillas. Chimpanzees can be tracked at the Kyambura gorge of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Kyambura gorge is a depression/valley in the western section of the park that was created by the strong waters of river Kyambura. The Gorge is 16 Kilometers long, 100 meters deep and 500 meters wide. The gorge has now been covered by thick forests and water streams. This underground forest is home to several species of primates including baboons, Black-and-white Colobus and Red tailed monkeys.
From the viewing platform above the gorge, tourists can spot many of the creatures down on the tree tops in the vast valley. Visiting the gorge is not all about primates but also an opportunity to see birds, snakes, butterflies and other water bodies. It is also an opportunity to learn about vegetation/species found nowhere else on earth. The two to four hours Chimpanzee tracking at the Kyambura gorge costs $50 and only eight permits are issued out each day. All the chimpanzees in the valley are habituated and bookings are done at the Information Centre in Mweya. The chances of seeing chimps are very high in the morning though not compared to Kibale National Park. If you are interested in combing game drives and chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge, you should check out this 4 Days Queen Elizabeth National Park package.
Nature Walks at the Maramagambo Forest: Visiting Maramagambo forest is very popular especially with birders. Nature walks are organized in this large forest using established trails to learn about forest conservation while also spotting small crater lakes, birds, primates and other forest creatures.
Talking about primates, Maramagambo forest has about 9 species of primates including chimpanzees, L’Hoest’s monkeys, Vervet monkeys, bush baby, red-tailed monkeys and baboons. One of the trails leads to a group of caves that are home to thousands of bats. These bats attract large rock pythons that love to feed on them. It is possible to spot both the bats and pythons from a safe viewing area. The chimpanzees found in Maramagamono are not yet fully habituated but can still be sighted during long walks to the forest interior. A guided walk to Maramagambo forest costs $30.
Visiting the Lake Katwe Salt Mines: Lake Katwe is one of the few salt lakes in East Africa. The lake has no wildlife because of the high salinity. Despite that, the area around the lake is a beehive of activity especially during the dry season as villages gather to remove salt from the milky waters. Salt mining has survived in Katwe for centuries and was once very lucrative until other sources and methods of mining where discovered. Most of the salt used in Ugandan homes originates from Lake Katwe. Salt is still mined traditionally using hands despite the dangers posed by the toxic saline waters. A visit to the mines allows tourists to learn about the salt mining industry while also interacting with the local mining community. Most of the salt is sold to manufactures while the rest is taken home by the miners.
Cultural Tours: A trip to Africa and Uganda in particular is incomplete without visiting one of the local tribes. While on a safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park, an arrangement can be made to visit the Kikorongo Equator Cultural group to watch and participate in traditional dances, drama, and fire-making.
While with the Kikorongo Equator Cultural group, visitors can be taught how to make local art and craft – like weaving baskets using natural fibers. Many of these artifacts are available for sale at reasonable prices. After visiting the group, the leaders can take visitors to individual families to learn about how the locals, cook, manage their gardens, make household items and build grass thatched houses. The opportunities for cultural experiences are numerous with almost every lodge and hotel arranging their own tours for their residents. The Kikorongo cultural group is often called to perform at the lodges in the park. Other cultural encounters include the Katwe Village Walk, local school walks or visiting the Nyanz’ibiri Cave Community.
Wildlife Conservation and Research Tours: Due to high demand from wildlife enthusiastic, the Uganda Wildlife Authority introduced research tours to learn about wildlife conservation programmes while also allowing tourists close encounters with wildlife. One of the most popular activities is lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park arranged by the Uganda Carnivore Program in close cooperation with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
During this activity the big cats are followed using radio collars inserted around their neck. The tourists watch as researchers and park staffs treat the cats and monitor their movements. During the tracking, other cats like leopards and hyenas can also be spotted. Only a few people are allowed to track the lions on a given day and booking should be done in advance. Apart from the lions, there is also mongoose tracking in the Mweya peninsula which costs $30. Tourists who are lucky may also be given an opportunity to take part in periodic animal censuses at a fee of about $100.
Hot Air Balloon Rides: Hot Air Balloon safaris are a recent introduction borrowed from Murchison Falls National Park. The activity starts very early in the morning with briefing at the Kasenyi gate of the park. The ride gives breathtaking views of all the park animals from the air with amazing opportunities to take stunning aerial photos of the beautiful park.
What Is Queen Elizabeth Famous For