Highlights of the tour
- A Game drive at Kasenyi plains
- Boat cruise at the Kazinga channel
- Stopping at the equator crossing
2 days Queen Elizabeth safari takes you to the second largest game park in Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular and visited wildlife conservation area because of its amazing scenery, primates, wildlife and birds. It stands out from Murchison falls National Park because of its spectacular scenery and landscape consisting of green rolling hills, crater lakes, forests, wetlands, savannah, woodlands, the kazinga channel and great sight of the Rwenzori ranges of mountains. Queen Elizabeth National was established in 1952 and covers an area of 1,978 square kilometers. The Park benefits from its location along Uganda’s rain corridor which keep its relatively green for much of the year.
Its initial name was Kazinga National Park but was changed to Queen Elizabeth national park in 1954 in memory of the Queens visit to the park. Queen Elizabeth is home to over 600 species of birds, 95 of mammals and 10 primates. Chimpanzees are the most popular primates in the park and can be spotted in Maramagambo forest or the Kyambura Gorge. The chimps in Maramagambo are not habituated but those in Kyambura gorge are. Queen Elizabeth national park is arguably the best place to spot tree climbing lions in the world. It is also hope to one of the largest collection of hippos on earth. The Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park has been described as one of the best places to view wildlife in Africa. While on a boat cruise at the Kazinga channel, one can spot lions, the Uganda Kob, Elephants, buffaloes, hyenas and leopards among many other creatures. Queen Elizabeth is the closest safari park to the mountain gorillas. By safari park, I mean one offering the possibility of going for a game drive to view most of the big five mammals. It is possible to combine gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Rwanda with a visit to spot 4 of the big 5 in Queen Elizabeth National park. Moreover, while on the park one can visit the Katwe Crater lake and observe the local people mining salt using their hands. Queen Elizabeth National park also provides opportunities for a cultural encounter with one of the local tribes or families living close to the park. During these cultural encounters, you can learn how the national park has impacted on the lives of the local communities as they showcase their cultural heritage through traditional dances, music and drama. For a longer safari and see more of the park, you can check our 4 Days Queen Elizabeth safari Package. We also have the 5 days Queen Elizabeth tour package.
You will reach the park around early in the afternoon. Check into your hotel if time allows or go straight for the afternoon boat cruise at the Kazinga channel. The Kazinga channel has one of the largest collection of hippos in Africa. It is a birders paradise with countless water, resident and migratory birds. Prepare for a treat as you spot buffaloes, crocodiles, elephants and hippos bathing by the water channel. Watch out for birds like pelicans, the Knob-billed Duck, African Jacana, yellow wagtail, common squacco Herons, flamingos, kingfishers, saddle-billed stork and the famous Shoebill Stork. You will also catch sights of primates like red tailed monkeys, white and black colobus monkey, olive baboons and vervet monkey.
the best places to go for a game drive while on a Uganda safari. The peninsula is raised hence allowing you to have good views of the vast savanna, the animals, lake Katwe, Lake Edward and George. Expect to see hyenas, leopards, buffaloes, mongooses, elephants, the Uganda Kob, lions, warthogs, waterbucks and other types of antelopes. As you enjoy the game drive, watch out for the African skimmer, black-rumped buttonquails, black bee eater, the Chapins flycatcher, fish eagles, martial eagles, verreaux’s eagle owls, the white tailed lark and Pink-backed pelicans.
