Queen Elizabeth National Park – more bird species than any other African national park!
Queen Elizabeth is the park that the Muzungu knows best, thanks to my volunteering with the Uganda Conservation Foundation.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has the highest recorded number of birds of any of Uganda’s national parks: a whopping 666 species. That is the highest for any national park in Africa!
Queen Elizabeth is an excellent place to see hippos, elephants and lions. You’ll have to look very carefully to spot the leopard!
One of my favourite activities is the boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. Read Bird watching on the Kazinga Channel – a 21st century Safari! Look out for the big Nile crocodiles basking in the sun at the water’s edge!
You can also trek chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge on the edge of the escarpment, at Kichwamba, just outside the National Park.
The southern sector of Queen Elizabeth is known as Ishasha, most famous for its tree-climbing lions. Ishasha’s wide plains give you a wilderness experience. Many people experience Ishasha while driving en route from game drives in Mweya and central Queen Elizabeth down to see the gorillas in Bwindi.
Queen Elizabeth has a fantastic panoramic viewing point – and café – on the Equator, managed by Conservation Through Public Health. The Queen’s Pavillion and Information Centre is also the site of a Uganda Wildlife Authority office. Do drop by if you’re passing!
In and outside the park are a number of crater lakes. Katwe’s crater lakes are famous for seasonal migrations of flamingos.
On the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park are some fantastic community tourism projects. The best established ones have been developed with the support of Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, UCOTA and Ishasha Community Uplift Group.
There’s a lot more to Uganda than wildlife, and visiting a community tourism project is a quick and easy way to contribute to local communities. Get out of your comfort zone and meet the rural Ugandans!