Queen Elizabeth National Park is open and safe to all visitors, so you can still enjoy a safe and seamless experience in Queen Elizabeth. The safety and well-being of all visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda is our number one priority. Tourists can enjoy the natural beauty, history and culture of the country as custodians of the majestic mountain gorillas. We take their safety very seriously as a result.
The additional measures are in Queen Elizabeth National Park to ensure the visitor’s safety as well as those that go to the rest of Uganda’s National Parks similar measures are in place in all the other touristic sets within the country as well as hotels.
Don’t miss the big cats on your safe and seamless experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
We regret to report that on October 17th 2023 – a tragic incident of three individuals were attacked and killed by unknown assailants, who also set their vehicle ablaze. The deceased whose names are withheld, include a Ugandan, a UK citizen and a South African citizen.
In response to this incident, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has informed the Uganda Police Force and other security agencies who are working diligently to establish the precise sequence of events leading up to this horrific incident and to identify those responsible.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims, and we share in their grief during this difficult time. The safety and security of tourists visiting our protected areas is of utmost importance to us. All parks remain open and safe for visitation. We welcome you to visit Queen Elizabeth national park Uganda and experience our warm hospitality. Welcome to Uganda.
If there is that one place that never misses on almost every itinerary for Uganda safaris, then it is Queen Elizabeth National Park. Known as the “medley of wonders”, this 1978-square-kilometer Protected Area is the second largest National Park in the country and one of the unmissable places.
Interesting things to Experience in a Safe and Seamless Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a special destination with unique attractions. The park features abundant wildlife, birds, unique vegetation and landscape.
Tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Game drives
Game drives are the commonest activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park offering a 95% chance of encountering African bush elephants, lions, cape buffaloes, leopards, Defassa waterbucks, spotted hyenas, Uganda Kobs, common warthogs, bushbucks, Mongoose, Hippos and warthogs. If you undertake your game drive in the southern Ishasha sector, there are high chances of seeing the tree climbing lions, alongside Topis and many other wildlife species and lion tracking experience.
Boat cruises
The Kazinga Channel is another excellent wildlife viewing location in Queen Elizabeth National Park, and can be explored by boat rides. Cruising 2-3 hours through this 40-kilometer long channel introduces visitors to one of the highest pods of Hippos and basks of crocodiles alongside elephants, buffaloes and a plethora of birds (aquatic and wetland species) that include the pelicans, African fish eagles, pied and giant Kingfishers, African skimmers and so much more.
Birding tours
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the top 5 birding hot spots in Uganda with over 620 bird species to look-out. These birding tours increase chances of encountering hooded vultures, lesser and greater flamingos, scarlet-chested sunbird, yellow-wagtails, Chapin’s flycatchers, slender billed storks, papyrus canary, African harrier-hawks, blue-naped mousebirds, open-billed stork, white-tailed lark, pin-tailed whydahs, spotted redshanks, grey headed kingfishers, African wattled plovers, water thick knee, African mourning doves, slender tailed nightjars, African broadbill, swamp flycatchers, grey kestrels, Verreaux’s eagle owl and others in their various ecosystems.
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking is undertaken in Kyambura Gorge, in the Eastern boundary of Queen Elizabeth National Park where a number of habituated chimpanzees live in the 100-meter deep and 500-meter wide natural gorge which is 16 kilometers long. Aside from chimpanzees, Olive baboons, the black and white colobus monkeys, and Vervet monkeys also live in this Gorge.
Guided Bush and forest walks
Some of the visitors recently enjoying dinner as part of the safe and seamless experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Bush and Forest walks are the best ways to explore areas that are hard to reach via game drives and these are conducted within Maramagambo Forest, the nearby Kalinzu Forest and bushlands of Queen Elizabeth National Park. In so doing, you can see smaller creatures like Banded mongoose and their natural habitats, unique vegetation types and birds among others.
Experiential tours
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only Protected Area providing experiential tours such as Hippo Census, Mongoose tracking, Lion tracking and Bird Counts. Lion tracking is so far the commonest and involves going off-track following lions (together with researchers) with trackers and learning about their unique behavior.
Village and Cultural Tours
A number of community-based projects around Queen Elizabeth National Park allow visitors to learn about the cultures and traditions of locals and these include the Kasoga Cultural Experience, Nyanz’ibiri cave community, Kikorongo Equator Cultural Group, Leopard village and the Katwe village walk among others.
Getting there
Situated in western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park can be accessed by air and road. For air, you will take the one-hour flight to Kasese or Kihihi then proceed to the Park. For roads, you can use the Kampala-Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi-Kasese route or the Kampala-Mubende-Fort Portal-Kasese route, and the latter is shorter.