Reasons to visit Queen Elizabeth national park : Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda following Murchison falls national park and is one of the most sought-after and visited parks. It is located in the southwestern part of the country in the districts of kasese, Rukungiri and Kamwenge. The park is 1,978sqkm. it is home to various wild animals like the famous tree climbing lions, elephants, leopards, hippos, buffaloes, warthogs, primates such as the chimpanzees, white colobus monkeys and many more animals. You can enjoy the boat cruise along the kazinga channel with a wide range of views and see birds like the African fish eagle, African broad bill, kingfisher, African shoebill and many more.

Tree climbing lions; tree climbing lions can be found in the southern part that is the Ishasha sector in the park. Tree climbing lions in Uganda can only be found in Queen Elizabeth national park. they can be seen hanging on big tree branches in the savannah plains in Ishasha to escape the nature’s heat and cool off.

Kazinga channel; it connects l Edward to l George and has a perfect view of most of the animals and birds in the park. On the channel operates a boat cruise which takes 2hours and gives you a 360-degree view of wildlife like hippos in the water and birds like the kingfisher, African shoebill and many other bird species like the African fish eagles, egrets, coupled with kasenyi plains in its north which is abundant with wildlife as it is located in a grassland area and you see animals like elephants, buffaloes, lions and kobs.

Kyambura gorge; also known as the valley of apes is located in the southwestern part of the park.it has an exciting sight of wildlife, birds and primates. Chimp tracking can be carried out in this part of the park. Other mammals like the white colobus monkey, baboons, red-tailed monkey can be sighted too. The forest along the slope of the gorge is home to various bird species like white-tailed lark, papyrus canary, African broadbill, white winged warbler, pink backed pelican, bar tailed godwit and so many more birds.

Game drives through kasenyi plains, Kazinga plains and Ishasha sector are the perfect places to see different wild animals roaming around the park. The game drives usually take place in the morning when the animals are active and evening when the nocturnal animals come out to hunt and a variety of bird species like flamingos at Bunyampaka crater lake can be seen during the drive too. you can see animals such as hyenas, elephants, waterbucks among others in the savannah grass

Kalinzu central forest reserve is famous for its diverse wildlife. there are over 414 tree species, over 300 bird species, 6 different primates like the black and colobus monkey, vervet monkeys, blue monkeys, over 200 butterfly species for butterfly enthusiasts. Guided forest walks /nature walks in the forest give you a chance to see mountain Rwenzori and chimpanzee trekking can also be done in the forest

Birding in Queen Elizabeth national park

Birding in Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the major activities that can be done in the park there is a wide range of bird species in the park. Birds that migrate into the park move from between November –April and January –February which are the drier months of the year. There’s over 600 bird species in the park inclusive of woodland, forest and migratory birds. Birding can be done in different parts of the park inclusive of;

The kazinga channel;

The kazinga channel connects both L. Edward and L. George and has the best sight for bird watching in the park. You get to watch and view a variety of birds while on the boat cruise which can either be in the morning or afternoon and takes about 3 hours.you can view birds like the kingfisher, African shoebill, among others.

Mweya peninsular; it is covered by savanna vegetation and bird-like the African morning dove, red-capped lark, pin-tailed whydah, Nubian wood pecker and so many others can be seen flying around.

Maramagambo forest;

It is the largest forest in the park and in it and among the trees  you can view a variety of bird species like bat hawk, white-winged warbler, the African broadbill, verreux’s eagle owl, forest flycatcher  and many more other bird species.

Ishasha; located in the southern direction of the park where there are savannah grasslands and swamps, birds flock there and can be sighted like the king fisher, green woodpecker, helmeted guinea and so many other birds.

Katwe salt lake; it’s a crater lake found within the park located on the eastern part in Kasese district. It’s a habitat to some of the bird species of the park like the African fish eagle, sacred ibis, black crate, brown neck eagle among others.

Katunguru bridge; you can meet this bridge while crossing from Kasese to Rubirizi district. Under the bridge is a papyrus swamp that attracts various bird species like the white-winged warbler, papyrus gonolek and so many more birds.

Things to consider before going for bird watching

1. Light hiking boots, since you may need to walk for long distances in such of birds.
2. Hat and sunglasses, in case of too much sunlight, they shield you from the direct sunshine.
3. Light cloths, due the long distances that have to be walked.
4. A pair of binoculars, for sightseeing and clear views of the birds in the distance.
5. Camera, for taking pictures of the birds to take back good memories after the trip and remembrances.
6. Drinking water for rehydration due to the hot weather and heat, you need to rehydrate more often.

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

Visitors who want to go to Queen Elizabeth national park can either use air or road transport.

Air transport; you can use alternative means of air transport from Kajjansi airfield to Mweya airstrip or to Kasese airfield and connect using the road from Kasese to Mweya in an hour’s time to the parks headquarter

Road transport; you can access the park by road from Kampala through Mubende -Fort Portal-Kasese covering a distance of 410 km which takes about 6-7 hours to drive.

A route via Mbarara town through Bushenyi district covering a distance of 420km.

 The park can also be accessed via Bwindi impenetrable national park through the Ishasha sector and takes about 4 to 5 hours drive.