Queen Elizabeth National Park
The Queen Elizabeth National Park lies in the south west of the country and is one of Uganda’s main two big game parks.
The park covers some 120 000 hectares and includes a wide range of habitats, ranging from crater lakes, undulating hills and tropical forest (including the wonderfully named ‘Maramagambo’), to more traditional savanna bush and wide open grassland plains.
In the north of the park, the Kazinga Channel joins Lake Edward to Lake George and the area is good for game viewing and birding. Below the Mweya peninsula near the confluence with Lake Edward, the Parks Department run a number of boats for excursions up and down the channel. Knifing into the Channel from the south, the Kyambura Gorge appears suddenly through low hills of rolling savannah to reveal a ravine of thick tropical rainforest containing a wealth of primate species, including a group of habituated chimps (chimp trekking is available, though sightings are unpredictable). It is also possible to trek to see chimpanzees and other primates in the Kalinzu Forest.
Animals to be seen include elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob, hippo, crocodile, lion and leopard. In the south of the park, the Ishasha region offers lovely open plains known for its ‘tree-climbing’ lions. Over 600 species of birds exist, including eleven species of kingfisher. Flamingo are found in the many crater lakes.