Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park is that time when access to the park routes is easy and the animals are easily sighted without having to search for long. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park located along the equator in western Uganda. The park is situated in four districts that is Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda with rich biodiversity including 95 mammal species like elephants, bushbucks, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, leopards, lions, buffaloes, hippos, mongoose, primate species like chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white monkeys, 620 bird species among others.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is located along the equator and is dominated by savannah vegetation which is comprised of savannah grassland and savannah woodland. Queen Elizabeth national park receives two rainy seasons from March to May and October to November and two dry seasons from June to September and January to February
Dry Season: The dry season in Queen Elizabeth national park is the best time to visit in that the temperatures will be warm especially during the day with 28°C and drop to 15°C at night. The dry season is the best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park because the roads in the park will have less mud which makes them passable. During the dry season, the animals will be viewed easily due to short grass in the park and they will all gather around the water bodies to drink water hence offering a clear view for photos and chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge will be successful because the trekking trails will be passable.
However the dry season also has a drawback of large crowds in the park because the dry season is also the peak season which means that many visitors will visit the Queen Elizabeth national park hence making the destination crowded with many visitors hence the accommodation facilities will be expensive and get fully booked quickly. Some activities which require few visitors like lion research tracking in Kasenyi plains will be competitive which means that the visitors should book in advance so as not to be disappointed.
Despite being a dry season rain can be expected any time of the day in Queen Elizabeth national park therefore visitors should pack different items for their Queen Elizabeth safari such as hat and sunglasses, warm clothes because it usually gets cold in the morning and at night, waterproof rain jacket, hiking shoes among others.
Wet Season/rainy season
The wet season in Queen Elizabeth national park is during the months of March to May and October to November. The wet season is also known as the low season and during this period Queen Elizabeth national park receives heavy rainfall and sometimes it can drizzle the whole day. During the wet season in Queen Elizabeth national park the roads become muddy, slippery and challenging to pass. Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge and nature walks in Maramagambo forest becomes difficult because the trails become muddy and slippery.
However visitors can also visit during the wet season because it’s the vegetation in the park will be beautiful and green, the animals will spread in the park as they graze on the vegetation, there will be less crowds in the park which gives you an opportunity to explore the whole park with few crowds, lodges will offer discounts and it’s an ideal period for bird watching with migratory birds from Europe and North Africa due to plenty of food and fruits. ‘
During the wet season, visitors are advised to pack several requirements for the Queen Elizabeth safari including long sleeved shirts and trousers, hiking shoes, garden gloves, waterproof rain jacket/poncho, warm sweater, Camera, binocular among others to make your safari in Uganda successful.
Attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers a wide range of unique and fascinating attractions to visitors on a safari in Uganda including
Mweya peninsular, this is situated in the heart of Queen Elizabeth national park. Mweya peninsula is a great destination for game drives where you will be able to view various bird species and animals like leopards, elephants, hippos, mongoose during mongoose tracking. Mweya peninsular harbors beautiful accommodation facilities like the luxurious Mweya safari lodge where visitors can stay during the safari in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Kazinga channel, Kazinga channel is a 40meters long water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. Kazinga channel offers a boat cruise activity to visitors of a safari in Queen Elizabeth national park which gives them an opportunity to view big herds of hippos in water, buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, antelopes, crocodiles, monitor lizards along the water banks and different bird species.
Ishasha sector, Ishasha sector is located in the southern park of Queen Elizabeth national park and it’s famously known for tree-climbing lions. Visitors on a safari in Queen Elizabeth national park will involve in game drives in the Ishasha sector where they will see the tree-climbing lions lazily lying up in the acacia fig trees looking down on the antelopes grazing in the open savannah vegetation.
Kasenyi plains, this is a destination in Queen Elizabeth national park where lion research tracking and game drives take place. During the game drive in Kasenyi plains, you will have an opportunity to view animals like elephants, lions, leopards, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs and various bird species hence making your safari rewarding and enjoyable.
Kyambura Gorge, Kyambura Gorge is also known as the Valley of Apes and its located in the eastern part of Queen Elizabeth national park. Kyambura gorge is an ideal destination for primate viewing where you will be able to view the chimpanzees, baboons, red tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, vervet monkeys, different bird species like pink backed pelican, African skimmer, African broadbill, blue-headed bee-eater among others which make Kyambura Gorge a great place to visit on your safari.
Maramagambo forest, Maramagambo forest is the largest forest in East Africa found in Bushenyi district. Maramagambo forest is an ideal place for nature walks, bird watching, visiting the bat caves, primate viewing like the chimpanzees, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, l’hoest monkeys among others.
Accommodation, Queen Elizabeth national park has a wide number of luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation which make visitors on a safari to feel comfortable and at home. The lodges include Tembo Safari lodge, Pumba Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Mweya Hostels, Engiri Game lodge and campsite, Kingfisher lodge, Queen Elizabeth park view, Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge among others.
Queen Elizabeth national park can be visited anytime throughout the year because both the dry and the wet season have plenty of attractions and activities to offer to the visitors, for example, lion research tracking, game drives, boat cruise, mongoose tracking, chimpanzee trekking, bird watching, nature walks, cultural encounter among others hence giving you unforgettable experiences on a safari in Uganda.
