How to get to queen Elizabeth national park
How to get to queen Elizabeth national park : Queen Elizabeth national park is located in south western Uganda in Rukungiri, Kasese, Kamwenge and Rubirizi districts. It is the second largest national park and one of the most visited due to abundant wild animals including elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, waterbucks, Topi, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hog, Uganda kobs, birds species among others. Queen Elizabeth national park is popularly known due to the tree climbing lions which are found in Ishasha sector in the southern part. The park offers a wide range of activities such as Bird watching, Game drive in Kasenyi plains, Boat cruise at Kazinga channel, Nature walk in Maramagambo forest, Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, Lion research tracking, Mongoose tracking among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in southwestern Uganda and can be accessed by either road or air transport means.
Road transport
When using road transport, you will drive from Kampala via Mubende-fort portal road and then to the park which is about 390 kilometers and takes 6 to 7 hours’ drive.
You can also use another route from Kampala via Masaka-Mbarara road to the park headquarters which is about 398kilometres.
When coming from Rwanda, Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed through kabale, Ntungamo-Kasese road which takes about 5 to 6 hours.
In case you are in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park, Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed through Ishasha sector in the southern park which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.
You can also connect from Kibale forest national park to Queen Elizabeth national park which takes about two hours’ drive to reach the park headquarters.
When going to Queen Elizabeth national park you can also use public means of transport like buses which can be boarded in Kampala to Kasese and on arrival you will hire a private vehicle to connect to the park.
Though using road transport can be tiresome due to long hours’ drive, its enjoyable and adventurous in that you will be able have beautiful views of the landscapes, home steads, tea plantations, banana plantations, Lake Mburo, Rwenzori mountains and stopovers at the equator for photographs, Mpambire drum makers, crater lakes, Igongo cultural Centre among others.
Air transport
Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means such as Aerolink airlines which operate scheduled or chartered flights from Entebbe Airport/ Kajansi Airfield to Kasese Airstrip or Mweya Airstrip which take about one hour. After landing at the airstrip your driver guide will transfer you to the lodge.
Domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park can either be booked directly through contacting Aerolink offices by telephone calls, email or you can contact Achieve Global Safaris to purchase a permit for you and booking should be done at least two days before the flying date so as to be on a safe side. Using air transport means is the best option for travellers who do not like travelling longer distances.
Queen Elizabeth national park offers thrilling safari activities which visitors can engage in upon arrival including
Game drive, the park is blessed with a number of wildlife including elephants, buffaloes, leopards, warthogs, giant forest hogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, tree climbing lions in Ishasaha sector, bird species such as white backed pelicans, long tailed cormorants, squacco heron, open billed stork, pied kingfisher, yellow backed weavers, vegetation types like savannah woodland, grassland among others
Boat cruise, the boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park is done at Kazinga channel a water body that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The boat cruise in the park is either done in the morning or I the afternoon and you will be able to cruse near animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes which will be drinking water on the banks, large herds of hippos and crocodiles in the water, bird species like black crake, saddle billed stork, African fish eagle, African jacana, long tailed cormorants, wattled plover among others.
Chimpanzee trekking, chimpanzee trekking is one of the exciting activities done in the park. Chimpanzee trekking is carried out in Kyambura Gorge which is also known as the valley of apes situated in the northern part of the park. During chimpanzee trekking, you will follow various trails in the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzees and once found spend one hour with them is their natural habitat learning about their lifestyles, behaviors, habitats, watching them feeding, breastfeeding, playing as you take plenty of photos and record videos.
Nature walks, this is a thrilling activity in the park where you will be able to move out of the car and move within the park as you enjoy beautiful views, scenery, fresh air among others. nature walk in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done is different destinations such as Mweya peninsular where you will view landscapes, Kazinga channel, lake Edward, Maramagambo forest and you will be able to view primates such as l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, vervet monkeys, animals like leopards, bird species such as woodpeckers, sunbirds among others.
Lion research tracking, this is an adventurous activity in the park where you will track lions which have a tracking device. During lion tracking you will go with researchers and you will be allowed to drive off the tracks tracking the lions and once spotted you will spend some time learning about their behaviors, lifestyle than the ordinary game drive.
Queen Elizabeth national park also has a number of luxury, midrange and budget accommodations where you can stay after getting to the park including Jacana Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Kitandara Hippo Hill Camp Uganda, Simba safari lodge, Kingfisher Lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Kyambura Game Lodge, Mweya Hostels, Lake Chibweta camp, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Pumba safari cottages, Engazi lodge, Park View Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge among others. the lodges offer services like comfortable rooms, laundry services, free Wi-Fi in public areas, bathrooms with hot and cold water, gardens for relaxation after chimpanzee trekking or game drive, well stocked bar and restaurant which serve both traditional and international dishes.
Getting to Queen Elizabeth national park is as easy as ABC in that you can either use road or air transport because all means will lead you to the park where you will enjoy scenic views of the tea plantations, landscapes and also engage in various activities on arrival in the park such as birding, game drive, boat cruise, lion research tracking to make your safari exciting and memorable
