Mweya Peninsula

Mweya Peninsula is located within Queen Elizabeth National park on the northeastern shores of Lake Edward at the point where the Kazinga channel connects to the lake in western Uganda. Queen Elizabeth National park is the second-largest and is among the most visited national parks in Uganda rich in various wildlife species and biodiversity. Mweya peninsula is a great destination in Queen Elizabeth National Park which is comprised of thick vegetation cover which makes wildlife viewing challenges. Mweya peninsular offers great scenic views of Katwe bay of Lake Edward, Kazinga Channel, Rwenzori mountain ranges, Wildlife, Savanna vegetation and several activities which visitors can engage in while on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park like bird watching, game drives, nature walks, mongoose tracking among others.

Attractions at Mweya Peninsular

There are quite a number of attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park and some of them are concentrated on the amazing Kazinga Channel.

Birds, Mweya peninsular harbors different bird species namely malachite kingfisher, black bee-eater, Verreaux’s eagle owl, black-headed gonolek, yellow-backed weaver, slender-billed weaver, swamp flycatcher among others.
Wildlife, Mweya peninsular offers great views of animal species which can be seen during the game drive and nature walks such as elephants, hyenas, waterbucks, buffaloes, warthogs, giant forest hogs, hippos, leopards in the scrubby thickets, mongoose, butterflies and many others.
Mweya Airport, Mweya is a small Airport located at Mweya peninsular near Mweya safari lodge where visitors who use chartered flights from Entebbe Airport can land and then connect to other destinations.
Mweya Information Centre, the Information Centre provides all necessary information about Queen Elizabeth national park and Mweya peninsular such as maps of the park, books for sale, information about the activities in the park like lion tracking experience, wildlife, birds, accommodations with in and around the park among others.

Activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Mweya peninsular also offers various activities which visitors on a safari in Queen Elizabeth national park can engage in including

Bird watching, this is a popular activity carried out at Mweya peninsular. Mweya peninsula is one of the birding destinations in Queen Elizabeth for bird lovers and it’s commonly carried out early in the morning around the savanna woodland areas which are situated between Kazinga channel and lake Edward. During bird watching at Mweya peninsula, you will be able to view different bird species which include red chested sunbird, tailed nightjar, grey-headed kingfisher, pygmy kingfisher, Blue napped mouse bird, Nubian woodpecker, grey capped warbler, yellow-backed weaver, slender-billed weaver, scarlet chested sunbird, malachite kingfisher among others hence giving you a great Bird watching experience on your Uganda safari.
Mongoose tracking, mongoose are interesting animals characterized by large heads, small ears, long tails and long claws which is used for defense and digging a ground den. Mongoose tracking is an interesting activity carried out at the Mweya peninsula where visitors get an opportunity to track the banded mongoose with a team of researchers. Mweya peninsula harbors about 400 banded mongoose which lives in 12 groups where each group sleeps together at night in a communal underground den. Mongoose tracking at Mweya peninsular allows a group of 4 visitors who will be accompanied by researchers to make a study about the mongoose. During mongoose tracking, you will be able to record the behaviors of the mongoose, register their weight, monitor the weather among others which gives you great moments on your safari. Mongoose tracking is either done in the morning at 7:00 am or in the afternoon though it’s best done in morning hours and takes about 1 to 3 hours tracking. You will also be able to view other animals such as elephants, warthogs, buffaloes among others.
Game drive, Mweya peninsula is a great destination for game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park where visitors will follow different tracks in the park from Nyamunuka Crater Lake. During the game drive around Mweya peninsula, you will be able to view animals like elephants, warthogs, giant forest hogs, leopards, buffaloes, hippos and bird species such as Verreaux’s eagle owl, black bee-eater, malachite kingfisher, slender-billed weaver, swamp flycatcher, black-headed gonolek, yellow-backed weaver among others. Mweya peninsula is also a great destination for night game drive because night game drives are prohibited in Kasenyi plain due to the fact that Kasenyi receives a lot of visitors during the day. During the nocturnal game drives you will use spotlight torches, park ranger, and Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicles and you will be able to have a clear view of the nocturnal animals like Leopards, Hyenas, Genal, Serval cats, Civet cats among others.
Nature walk, Mweya peninsular offers guided nature walks where you will walk on foot to different areas such as along the Kazinga Channel and you will be able to view various wildlife species like waterbucks, elephants, warthogs, mongoose, monitor lizards, bird species, butterflies among others. During hiking, you will have great views of Lake Edward, savannah landscapes as you hike along the trails.
Boat cruise, all visitors who visit Mweya peninsular should not miss a boat cruise at Kazinga channel. The boat cruise operates two rides per day where one starts in the morning at 9 am, another one in the afternoon at 2 pm and the best boat cruise is done in the afternoon. Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel is done in a motorized and luxurious small boat that belongs to Mweya Safari lodge, therefore, visitors interested in a boat cruise first register at the park offices in Mweya safari lodge. There is also another double-decker boat that belongs to Uganda Wildlife Authority which organizes boat trips on Kazinga Channel. During the boat cruise you will be able to view various animals like hippos, elephants, monitor lizards, Nile crocodiles, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks along the water banks, bird species and also the fishing villages along the shores of Kazinga channel where you will see fishermen preparing for night fishing. This gives you a great time with memorable experiences on your safari in Uganda.

Accommodation found near Mweya Peninsular

Mweya peninsular offers a number of luxury, mid-range, budget and camping site accommodation facilities where visitors can stay during their safari in mweya peninsular which include, Mweya Safari Lodge, Mweya Institute of Ecology Hostel, Mweya Campsite, Engiri Game lodge, Buffalo lodge, Tembo Safari lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Jacana Safari lodge among others. The lodges provide quality dishes, facilities, comfortable and spacious beds, free internet and great views of some animals, Kazinga Channel among others which makes you feel at home on your safari in Uganda.

Mongoose usually found during the Mongoose Tracking Experience

How to get to Mweya Peninsular

Mweya peninsula is situated within Queen Elizabeth national park in western Uganda and can be reached by road transport where you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, Kasese and Queen Elizabeth national park where you will drive to Mweya peninsular area which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.

Mweya peninsula can also be reached by use of air transport means where you will fly from Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Mweya Airstrip near Mweya safari lodge or Kasese Airstrip in Kasese and the flight takes about two hours.

Mweya peninsula is an ideal place to visit while on a safari in Uganda because it offers unique and interesting activities like mongoose tracking, bird watching, nature walks, wildlife viewing among others which make your safari exceptional and memorable.