Located between Lake Edward and the Rwenzori foothills at the bottom of the Rift Valley, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most visited wildlife reserve in the country. Classified as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, it offers, over nearly two thousand square kilometres, savannah covered with acacia trees and candelabra euphorbias, forest areas, rivers, volcanic craters, lakes and plains, thus displaying a superb range of the natural riches of East Africa. Nearly one hundred species of mammals are recorded in the park : the visitor can discover herds of elephants, buffalo and antelopes (including the endemic Ugandan cobe or the discreet sitatunga), hyenas, lions, leopards, chimpanzees (in the Kyambura Gorge), colobus, baboons and, on a cruise on the Kazinga Canal linking Lakes George and Edward, wild hippos, a few scheming crocodiles and hundreds of chirping birds. In fact, with some six hundred and twenty feathered species listed, the Queen Elizabeth is, in terms of birdlife, the number one park in East Africa and one of the richest areas in the world. The southern part of the park, in the Ishasha sector, is also home to the famous tree-dwelling lions that call the branches of the sycamores their home. Once the grazing land of the Basongora pastoralists, the territory now occupied by the park was almost completely deserted because of livestock diseases. In the early 1920s, to combat poaching and resist pressure from cotton farmers, the British authorities created two hunting reserves, Lake Edward and Lake George, which were merged into Kazinga National Park in 1952. The park was renamed Queen Elizabeth two years later, on the occasion of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. As in the whole country, wildlife declined dramatically during the years of dictatorship, with, for example, the elephant population declining from four thousand to less than two hundred individuals! For about twenty years now, the populations have recovered and continue to grow year after year. The low altitude of the park, which lies at the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, and its position on the equator make it one of the warmest regions in the country, with daytime temperatures rarely falling below 20°C

What to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park?

Weather at the moment

Loading...
Organize your trip with our partners Queen Elizabeth National Park
Transportation
Accommodation & stays
Services / On site

Find unique Stay Offers with our Partners

Pictures and images Queen Elizabeth National Park

Pêcheurs sur le Kazinga channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park. Pecold - Shutterstock.com
Send a reply