Queen Elizabeth National Park
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Queen Elizabeth National Park is understandably Uganda’s most popular tourist destination. The park’s diverse ecosystems, which include sprawling savanna, shady, humid forests, sparkling lakes, and fertile wetlands, make it the ideal habitat for the classic big game, ten primate species including chimpanzees, and over 600 species of birds.
Set against the backdrop of the jagged Rwenzori Mountains, the park’s magnificent vistas include dozens of enormous craters carved dramatically into rolling green hills, panoramic views of the Kazinga Channel with its banks lined with hippos, buffalo, and elephants, and the endless Ishasha plains, whose fig trees hide lions ready to pounce on herds of unsuspecting Uganda kob.
As well as its outstanding wildlife attractions, Queen Elizabeth National Park has a fascinating cultural history.
There are many opportunities for visitors to meet the local communities and enjoy storytelling, dance, music, and more. The gazetting of the park has ensured the conservation of its ecosystems, which in turn benefits the surrounding communities.
The government body responsible for managing the Queen Elizabeth National Park is the Uganda Wildlife Authority together with the Uganda Tourism Board with support from several wildlife conservation Agencies. The park entrance of Queen Elizabeth National Park is €38, although there are some other optional activities like the boat cruise to the Kazinga Channel which cost €28.5, chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura Gorge at €47.5, and experiential tourism of about €95 for Lion (Predator) tracking.
The main Activity of Queen Elizabeth being game drives and Landscape viewing makes it an all-time rounder. This means you can visit this park any time of the year although one to have the real beauty of the boat cruise it’s advisable to visit during the dry seasons cause during wet seasons the banks of the Kazinga channel have a few animals since they have plenty of waters within the forest.
The dry season of Uganda runs from June to August and December to February, although June and July are the driest months. But again Uganda is at the Equator don’t get surprised when it rains. The wet season run from March to April and September to November
While in Queen Elizabeth National park slightly heavier clothing is useful. Queen is in the Southwest of Uganda and being underneath Mountain Rwenzori, during wet seasons it can always be too cold.
The greatest health risks in Uganda are accidents and malaria. Much of Uganda lies at too high an elevation for malaria to be a major concern, but the disease is present and prophylactic drugs are recommended. Travelers should seek professional medical advice on taking anti-malarial medicines and take precautions to avoid mosquito bites, especially between dawn and dusk.
Travelers should ensure they are up to date with vaccinations, following the advice of their local healthcare provider, and should consider bringing a small first aid kit. A certificate of yellow fever vaccination and covid-19 negative certificate is required at arrival.
Queen Elizabeth National park can be reached by air and road. The nearest airport and link to the park is Entebbe International Airport in Uganda’s capital Kampala. Kenya Airways, RwandAir, Uganda Airline, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and KLM all have flights to Entebbe International Airport. There are also domestic flights from Entebbe to most of the National Parks in Uganda still from Entebbe, for the sake of Queen Elizabeth National Park one can fly from Entebbe to Mweya airstrip which is within the National park or Kasese Airstrip which is slightly outside the Park
For further advice on planning your Queen Elizabeth National park, simply enquire with one of our local Safari Experts.
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Costs
A single-entry tourist visa costs US $50 (exclusions apply for select countries and is valid for 90 days)
A multiple Tourist Visa US $100 (exclusions apply for select countries and is valid for 12 months)
The East African Tourist Visa (EATV) covers Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda costs US $100 and is valid for 90 days.