Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular savannah reserve and has the widest variety of wildlife of any Ugandan park. The variety of habitats includes grassland savannah, forests, wetlands, and lakes. This provides the setting for an extensive range of large mammals and primates. Four of the Big Five are present (rhinos are absent) and chimp tracking is available.
The Beauty
The park is set against a backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains. Additional scenic points are Kazinga Channel between Lake Edward and Lake George and at least 10 crater lakes. The most accessible part of the park is the open savannah, but large forest areas are open to the public. These include the forested Kyambura Gorge and the extensive Maramagambo Forest in the southeast.
Best time to visit
Brief but drenching rainstorms often characterize the days of the Wet seasons (March to May and August to December), but this is also when the park’s environment is beautifully lush and you can greet migratory birds as they pass through. For chimpanzee trekking, though, visit when the park’s trails are more solid underfoot in the drier months.