Queen Elizabeth National park lies astride the equator in the back chop of the Rwenzori Mountains. This savannah park is approximately 1978 Kms. In the south its bordered by Ishasha River which is the boundary between Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC] and Uganda, to the west is Lake Edward which is shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic Congo. To the north is Kasese town and the famous Rwenzori Mountains which is sometimes referred to as “The Mountains of the Moon” while to the east is Lake George and the Kyambura game reserve and Kyambura gorge famous for chimpanzee experience and the Maramagambo natural rain forest. Its contiguous Kalenzu forest best for forest walks.
The park’s biomas is very high boasting of 95 mammal species and 20 predators and over 611 bird species making Queen Elizabeth National Park a birders paradise. Its vegetation is varied from open savannah where antelopes find comfort for their mating grounds in turn a hunting ground for the predators, forests for the primates’ comfort and swamps, and above all the geology of the park cannot be overlooked, the Nyamunuka Crater Lake along Katwe-Kabatoro road and Kitagata Crater Lake to the north of Nyamunuka, Kamengo and the Katwe salt lake mined using traditional means is worth seeing as well as the Bunyampaka salt works near Lake George.
The famous Kizanga channel dissects the park and its connecting lakes George and Edward. Its famous boat rides which offers visitors a chance to view schools of hippos and a great numbers of birds such as sea gulls, cormorants and other water birds from a close range.
Ishasha sector in the south has great memories of the tree climbing lions and the numerous topis and Uganda kobs. Above all the beautiful landscape is a very thrilling as the park lies on the Albertine rift valley floor. To the south is Bwindi impenetrable famous for the Mountain gorillas.
Bwindi impenetrable a UNESCO heritage and has to the number of 490 gorillas which are more than half of the remaining gorillas in the wild and captivity.
Queen Elizabeth National Park and Bwindi impenetrable can easily be accessed from all major towns of Uganda. From Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable through the south west, it takes 8 hours drive and from north west of Kampala through Fort Portal, it takes 6 hours to Queen Elizabeth and from Mbarara it would take you about 3 hours to Mweya peninsula in Queen Elizabeth or to Bwindi impenetrable which can be easily accessed through Ishasha sector where you will as well drive through to see the climbing lions.
We highly recommend to have the Giant Mountain gorillas of Bwindi impenetrable and the climbing lions of the Queen Elizabeth on your trip itinerary to Uganda.