Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the must visit places of Uganda. It is the second largest national conservation area of the country situated in the western part and along the equator. It harbors stunning views of differed ecosystem from the stunning crater lake region, lush green forest, Gorges, savannah grassland Mammals and birds, the park is hosts half of bird species recorded in Uganda. It is surprising by how much birds you can see in a less than 2000 kilometer conservation area, the most common species is the tree climbing lions to the south of the national park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park can be visited all year round, the park is visited because of its many wildlife species, topography including the landscapes, rivers and Lakes which present an opportunity to participate in the activities including chimpanzee tracking, game drives along the floor of the Albertine rift valley, Kazinga channel boa cruise, experiential lion tracking. Uganda as a country faces 2 climatic seasons which affect even the conservation areas, these include the wet and dry seasons however due to global climatic changes situations have changed overtime.
Best time to visit Queen Elizabeth national park is during the dry season between the months of December- February and June- early September, these are regarded to as high tourism peak seasons, wildlife us easier to spot because the grasses tend to be shorter, drier trails in the forest for chimpanzee tracking , it is during this time that the animals gather around the Kazinga channel in search of water and fresh grasses, water levels are lower hence improving the chances of seeing most of the savannah species present like African elephants, African buffaloes, leopards, waterbucks, oribi, sitatunga, the forest region contains primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, and over 600 species of birds.
That said the wet season too presents a good experience this lasts in the months of May, march, April and November for bird lovers and botany researchers, this is the best of times for you, it is when migratory species of birds gather in the park despite it having many birds already there are more that join in from different parts of the country, it is amazing by how much green and fruit you will see, game drives too can be conducted and guided nature walks, except for this time the seeing of animals has lower chances. Lodges of the park offer discounts in the low season more so for travelers who want to experience some thing new and less crowds.
Visting Queen Elizabeth national park can be combined with other destinations for example the Bwindi impenetrable national park home to half population of mountain gorillas, these live in the forest together with other creatures and the Lake Mburo national park one of the smallest national parks of Uganda. Tourism activities to do in Queen Elizabeth national park include chimpanzee tracking in the Kyambura gorge, game drives, guided nature walks, and boat cruise along the Kazinga channel.