Queen Elizabeth National Park in the western region of Uganda is one of the most sought-after protected areas in East Africa by the region’s annual tourists and travelers. The Park is so popular and famous to tourists because of the lots of attractions it resides. Some of the attractions in this Park are only found here and so rare to be found anywhere else in Africa, thus luring mammoth of tourists and travelers to throng it each year. Meanwhile, below are the top attractions that tempt a large number of tourists to squeeze themselves into Uganda’s esteemed Queen Elizabeth National Park:
Tree Climbing Lions in Ishasha:
The Ishasha province/sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park resides one of the most unique creatures on earth – the rare tree climbing lions. Tourists always congregate Queen Elizabeth to spot these eye-catching tree climbing lions hanging around on the fig tree branches. It is such a lovely and special moment catching a glimpse of these adorable species of lions in Ishasha.
Though it is said that these rare species of lions can also be found in Tanzania’s Lake Manyara National Park and South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth is highly regarded as the best option for sighting these unique tree climbing lions and just because of that the Park gets an elephantine number of tourists who yearn to explore these unique lions.
Kazinga Channel:
Taking wildlife safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park minus a visit to the Kazinga Channel is always a dead loss. The Kazinga Channel is situated in the middle of the Park, in the Mweya Province/Sector, connecting two lakes – Lake George and Lake Edward. The channel is such a beautiful and adorable feature inside the Park. The shorelines of the channel are always packed with several wildlife species such as Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, Cape buffaloes, Savannah Elephants and mammoth of antelopes.
Boat cruises along the beautiful Kazinga Channel will grant you a golden opportunity to spot the varied range of animals and birds the channel attracts, including a large concentration of hippos and crocodiles.
Kyambura Gorge:
The Kyambura Gorge is a fantastic valley of apes, chimpanzees, in Queen Elizabeth nestled in the eastern part of the Park. The Gorge was formed by the disorderly waters of River Kyambura. The gorge is such a fascinating feature in Queen Elizabeth National Park that every tourist must not live the Park without paying a visit to it. In the Gorge, there are several attractions such as chimpanzees, flamingos, olive baboons, giant forest hogs, and several species of monkeys as well as a myriad of bird species.
Maramagambo Forest:
The stunning Maramagambo Forest is situated in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The forest is an ideal destination for hiking as well as nature walk which can take anything from one and a half hours to as long as half the day – the half day trekking offers a chance to explore some of the beautiful crater lakes.
The forest also has seven different primate species which you may spot during your guided nature walk among which are Chimpanzees, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, L’Hoest’s Monkeys, Olive Baboons, Red Tailed Monkeys, Blue Monkeys, as well as the Vervet Monkeys. Furthermore, the forest houses two nocturnal species, namely; Pottos and Bush-babies.
Varied Wildlife:
Most importantly, the Park is a home to numerous wildlife species including some big game like Cape Buffaloes, Savanna Elephants, Lions, and Leopard. The other wildlife species in the Park include; Hippos, Nile Crocodiles, Warthogs, Waterbucks, Topis, Bushbucks, Uganda Kob, and very many beautiful bird species.