Self Drive Safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s 2nd largest national park after Murchison Falls National Park, it’s seated on the foothills of the Rwenzori ranges and considered an extension of the huge Democratic Republic of Congo Virunga forests. Queen Elizabeth National Park situated in western Uganda can be accessed by either road or air.

The park can be reached most especially from Kampala via Mbarara town and Bushenyi leads to the center of the park, passing just 22 km from Mweya peninsular, the main tourism hub. Approaching the park from the south via Mbarara covers a distance of approximately 420km while the north through Fort portal covers a total of 410km, so you can choose which route to take according to your interest driving at your own pace to the park.

Famed for its tree-climbing lions, Queen Elizabeth has a thrilling array of wildlife and you have even a good chance of spotting a leopard here on a night drive. There’s wildlife aplenty including most of the Big Five thus a self drive safari will unlock the untold truth of this enchanting home of several African animal species.

Game drive in the park offers you great chance to see numerous animals such as elephants, lion, leopards, waterbucks, warthogs, elands, Uganda kobs, buffalos, Topis, L’Hoest gazelles, hippos, ground, and tree-climbing lions among others

For those who opt to use the southern route, you can stop at the equator crossing at Kayabwe for an informative talks, snack taking and photography. If you have more days on your safari, before arriving at the queen Elizabeth national park a home to a wide biodiversity of animal species, you can first enjoy short detours to Lake Mburo national park, Rwenzori Mountains and kibale forest national park renowned for chimpanzee tracking, all these parks have a lot to offer to visitors. You can also access the park from the south from Bwindi impenetrable national park a home to the endangered mountain gorillas

Tips about what to do and where to stay on your self drive safari in Queen Elizabeth

A self drive adventure to queen Elizabeth National Park can be best experienced with at least 2 to 3 days of driving in the park premise as you will have the opportunity to witness the full array of this beautiful park.

While on a self drive expedition, you may find some of the following activities and places interesting to opt for; Boat launch trips on the Kazinga Channel offer great game viewing, as do game drives around Mweya and the Northern Circuit. Further southwest, the remote Ishasha plains are famous for their tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbors habituated chimps, the Maramamgambo Forest is home to many forest monkeys, and flamingos abound in the dozens of crater lakes.

 Where to stay while at Queen Elizabeth National Park

There are many nice places to stay in Queen Elisabeth National Park, ranging from basic camp sites to the upmarket Elephant Plains Lodge or Mweya Safari Lodge. Uganda’s favourite spots are the UWA public campsite on Mweya Peninsula, Enjojo lodge in the Ishasha sector and the Bush lodge close to Kyambura Gorge.

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• Amazing Game Viewing: View the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and buffalo) and additional wildlife found only in Africa.
• Walking safaris, hot-air balloon safaris, and cultural exchanges with the locals all qualify as rewarding experiences.
  The Luxury of Time: Take advantage of being disconnected from the outside world in some of Africa’s most remote regions.
• Enjoy Your Senses; sip sunset drinks while giraffes amble over the rosy horizon and indulge in fine African cuisine.
• The finest itineraries incorporate Africa’s major destinations, according to Beyond the Wild.
• Traveling with a Purpose: Every African safari contributes to deserving conservation and community development projects.

trip advisor

• White Hilux Double Cab 2.5 4×4 diesel 2011 model
• Aircon; electric windows; electric mirrors
• CD/Radio standard no “AUX” plug
• 5 speed manual gearboxes with manual 4WD selection; electronic rear diff lock
• Fog lights

• Fog lights
• Bluetooth built in for mobile phone use
• Durable seat covers
• 2 x fire extinguishers
• Central locking & alarm system
• Altec Net-Star tracking anti-theft & tracking system

• White Hilux Double Cab 2.5 4×4 diesel 2011 model
• Aircon; electric windows; electric mirrors
• CD/Radio standard no “AUX” plug
• 5 speed manual gearboxes with manual 4WD selection; electronic rear diff lock
• Fog lights

• Fog lights
• Bluetooth built in for mobile phone use
• Durable seat covers
• 2 x fire extinguishers
• Central locking & alarm system
• Altec Net-Star tracking anti-theft & tracking system

• Toyota RAV 4
• Aircon; electric windows; electric mirrors
• CD/Radio standard no “AUX” plug
• 5 speed manual gearboxes with manual 4WD selection; electronic rear diff lock
• Fog lights

• Bluetooth built in for mobile phone use
• Durable seat covers
• 2 x fire extinguishers
• Central locking & alarm system
• Altec Net-Star tracking anti-theft & tracking system

BWINDI IMPENETRABLE NATIONAL PARK

The majority of the world’s mountain gorilla population lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. About half of the world’s population of mountain gorillas live in the impenetrable forest, which is home to 320 of them. Several habituated groups of gorillas may be tracked by tourists.

MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Another name for Murchison Falls is Kabalega Falls. It is situated where Lake Victoria empties into the Nile River. The volume of water that fits through the confined space in the rocks is one of the falls’ interesting features. One of Africa’s most potent waterfalls is produced by the source, which spews out 11,000 cubic feet per second

QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK

With so many opportunities to see wildlife, Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most visited place in Uganda. The tree-climbing lions are the ultimate mammal encounter out of the nearly 100 species of mammals. Only a few places in the world allow lions to frequently climb trees, and this is one of them.

LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK

The oldest Precambrian metamorphic rocks, dating back more than 500 million years, are found beneath Lake Mburo, the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks. 350 different species of birds live there, along with zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopards, hippopotamuses, hyenas, topi, and reedbuck..