Safari in the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park is situated on the floor of the Great Rift Valley between Lakes Edward and George. This park has an area of 1,078 square kilometers and was opened in 1952. The adventures found in the park include a wide variety of wildlife and about 612 species of birds. These are highly dependent on the mosaic plants of the two neighboring lakes. The park has a mix of vegetation ranging from shrubby grasslands, woodlands, acacia woodlands, and lake swamp vegetation. Some of the wild animals found in the park include; elephant, lion, Ugandan goat, Cape buffalo, leopard, hyena, warthog and giant forest hog.
The Kazinga Canal, which is 40 km long, connects Lake George with Lake Edward. It is an ideal habitat for many crocodiles, fish, birds and mammals. Key bird species include kingfishers, eagles, African turtle doves, African skimmers, bee-eaters, African fish eagles and many others. Around 95 species of mammals have also been recorded in this park. Queen Elizabeth National Park receives an average high temperature of 28 degrees Celsius and a low of 18 degrees Celsius. It is 910 m above sea level at Lake Edward and 1,815 m at the top of the western rift escarpment.
Queen Elizabeth National Park was preserved to protect wildlife, birds, wetlands and natural beauty. There are eleven fishing villages within the park where the Banyankole Bakiga and Bakonjyo community live. Glacial meltwater from the Ruwenzori Mountains is the main source of water for Lake Edward and Lake George. These are channeled by the mighty Kazinga Canal which flows into the Ishasha River. Many hippos are seen lounging along the shore of this lake. A safari to this park will be a great adventure due to the various attractions found in the park.
Some of the activities involved in this park include game viewing, bird watching, and photography. You can also take short guided walks in the Maramagambo Forest, where you will have the opportunity to see various types of birds and chimpanzees. Due to the wide variety of bird species, Queen Elizabeth National Park is also known as a bird watcher’s paradise. You will also be lucky enough to see bats in the caves, which are great enemies of birds. A boat trip on the Kazinga channel will give you the opportunity to see many hippos and large crocodiles along the shore. You can also see buffalo and elephants. In addition, you can also visit the salt mines and learn how salt is extracted. Salt is mined from salt deposits and then transported to various cities in Uganda.