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QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL
PARK
Queen Elizabeth National
Park is Uganda's most popular game reserve and certainly one
most scenic. It stretches from the crater-dotted foothills of
the Rwenzori range in the north, along the shores of Lake Edward
to the remote Ishasha River in the south, incorporating a wide
variety of habitats that range from savanna and wetlands to gallery and
lowland forest. This remarkable diversity is reflected in its
bird list of over 550 species, the largest of any protected area
in Africa.
ABOUT THE PARK
Districts : Rukungiri,
Bushenyi and Kasese.
Altitude Range :
900 metres on Lake Edward to 1845 metres above sea level. at the top of
Escarpment of the Western Rift.
Size :
1978 km sq.
Status : National Park
Habitat :
Medium altitude
moist semi-deciduous forest, moist thicket, riparian forest, riverine
bush land, open woodland, open grassland, seasonal and permanent
swamps, lakes and rivers.
Timing :
December -
February.
Time required : 2-3 days.
Birds Recorded : 606
species.
Key Species
African Mourning Dove,
Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swamp Fly-catcher, Grey-capped Warbler,
The beautiful Black-headed Gonolek, Collard Pranticles,
Pin-tailed Whyda Martial Eagle, Gabon and Slender-tailed
Nightjars,Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Black-rumped
Buttonquail, Common Squaco Heron, Shoebill Stork, African
Open-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, Malachite
and Pied Kingfishers, African Skimmer, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl,
Black Bee-eater, White-tailed Lark, White-winged Warbler,
Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary,Great white and Pink-backed
Pelicans,White-winged Terns.
BIRD WATCHING
The main camp at Mweya is
attractively positioned with fine views of the Rwenzori
Mountains aumber of widespread bush species may be seen in the
vicinity of the airstrip watch for African Mourning Dove,
Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swamp Fly-catcher, Grey-capped Warbler,
The Beautiful Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested sunbird,
Slender-billed, Yellow-backed and Lesser Masked Weavers,
Pin-tailed Whydah,and brimstone Canary, Gabon and Slender-tailed
Nightjars, are fairly common along the airstrip.
The Kazinga channel is a
magnet for water birds a launch cruise reveals species such as;
Great-white and Pink-backed Pelicans, Great and Long-tailed
Cormorants, Common Squaco Heron, African open-billed Strok,
White-faced Whistling and Knob-billed Ducks, African Fish Eagle,
Black Crake, African Jacana, Water Thick-knee, Spur-winged and
African Wattled Plovers, Malachite and Pied kingfishers, Swamp
flycatchers and Yellow backed Weavers are all common and
conspicious. Numbers of migrants peak in Febuary and March and
are nothing short of spectacular with hundreds of thousands of
White-winged Terns hovering over the water, millions of common
sand Martins and Yellow -wagtails roosting in reed-beds and
lesser numbers of palaeartic waders such as the Ringed Plover,
Little Stint,Curlew Sandpipers,Common Snipe,Black-tailed Godwit,
Marsh, common and Wood sandpipers, Spotted Redshank and common
Greenshankfeeding along the marshy fringes. A number of national
rarities have been recorded from the hippo wallows along the
channel including Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Northern
Pochard, Mongolian Plover and Jack Snipe. Hundreds of African
Skimmers may be seen roosting on sandbars near the entrance to
Lake Edward but are migrants from southern tropics and usually
present only from December to May. The Kazinga channel may also
be veiwed from the Katunguru Bridge on the main Mbarara-Kasese
road where Pelicans, Terns, Greater Swamp and winged Warblers,
Winding and Carruther’s Cisticolas and Papyrus Gonolek may be
seen.
ACCESS
The Main Camp and Park HQ
at Mweya is a convenient base for exploring the sites in the
northern part of the park, whilst the road network running from
Ishasha Camp and Ranger Post, 80 km to the south, provides
access to the Ishasha area.
ACCOMMODATION
Mweya Safari Lodge
- luxury
accommodation is an ideal place for relaxation a 5 star lodge
with swimming facilities a variety of bird species can be seen
in this area.
Jacana Safari Lodge -
luxury accommodation is an ideal place for relaxation and
refreshment built over the banks of a crater lake you will loose
all your worries.
The Institute of Ecology -
budget, basic hostel style accommodation.
Camping
- can be done at Mweya, Maramagambo Forest and Ishasha sector of the park come
with camping facilities or can be provided by the company.
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