Crater Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Crater game drives in the Queen Elizabeth National Park are majorly conducted in Kasese District, Uganda’s western province. Queen Elizabeth National Park is a savanna grassland ecosystem. The park is Uganda’s second largest national park, comprising approximately 1,970 square kilometers.
The national park provides wildlife viewing in the Kasenyi, Mweya, and Ishasha Sectors, nature walks, chimp trekking in the thrilling Kyambura Gorge, a boat excursion on the Kazinga Channel, birding, and other activities. During these activities, you may see water features, savanna grasslands, primates, animals, and bird species.
Queen Elizabeth National Park contains several crater lakes formed by the vulcanization of molten rock (lava), which involves a strong eruption that reaches the peak of a volcanic cone, which is then blown off, resulting in a vast basin surrounded by lava, a harsh environment, and rock debris. The crater’s ultimate consequences are quite distinctive, and visiting Queen Elizabeth is rewarding because you get to see so much beauty in one location.
What to expect during Crater Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Such guided crater games drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are known as Explosion Crater drives and run around two hours. Seeing the beauty of these craters is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Visitors on crater game drives in the national park have to wake up early in the morning or late at night, when visibility is highest and temperatures are lowest.
Lake Katwe, a large body of water close to Lake Edward, is known for its salt mining heritage. Visitors to this lake may learn about the salt mining process in the area, from building the salt pans to actually entering the water.
Lions, Elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and other hippos are commonly found in the region. When it rains, the path may become challenging, rock-strewn, and slippery, requiring the use of a 4WD vehicle. Driving around the Crater Lakes is fantastic when the weather is nice.
What else can one do when visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Enjoy a boat cruise on Kazinga Channel.
The Kazinga Channel, which is strategically situated inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, gives a truly unique experience for all African tourists. The Kazinga Canal is the body of water that links Lake George with Lake Edward. It’s a 40-kilometer-long river that flows beneath the famed Mweya peninsula, near the Mweya safari resort.
The afternoon or sunset boat cruise on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth national park will be unlike anything else you’ve experienced in Africa. “The boat tour in the Kazinga channel is the highlight of every Uganda wildlife safari,” according to many visitors that visit the national park.
The boat journey lasts three to four hours and is conducted by knowledgeable and experienced guides. Throughout the boat excursion, the guides will present you with all of the information you need about the boat trip and the history of the Kazinga channel, as well as descriptions of the species that live along the canal’s banks.
The guides are very informed and will happily answer any questions you may have about the animals and birds, the surrounding vegetation, the color of the water, and so on. They will also tell you about the towns around the Kazinga channel. What an abundance of information to complement your boat cruise excursion!
Enjoy Game Drives in other parts of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Throughout your Uganda wildlife safari tour, you will be able to see a range of intriguing sights owing to the numerous game drives in the national park. Safari game drives are offered in three sessions across the park: in the morning, afternoon, and nighttime.
The morning game drive, which begins at 6:30 a.m., provides an opportunity to observe a variety of herbivores catching their first feed of the day in the park. You’ll also be able to catch the predators when they return to their hiding spots. Elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, oribi, impalas, lions, leopards, and a plethora of other wonderful species may be expected.
While on guided night game drives safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you may see a variety of nocturnal species, such as lions, leopards, and hyenas, hunting in the wild. While visiting the park, you may also embark on nocturnal game drives to experience how the park comes alive after the sun goes down. Nightjars are among the most common bird species encountered during night game drives.
Enjoy trekking chimpanzees in Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kalinzu Forest or Kyambura Gorge is not difficult, but it does entail slogging up and down slopes in pursuit of chimpanzees, which may be easily identified by their loud screams and hooting heard from a distance.
If no noises are detected, you can follow in their footsteps. When Chimpanzees are sighted, they may be seen playing, speaking, or mating. When these chimpanzees see humans, they usually climb down from the trees, allowing you to get up close and personal.
Chimpanzee trekking tours in Kalinzu forest or Kyambura Gorge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, is separated into two sessions: morning and afternoon. Each session, only eight permits are given, for a total of sixteen each day. If you want to do this trek, you will be assigned a guide who will accompany you to the gorge after a briefing. The complete activity lasts around 2-3 hours.
To summarize it all, Queen Elizabeth national park is one of Uganda’s most biodiverse wildlife parks; with a beautiful combination of forests, meadows, and waterscapes. The national park is Uganda’s most popular safari destination, and it matches well with a gorilla safari in Bwindi impenetrable national park.