Birds in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

According to Birding International, Queen Elizabeth National Park is an important Birding Area (IBA) and is a paradise for birdwatchers with over 600 different bird species. It contains the greatest variety of birds of any protected area in East Africa.

In addition to having multiple crater lakes, woods, and woodlands, the park is home to a variety of Savannah bird habitats. The Kasenyi area, the Mweya peninsula, Imaramagambo, and Kazinga channel are some of the areas where you may go birdwatching. African Mourning Dove, Swamp Flycatcher, Grey-Headed Kingfisher, Pin-Tailed Whydah, Slender-Tailed Nightjar, and Collared Pratincole are some of the bird species to watch out for. At the salt lakes in Katwe and Bunyampaka, keep an eye out for flamingos.

Tree climbing lions.

The tree climbing lions are extraordinary creatures that can only be found in a few African nations, particularly Uganda’s Ishasha sector, Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park, and Kenya’s Lake Manyara National Park. The male lions are distinctive in that they have black manes. In the Ishasha area of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, tree climbing lions can be spotted while on a wildlife drive in the savannah plains. In the Ishasha district, you may often spot the tree climbing lions lounging in the acacia and sycamore fig trees, especially in the late afternoon. The antelopes will be grazing in the wide-open savannah plains as they look down on them.

Why do these lions climb trees?

In Ishasha, tree climbing lions are depicted lying up in acacia and fig trees. According to several ideas, these animals climb trees to avoid being bitten by insects like tsetse flies, which grow on the ground, particularly during the rainy season.
Because fig and acacia trees in the Ishasha area offer protection during the hot season, lions there climb them for cover.

In order to get a good view of the antelopes or other prey that will be grazing in the wide savannah plains, they also climb trees.

to get away from the heat on the ground, especially during the dry season when there is a lot of sunshine.

Best time to see the tree climbing lions.

The ideal time to spot tree climbing lions in the Ishasha sector is during the dry season, which runs from June to August and December to February. However, game drives can be taken at any time of the year. The park experiences a lot of sunshine and little rain at this period, which causes the lions to climb trees in the afternoon when it is hot outside. As a result, during your game drive, you may have the opportunity to see these lions lying up in the fig trees.

The access roads to Ishasha Sector will be passable during the dry season as opposed to the wet/rainy season when they won’t be. This makes it the optimum time to see the climbing lions. The wet season is ideal for birdwatching, but the lions avoid climbing trees since they will be slippery from the heavy rains.

The African elephants.

These are the biggest herbivorous mammals in the world, and because of their size and capacity for concealment in tall savannah grasslands, they are challenging to hunt. About 2500 elephants live in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is why so many people visit the area. An adult elephant can live for around 50 to 70 years in the wild, and they can live to be 80 years old. Adult elephants weigh between 3500 and 12000 kilograms, whereas young elephants weigh only 125 kilograms. They can reach heights of 14 feet and widths of 30 feet.
In Queen, elephants eat grass, tree branches, shrubs, twigs, and leaves. They weigh between 140 and 270 kg per day, spend 16 hours eating, and only get around two hours of sleep. Up to 300 kilograms of vegetation and 30 to 50 litres of water can be consumed daily by an adult elephant. The mother elephant, also known as the female elephant, is typically smaller than the male elephants and is always guarding their young. Elephants are sociable animals that can live in family groups of up to 100 individuals. The smaller and hairier forest elephants, which are located in parks like Kibale, Lake Mburo, and others like Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park among others, can be found in Uganda with the larger savannah elephants.

The Hippopotamus.

In Queen Elizabeth National Park, this is the main draw. Hippos are herbivores that can live in both water and on land. They consume grass and feed at night, devouring up to 150 pounds of grass. After elephants, they are the second largest terrestrial mammal in the world. Since their skins naturally produce a red sunscreen, hippos stay in the water during the day to protect themselves from the sun. Hippos have a land speed of 30.40 km/h, a lifespan of 40 to 50 years, and a weight of 3 tons.

The Kazinga channel, which connects Lake Edward and Lake George, is where hippos can breed and give birth while submerged. This area also has the highest concentration of hippos in Uganda, along with the Ntungwe River in the Ishasha region, and they have taken over the waterways of Queen Elizabeth National Park as a result. However, they can also be found in other parks in Uganda, including Semuliki National Park, Lake Mburo, and Murchison Falls.

The African cape buffalos.

These are also referred to as water buffalos and are one of the big 5 in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They are social animals that dwell in sizable herds with numerous members. They divide themselves into two different sorts of herds: the bachelor herd and the family group of herds, which includes the females and the calves. Male bachelor groups are made up of individuals over the age of 12 and young buffaloes aged 4 to 7. Young buffaloes aged 4 to 7 years old and adults 12 years of age and older. The older and more frail buffaloes like fighting the younger ones, which drives them from the herd and leaves them to fend for themselves in the grassland.

Buffalos live 15 to 25 years in the wild, they prefer open savannah grasslands, and are frequently seen wallowing in the mud to cool off on hot days. In Queen Elizabeth National Park, they can be found living along the shores of lakes Edward and George, among other bodies of water. Having a height of 4 to 6 feet and weighing up to 700 kilograms, a mature buffalo is enormous. The most deadly and powerful creatures, buffalos are especially lethal when found injured. They are also fiercely protective of their calves, keeping them in the heart of the herd at all times.

The savannah buffalo and the forest buffalo, which are smaller and more dangerous, are found in Uganda. They may be found in parks including Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, and Lake Mburo.

The leopards.

They are one of the “big five” mammals in Queen Elizabeth National Park and are frequently spotted on game drives, particularly when using the Kasenyi track. Like lions, leopards are carnivores with tawny fur that has a dark rosette pattern. They are also members of the cat family, and they are aggressive creatures with tawny fur.

Leopards are solitary and nocturnal animals, which makes them different from other cats in that they can be seen if a visitor takes part in a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They prefer thick bush when they have a kill and climb up in the trees to keep their hunt from the lions and the hyenas. They prey on fish, reptiles, birds, baboons, monkeys, antelopes, and many other things.

In contrast to lions, leopards can swim and climb trees well. Male leopards weigh about 130 pounds, while females average about 80 pounds. The male has a life expectancy of 15–20 years in the wild and can jump up to 10 feet straight up. Leopards can also be found in areas including Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Kibale National Park, and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.

Birding, game drives that allow visitors to see other animals, chimpanzee tracking, cultural encounters, nature walks in the Mweya Penisula, boat cruises, and many other activities are available for visitors to engage in while on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park also offers quite a few lodging options, including safari cottages, Mweya safari lodge, bush lodges, buffalo lodges, Pumba safari, among others that provide all types of accommodations.

In addition to being the home of the Big Five, Queen Elizabeth is also the habitat of numerous birds, primates, and animals, including antelopes, warthogs, Uganda Kobs, water bucks, oribi, topi, giant forest hogs, and mangooses. Primates found in Maramagambo forest include vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, while birds include the shoe