Domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park

Domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park are the best option if you are not a fan of long road trips. Queen Elizabeth national park is 440km from Entebbe and it takes road transport users 7-8 hours to access the park. The national park is however 256km from Entebbe by air transport. Flying to the National park takes only 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Mweya airstrip or Kasese airstrip.

Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda provide scheduled domestic flights to so many national parks among which include Queen Elizabeth national park. These airline companies are in Kampala and Entebbe operating three flights to Queen Elizabeth national park during the high season and two flights during the low season.

There are daily domestic flights from Entebbe to Mweya/Kasese departing at 0700, 1015, 1200 and arriving at 1005, 1205, and 1435 respectively. If tourists are choosing to return to Entebbe/Kampala by flight, the airline company will pick them up and fly them to Kajjansi airstrip or Entebbe international airport.

How to book domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park

Travelers that would love to fly to Queen Elizabeth national park can book the flights by themselves directly with the airline company or with a local tour operator. The best way is to use a local tour operator reason being they do have special rates with the airline companies which individuals can’t get.

Book flights with a local tour operator

Tourists that are using a local tour operator for their safari to Queen Elizabeth national park don’t have to contact the airline companies because the local tour operator can do that job. They will use the dates of the month and year for the safari when contacting the airline company so that it checks for the availability of space. The moment seats are available, you will be sent an email with the price of the tickets and different banking details so that you pay for your flight to be booked.

Book Flights directly with the airline company

Tourists that prefer to Book Flights directly with the airline company to Queen Elizabeth national park can contact airline companies. Tourists can contact Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda with the dates of the month and year they want to have flights to the park. The information shall be used to check for the availability of seats. Once they are available, you will be sent an email with the price of the ticket as well as banking details to pay and get your seat booked.

Best time for domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park

Domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park are done all throughout the year but I guess the best time would be the best time to visit the park. The best time is the dry season from June to September and December to February when there is little or no rainfall. The weather is good with the skies clear which favors flights to the park. Game tracks and trails are dry and easily passable while the vegetation is short with clear views of wildlife.

Travelers that are having time in the rainy season or those that love discounted things can use domestic flights to access Queen Elizabeth national park. During the rainy season, the airline companies do two flights a day and they give discounts to clients. The weather is not good on some days and this delays flights. Game tracks and trails in the park are muddy and slippery, and vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife.

Apart from using domestic flights, Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed by road transport where tourists from Kampala/Entebbe will drive through Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Rubirizi to the park. Or Kampala/Entebbe through Mubende, Kyenjonjo, Fort Portal, and Kasese to the park. Accessing Queen Elizabeth park is longer using road transport but tourists do get great views of different attractions along the way.

Activities to do in Queen Elizabeth national park

There are several safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth park among which include:

Bird watching: In Queen Elizabeth national park, bird lovers can spot up to 600 bird species that have been recorded in the park by visiting different birding areas with a help of armed ranger guides. The bird watching areas include katwe area, lake kikorongo area, katunguru bridge, mweya, ishasha, kasenyi, maramagambo firest and kyambura girge firest among others.

Some of the birds include the Secretary bird, Eurasian buzzard, lesser honeyguide, swallow bee-eater, rufous-breasted wryneck, green-backed woodpecker, brown-eared woodpecker, speckle-breasted-woodpecker, little bee-eater cardinal woodpecker, yellow-crested woodpecker, northern carmine eater, green wood hoopoe, olive bee-eater, wire bibbed swallow, white-headed barbet, double toothed barbet, black-billed bustard, and marabou stork among others.

Game drives: Game drives are the most done activities by travelers accessing Queen Elizabeth national park using domestic flights. The national park over 95 mammals and 10 primates which can be seen during game drives in different areas of the park like Ishasha where the tree climbing lions live, Mweya peninsula, and Kasenyi plains.

The game drives last for 2-3 hours in the morning, evening, and night hours, and armed ranger guides are a must during the night hours. The safari drives take tourists to be best spots to see animals such as lions, elephants, lions, leopards, waterbucks, buffaloes, spotted hyenas, and giant forest hogs to mention but a few.

Chimpanzee trekking: This is another common activity done in Queen Elizabeth national park by travelers who use domestic flights. The chimpanzee trekking is done in Kyambura gorge in the east o the park by tourists that are 12 years and above and those that have chimpanzee permits. The activity is led by armed ranger guides and tourists are able to be around the chimpanzees for 1 hour watching them do daily activities, learn about their habits, and take photos among others.

Boat cruise: Tourists that are using domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park can always be part of the boat cruise done on Kazinga channel. The boat cruise is done by tourists to explore the national park, lake Edward, lake George and the different attractions in and around the waters. During the boat cruise, tourists see hippos, crocodiles, water birds, and some park animals along the channel feeding

Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth national park

There are several accommodation facilities where tourists on flying safaris to Queen Elizabeth national park can stay if they are to spend a night or more in the park.  Accommodation in Queen Elizabeth park range from luxury to mid-range to budget options for example Buffalo Safari Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Savannah Resort Hotel, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Pumba Safari Cottages, Enganzi Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Kitandara Hippo Hill Lodge, and Kyambura Gorge Lodge among others.