Queen Elizabeth wildlife and Kibale safari
Queen Elizabeth wildlife and Kibale safari: This is one of the most interesting adventures that take you to Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest national park the primate capital of the world. Both national parks are located in western Uganda with both national parks sharing Fort Portal district.
Queen Elizabeth wildlife and Kibale safari
Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the best places to have wildlife safaris because it’s home to over 95 mammals, 10 primates, and 600 bird species. Kibale forest national park on the other hand is the best place to have chimpanzee trekking safaris because it hots the highest number of chimpanzees and primates in the country.
Queen Elizabeth Wildlife and Kibale safari can last for 3 days and more. The total number of days to have on this safari depends on the time one has for the safari. The more the number of days the more activities done and the reverse is true.
When planning a safari to these two national parks, you need to get a good local tour operator to organize for you an amazing safari. You send them all the possible activities you want to have on a safari and somewhere they can even guide you on what to do. So many activities are possible on this safari but you have to choose those that fall in your travel budget.
Things to do on a combined safari to Queen Elizabeth and Kibale national park
Game viewing: On a combined safari to Queen Elizabeth and Kibale forest national park, tourists can only do game viewing within Queen Elizabeth. The game viewing activities are done in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsula, and Ishasha sector for those that love tree-climbing lions. Game viewing is a 2-3 hours activity where tourists get an opportunity to see as much wildlife as they can.
Game drive activities within Queen Elizabeth national park are carried out in the morning and evening hours in park areas while the night game drives are done in the Mweya area only. The game drive activities give tourists an opportunity to see wild animals such as lions, side stripped jackals, Uganda jobs, elephants, giant forest hogs, duikers, spotted hyenas, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, leopards, olive baboons, monkeys, and different bird species.
Chimpanzee trekking: On this safari, chimpanzee trekking is best done in Kibale forest national park home to the highest population of chimpanzees in the world. Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park is done in the morning and evening hours and about two families have been habituated and used to human presence around them.
Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park is a guided activity that starts with a briefing to teach tourists about the rules and regulations of the activity. Armed ranger guides lead the trekkers in the jungle protecting them from dangerous wild animals and searching for where the chimpanzees could be. Searching chimpanzees and locating them takes about 1-3 hours and trekkers are with the apes for 1 hour learning about their habits, watching them do daily activities, and taking photos.
Bird watching: On this safari, bird watching activities can be done in Queen Elizabeth national park or Kibale forest national park. Queen Elizabeth national park is home to over 600 bird species which are seen in areas like Katunguru bridge, lake Katwe, Ishasha, Kasenyi, Mweya, Maramagambo forest, and Kyambura gorge while Kibale forest national park is home to over 450 bird species seen in areas like Bigodi swamp.
Birding activities in Kibale forest national park will give tourists an opportunity to see birds such as papyrus canary, African- pied wagtail, zebra waxbill, African dusky flycatcher, black-billed weaver, blue-breasted kingfisher, black-capped waxbill, Africa shrike flycatcher, African emerald cuckoo, African green pigeon, African jacana, African pitta, Abyssinian ground thrush, crowned eagle, collared appalis, yellow spotted nicator, brown chested alethe, black billed turaco, and barn swallow among others.
Bird watching in Queen Elizabeth national park will introduce you to birds such as African spoonbill, black-billed bustard, denham’s bustard, grey plover, spur-winged lapwing, brown-chested lapwing, black-tailed godwit, jack snipe, afed pigeon wood sandpiper, mourning collared dove, common tern, African harrier hawk, tambourine dove, western bronze-napped pigeon, booted eagle, African marsh harrier, African fish eagle, mountain buzzard, crowned hornbill, common hoopoe, and grey-checked hornbill among others.:
Nature walks: Nature walks on a safari to Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest national park can be done in any of the parks. The nature walks can be done after a major activity or during free time at the lodge. Nature walks activities enable travelers to explore the areas on foot and get to meet different animals, birds, vegetation, and water sources.
Boat cruise: On this safari, a boat cruise is done in Queen Elizabeth national park on the Kazinga channel which goes through the park. The activity is done by those that want to explore the longest water channel in the world linking lake Edward to Lake George. The boat cruise is a 2-3 hours activity that gives tourists an opportunity to see hippos, crocodiles, water birds, and different park animals in the vegetation along the channel.
Lion tracking: Tourists that are interested in tracking lions on this safari can do it in Queen Elizabeth national park. Lion tracking is possible in Ishasha sector of the park which is also a home of tree climbing lions. Lion tracking is done with a help of an armed ranger guide who uses GPS callers to locate the lions that have radio callers attached to their necks. When a group of lions is found, tourists are given time to be around them and watch them do daily activities, learn about their behaviors, and take photos.
Mode of transport to use on this safari
Tourists that are having a safari to Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest national park can use road transport or air transport. For air transport, there is Kasese airstrip which can be used by those visiting Kibale forest and Queen Elizabeth national park and there is Mweya airstrip serving the people of Queen Elizabeth national park. To fly on this safari you need to book early in advance with Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda.
On this safari, tourists can drive to Queen Elizabeth national park and later Kibale forest national park or the other way around based on the itinerary. The road transport journey is a bit longer but tourists get to see a lot of attractions along the way and they do have stopovers where they can buy souvenirs. Roads leading to these parks are well constructed and are easily passable especially during the dry season.
When to have a combined safari in Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest national park?
This safari can be done at any time of the year however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry season is the best time to have this safari and this happens from June to September and December to February. During these months, there is little or no rainfall that makes the game tracks and trails dry, vegetation is short and thin with good views of the wildlife and the roads leading to the parks are passable.
Travelers can still have a combined safari to Queen Elizabeth national park and Kibale forest national park in the rainy season and this favors budget travelers because lodges are at a discount. The rainy season happens from March to May and October to November and during these months there is plenty of rainfall which makes the game trucks/trails muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall with unclear views of the wildlife and the roads leading to the park are impassable.
