Queen Elizabeth National Park

There are probably several reasons to explain my dromomania, not least being born in Watford.

Ma puts it down to the Willard Price Adventure books i read as a child. Hardly classics, they did provide me with interesting insights into countries and the indigenous natural environment. She might be right!

Of all of them, and there were at least 13 of the series, it was Elephant Adventure that remained the most memorable with its setting in the almost legendary Mountains of the Moon – known locally as the Rwenzori Range.

This mountain range forms the backdrop to Queen Elizabeth National Park on the western ridge of the Rift Valley. Although quite small, some 1978 square kilometres , its biodiversity is huge, with some 95 species of mammals, including elephant, hippos, lions and leopards, and over 610 species of birds. There are also 57 vegetation types.

one of the 95 mammal species - the striped mongoose

elephants at dawn

Established in 1952 and inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth in 1954, the park offers grasslands, bush grasslands, Acacia woodland and lakeshore/swamp vegetation.

a buff cools off

It takes me almost three hours to reach Katanguru Bridge on the main highway from Mwarara in a shared taxi costing Us15,000. I am met by a local driver Jeffrey who offers me a ride into the park. He also informs me he is a local guide and can offer me a four hour drive safari in his Toyota sedan. I haggle hard and we finally agree on transport in and out of the park, plus the drive safari over my three consecutive days for Us130,000. Jeffrey can be reached by calling 0773326270.

the ubiquitous warthogs

I am based at the Student Camp run by Robert who has been working here for some 10 years, This is the cheapest accommodation option in the park and takes some persuading to get myself admitted. At first i am told it is for students only, so i swiftly produce my ISIC student card. He then informs me he as a group of students who will be arriving in later and it will be too noisy for me. I assure him this is not a problem – indeed this is one of the reasons i carry an MP3 player with me. He then informs me i will need a lock, a torch and a sleeping bag, and seems somewhat disappointed that i possess all three. He grabs a rather shabby foam mattress and a pillow and shows me to a dorm at the far end of the site. He also advises me not to leave any valuables in the dormitory, which means not just carrying the Beast with me at all times, but also the laptop and MP3 player.

the beautiful Ugandan kob - a sub-species of impala found only in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC

The dorm is okay, although stifling hot inside. Although there is no plug socket for charging either my lap-top or camera batteries, it has a light inside. The students arrive in about 10.30pm, are loud and noisy, boast a shoddy sound system that they turn to max, and stay up all night because they are scared. I don’t have the balls to complain. It continues through the following night too.

a multicoloured lizard hanging out on the outside wall of my dorm room. One managed to sneak in too!


The Student Camp is the cheapest option to stay at Queen Elizabeth National Park, unless you decide to camp. There are three camp sites in the park charging USh15,000 per person per night, but only one of these offers shower and toilet facilities. Whilst the showering compartments are basic at the student camp, the toilet cubicles are unbearable. I am thus forced to piss in the woods and shit at the neighbouring Temba Canteen.

weaver bird doing what comes naturally

There are two alternative accommodation options at the Mweya – the main site. The extremely plush Mweya Lodge which charges US$130/280, bed and breakfast or full board US$155/US$280, single/doubles. Deluxe rooms, suites, Royal Cottage, Presidential Cottage and Queen’s Cottage are also available from US$270 – 750 per night. Given the prices charged for their food (USh50,000) evening buffet and the alternative food available at the site, it’s probably worth going full board.

The Mweya Lodge is a quite nice option, with non-attached rooms for USh57,000/84,000 (single/double). The on-site restaurant is quite good with mains USh8,000 (veg), USh 12,000 (non-veg).

The Temba Canteen does breakfasts for about USh5,000 and mains from Ush6,000 – Ush8,000. It’s basic but okay.

PARK TARIFFS 2010:
Park Entrance Fee (per 24 hours: US$30/US$25/US$20 (Non-residents/students/residents
Available activities include:
Boat Cruises – four times a day – 2 hour duration – 9am, 11am, 3pm, 5pm US$15 minimum 10 people. The 3pm trip is by far the most popular.
Guided Walks – twice a day – 2 hour duration – US$10
Guide for Nature Drives – own vehicle required – 3 and a half hours – US$20
Further afield – Chimpanzee tracking at Kyambura Gorge – twice daily – 8am and 2pm – US$50
Primate Walks at Maramgambo – US$10 any time

I opt for the boat cruise and the morning guided walk during my stay. The tour is crammed with two separate tour parties, one a bunch of 30 something British women, possibly a Lesbian group judging by both their appearance and behaviour, and a group of retired Italians who are doing a two week tour of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. They are accompanied by a 30 something marginally attractive Ugandan woman, and despite the wild-life on offer is very much the focal point of the elderly male Italians, much to the disgust and disapproval of the womenfolk.

The boat cruises up the Mweya Channel offering sightings of plenty of hippo, extensive birdlife, wallowing buffaloes and even a few crocodiles.

a wallowing hippo as seen from the boat cruise


a young croc sun-bathing

I am the only person taking up the offer of the guided walk. I am accompanied by my armed guide Moses, who has a clear love of Premier League football, the English (he spent two months on an exchange programme in Hampshire on the south coast of England) and wild-life in general. He is clearly very knowledgeable on all three areas, and the walk is pleasant enough, but apart from a few birds, a male waterbuck and heap-loads of hippo shit there is not much to see.

In Ishasha, sightings of tree-climbing lions are often spotted.

There are some 11 fishing communities living inside the park, One of these communities was regularly visited by a man-eating lion which was eventually shot and can now be seen seen in the Visitors’ Information Centre. They are helpful and polite, and apologize for the parks poorly managed website which includes a non-functioning telephone number, and their inability to respond to emails. I am assured they are currently in the process of updating it.

Given the wild-life on offer, the accessibility of the place and the prices charged, Queen Elizabeth National Park offers good value for money.

waterbucks - male and female


The Seriously Ugly Maribou Stork



can the knowlegeable Bubba name this little beauty?

The Majestic African Fish Eagles
Did You Know:
• The life-span of the African Fish Eagle is about 50 years
• The male and female can only be distinguished when seen together – the female is larger
• The couple mate for life – on the death of their partner, the eagle will not find another
• The couple never share their food