Queen Elizabeth National Park between lakes, savanna and craters
Published on 09/11/2026 at 17:34 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda lies around Kasese on the floor of the Western Rift Valley, where grassland, lakes and volcanic crater fields form a single protected landscape. Established as Kazinga National Park in 1952 and renamed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1954, it has become one of Uganda’s best-known conservation areas for the way water, savanna and ancient geology meet in one place.
Between Lake George, Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel
Queen Elizabeth National Park stretches between Lake George in the north-east and Lake Edward in the south-west, with the Kazinga Channel linking the two lakes and running through the heart of the protected area. The park occupies roughly 1,978 square kilometres (764 sq mi), giving space for open plains, wetlands and patches of forest to sit side by side.The park occupies an estimated 1,978 square kilometres Kasese lies just outside the north-eastern boundary, so the transition from town to protected land is relatively direct, with approach roads dropping towards the Rift Valley floor.
The lakes themselves are part of wider international designations. Lake George is recognised as a Ramsar wetland site within a biosphere reserve, while Queen Elizabeth National Park forms the core of the Queen Elizabeth Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme.Queen Elizabeth Biosphere Reserve and National Park straddle the equator The protected area lies close to the equator, and its altitude ranges roughly between 910 m and 1,390 m (2,985–4,560 ft), which helps explain the mix of low-lying wetlands and slightly higher savanna escarpments.
Grassland, forests, wetlands and crater fields
One of the defining features of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the variety of habitats within a single boundary. Broad tracts of undulating savanna grassland carry scattered trees and shrubs, while areas of semi-deciduous tropical high forest and savanna woodland provide denser cover.The core area supports grassy plains and savanna woodlands Wetlands, rivers and swamps fringe the lakes and channel, and along parts of the park saline crater lakes fill volcanic hollows, some ringed by steep inner slopes.
These crater fields, remnants of past volcanic activity in the Albertine Rift, are among the most striking geological elements of the landscape. In places visitors move from savanna plains to crater rims within a short distance, looking down into hollows where water has collected and vegetation patterns differ from the grassland outside. The wider protected area, recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area, includes the park together with Lake George and the Kigezi Wildlife Reserve, forming a block of more than 2,700 square kilometres (1,042 sq mi).Queen Elizabeth National Park and Lake George form a Key Biodiversity Area Within this block the mix of grassland, woodland, forest and wetlands supports a notably high diversity of species compared with many other protected areas in Uganda.
History, districts and conservation status
The area now known as Queen Elizabeth National Park was formally gazetted as a national park in 1952 under the name Kazinga National Park, consolidating several earlier game reserves around Lake George and Lake Edward.The National Park Ordinance was passed in 1952 In 1954, after a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, it took its present name, and over subsequent decades management plans have aimed to balance conservation with research and nature-based tourism.
Administratively, the park spans several districts in western Uganda, including Kasese, Rubirizi, Rukungiri and Kamwenge, with portions of the protected area also linked to reserves such as Kyambura and Kigezi.Queen Elizabeth National Park and adjoining reserves are managed as one protected area Its position on the floor of the Western Rift Valley, east of Lake Edward and beneath the southern foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains, means that views from some sectors take in both water and mountain horizons. Over time, the combination of biosphere reserve status, Key Biodiversity Area recognition and national park protection has placed Queen Elizabeth at the centre of conservation efforts in western Uganda.
Visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Queen Elizabeth National Park lies in western Uganda, with the town of Kasese just outside its north-eastern edge and approach roads running from Kampala through towns such as Mbarara or Fort Portal.
- The terrain within the park includes level savanna tracks, sections of rougher ground and crater rims with noticeable gradients, so some viewpoints and game-drive routes involve driving or walking on uneven surfaces.
- Lakes George and Edward, the Kazinga Channel and several crater lakes lie within the protected area, meaning that some visitor routes combine road travel with boat trips on inland waters.
- The official language in Uganda is English and the currency is the Ugandan shilling.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Queen Elizabeth National Park on social platforms
These links open searches for Queen Elizabeth National Park on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Queen Elizabeth National Park
Where is Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Queen Elizabeth National Park is in western Uganda on the floor of the Western Rift Valley, with Kasese town lying just outside its north-eastern boundary.
What can visitors expect on a visit?
Visitors encounter savanna grassland, patches of forest and woodlands, wetlands around Lakes George and Edward, the Kazinga Channel and volcanic crater fields within the protected landscape.
What makes Queen Elizabeth National Park distinctive?
The park is distinctive for the way its 1,978-square-kilometre protected area links lakes, grassland, wetlands and crater fields under both national park and biosphere reserve designations.
