The Equator Landmark in Queen Elizabeth Park
The Equator Landmark in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Visitors can experience an equator crossing in the park by placing one foot in the North Pole and the other in the South Pole at 0 degrees, a landmark that is at 0 degrees on Earth. This hypothetical route travels across a number of nations, including Uganda, and ends at Queen Elizabeth National Park. One of Uganda’s most well-known protected areas, the park is renowned for its varied wildlife, rich biodiversity, stunning scenery, and natural beauty. Kikorongo, where the equator is located, is marked with a large sculpture that provides park visitors with photo ops.
Kikorongo in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kayabwe equator landmark, which is located on Masaka Road, are the two most popular destinations for equator trips in Uganda. In Kikongoro, Kasese district, on the northern border of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the equator crosses. Visitors can witness the sighting of this imaginary line on their way to the national park if they enter through the northern entrance from Kasese and Fort Portal.
Seeing the equator landmark in Queen Elizabeth Park is something you shouldn’t miss when on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is because, despite only passing through 11 nations, it is hard to see worldwide. After the wildlife game drives in the Kasenyi plains, your tour operator can always arrange a trip to the equator on nature hikes.
During nature walks in the Kasenyi grasslands, visitors can see the equator line in Queen Elizabeth National Park. In addition to learning about various aspects of the planet, a trip to the equator will allow you to simultaneously stand in the north and south hemispheres and take pictures for your own keepsakes when the safari is over.
There are additional chances when visiting the equator in Queen Elizabeth National Park, such as being entertained by the Kikorongo dancing troupe, who perform traditional songs and tell you various stories. Tourists can visit the neighbouring trading centre to purchase handcrafted gifts and assist Kikongoro women’s cooperatives.
Getting to the equator
Following the equator landmark in Queen Elizabeth Park, road or air transportation can be used to access this landmark, which is situated in the Kasese district of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s northern section. Travellers can drive from Kampala to the northern side of the park via Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Kasese to reach the equator. In Queen Elizabeth, the trip from Kampala to the equator takes 7 to 8 hours.
Visitors can reach the park by flight from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield to Mwea Airstrip, which takes 1 hour and 15 minutes, and after you connect to the equator.
From Entebbe International Airport and Kajjansi Airstrip, Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda offer flights to Mweya Airstrip or Kasese Airstrip.
Other attractions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Wild animals
The park has several wildlife species, including 10 primates, 95 mammals, and several other species that are distributed in the savannah grasslands of the Kasenyi plains and Ishasha sector, home to the tree-climbing lions, buffaloes, elephants, and several antelopes. Other wildlife species can be seen during boat cruises, game drives, and nature walks.
Several wildlife species to see in the park include lions, Waterbucks, hippos, spotted hyenas, Buffaloes, leopards, side-striped jackals, small-spotted genets, elephants, giant forest hogs, sitatungas, topis, banded mongooses, defassa waterbucks, bushbucks, aardvarks, Uganda kobs, Nile crocodiles, serval cats, and others. Primates include, among others, olive baboons, chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, l’hoest’s monkeys, and grey-cheeked mangabeys.
Birds
One of the greatest places in Uganda to see birds is Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is home to more than 600 different species. In several parts of the park, including Ishasha, the Mweya peninsula, Lake Likorongo, Katunguru bridge, and the Kasenyi plains, the bird species can be found in the savannah, forest, and riverine vegetation covers.
Bird species to see in the park include the spot-flanked barbet, African pied hornbill, scary-throated honeyguide, swallow bee-eater, rufous-breasted wryneck, piping hornbill, red-throated bee-eater, wire-bibbed swallow, little green bull, bearded woodpecker, grey woodpecker, cut-throat finch, black saw-wing, grey-throated barbet, western green tinkerbird, red-rumped tinkerbird, hairy-breasted barbet, white-headed barbet, double-toothed barbet, and African thrush, among others.
Other bird species include the red-tailed ant thrush, Yellow-billed barbet, Angolan swallow, purple-banded sunbird, southern carmine bee-eater, grey-backed paradise flycatcher, African golden oriole, red-billed paradise flycatcher, red-eyed shrike flycatcher, white shrike flycatcher, fork-tailed drongo, northern fiscal, magpie manikin, northern house martin, common waxbill, crested malimbe, lesser striped swallow, olive sunbird, pale flycatcher, plain green bull, fawn-breasted waxbill, and others.
Water bodies
The main bodies of water in the park include Lake George, Lake Edward, and the Kazinga Channel, the world’s largest waterway that connects these two lakes. The boat ride is one of the top activities that attracts visitors to the park due to its unforgettable wildlife species.
The purpose of the boat ride is to allow visitors to explore these lakes and take in the various sights. Tourists can witness aquatic creatures, including fish, crocodiles, and hippos, while on the boat excursion. Buffaloes, antelopes, monkeys, elephants, and birds like the African skimmer, papyrus gonolek, martial eagle, and yellow-billed stork are among the other park creatures.
Best time to visit
Although the park can be visited all year round, some months are more favourable than others. The dry season, which runs from June to September and from December to February, is the best time of the year to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park. During the dry season, the park roads are more accessible, with low vegetation that leads to visibility of wildlife species and other park attractions.
The wet seasons of March through May and October through November still allow visitors to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, which benefits low-budget tourists because lodging costs are lower. The game trucks and trails get muddy and slick due to the heavy rainfall during the rainy season. The roads leading to Queen Elizabeth National Park are in poor shape, and the tall foliage obscures the views of the attractions.
