The melting glacier waters of the Rwenzori Mountains create a vast wetland system comprising of two main lakes, George and Edward, as well as the connecting Kazinga Channel. Thousands of hippos populate these lake shorelines make today the Queen Elizabeth National Park together with Kyambura and Kigezi Wildlife Reserves that in turn form one of the most diverse ecosystems in Africa. Queen Elizabeth National park has varied vegetation from open savannah to rainforest, from dense papyrus swamps and brooding crater lakes to the vastness of Lake Edward. Due to this, Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts one of the highest biodiversity of wildlife game reserve in the world. With an estimated 100 mammal species and a remarkable 600 plus bird species, Queen Elizabeth national park make a superb safari destination with elephant, a profusion of hippos, the elusive giant forest hog and handsome Uganda kob are regularly seen.  This park also has a marvelous waterfront setting in the shadow of the Rwenzori Mountains. Elsewhere, the remote Ishasha Sector is famed for its tree-climbing lions, the Kyambura Gorge harbors habituated chimps, the Maramagambo Forest is home to an alluring selection of forest monkeys and birds, and flocks of flamingo are resident on the crater lakes. The major activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park include game drives in the park in early morning and late afternoon hours.  The park network of road is well maintained with over 200 km of driving tracks. A boat launch Trips to the Kazinga Channel through the hippo crowded banks of Kazinga Channel gives visitors an exclusive wildlife experience like a yawning hippos surrounded by a huge numbers birds and or elephant enjoying themselves drinking and playing along the Channel banks among many more wildlife sighting. Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts over 600 bird species and offer excellent birdwatching opportunity due to its ecosystem of swamps, rivers and savanna. The prehistoric looking Shoebill stork, one of the most sought birds in the park can be seen in swamps. The walk through the Maramagambo rain forest in a guided nature walk will offer an interesting insight like a pythons in the crevices of the Bats Cave floor using the bats as a source of food. Cave tours near the picturesque Blue Lake and Hunters Cave are worth a visit too. Other trails lead into the heart of the forest surrounding tranquil crater lakes and are home to wild chimps, other primates and many forest birds.     Kyambura Wildlife Reserve in the eastern part of the Protected Area supports similar mammals to the rest of the park. It has three saline crater lakes, which attract large numbers of flamingos – not found anywhere else in Uganda. The steep Kyambura Gorge, formed by the turbulent waters of the roaring Kyambura River, provides a lush riverine forest, home to chimpanzees, black and white colobus and red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons and other primates as well as plenty of forest birds. A guided nature walk takes visitors into the gorge and offers a great chance to track habituated chimps in their natural habitat. How to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park: By Road: Queen Elizabeth NP is located about 460km from Kampala and it takes 6 hours of driving. The driving is shorter when combining a visit to the park while on a tour of other Uganda National Parks By Air: It is also possible to fly to any of the nearby airstrips of Kasese, Mweya or Ishasha by scheduled flight or chartered aircraft from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi airfield near Kampala or from another Uganda National Park.