One area of Queen Elizabeth National Park where several park features can be seen is the Mweya Peninsula. The Mweya Peninsula is one of the most popular areas of Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is located on the northern bank of the Kazinga Channel.
Interestingly, it shares a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which runs through the center of Lake Edward. The Mweya Peninsula is roughly 40 kilometers by road from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, and 55 kilometers by road southwest of Kasese.
The Mweya Peninsular is a thick grass cover with dense vegetation dominated by candelabra and prickly bushes. The Peninsula boasts well-maintained game drive trails, like the Channel Track, which descends to Katunguru Gate and passes through Kabatoro Gate. The area’s lush foliage provides a unique experience for wildlife viewing.
Home to over 600 different bird species, making it recognized as an Important Birding Area, and is home to 95 mammals, including lions and leopards.
Attractions in the Peninsula of Mweya.
The fauna of the Mweya Peninsula
Owing to its thick flora, the Mweya Peninsula is home to a diverse array of species, such as the mammals found in the Maramagambo woods and creatures like elephants, antelopes, huge forest hogs, buffaloes, warthogs, and hyenas. This is an ideal habitat for nocturnal species such as leopards.
In addition to wildlife, the Maramagambo forest is home to several species of primates, including pottos, red-tailed, blue, and black monkeys, olive baboons, and blue monkeys. The Mweya Peninsula is home to mongooses, snakes including pythons, and reptiles like Nile crocodiles.
Leaving mammals aside, there are more than 100 different species of birds, including the napping pigeon, flamingos, African skimmer, and papyrus gonolek.
Things to do on your Mweya Safaris.
Tourists visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park have a wide range of things to choose from because the Mweya Peninsula boasts several attractions.
Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel
Boat cruises are offered twice a day, in the morning and afternoon shifts. However, during the busiest times of the year, there may be more boat launches than twice a day due to high demand. This is an exciting and fascinating activity that offers stunning views of the park and nearby animals, including buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, and shoebills.
Game drives
Held twice a day, in the early morning and late afternoon when the animals are most active and the sun is not too hot, game drives are conducted on the steep game tracks of the Mweya Peninsula. Because of the thick undergrowth that surrounds the Mweya Peninsula, game drives can be a little difficult.
Expect to encounter a variety of species on the game drive, including warthogs, hyenas, and leopards, among others.
Mongoose tracking
The Mweya Peninsular is home to more than 400 mongooses, and this is the area where tracking is possible. Active adventurers will find mongoose tracking to be a unique experience. A team of researchers and a qualified guide will accompany you, using their knowledge and skills to track the animals.
The guide will provide you all the information you need to understand more about the traits, habits, and behaviors of rats and banded mongooses during this three-hour session. You will be able to view various local attractions, such as animals and birds, throughout this activity.
Community walks.
You will have the opportunity to participate in community walks to the Mweya village and other communities close to the peninsular. This entails strolling to the communities and interacting with the residents, working alongside them on a daily basis. As a result, you will learn more about the customs, cultures, and lifestyles of the locals.
Nature walks.
Hiking through the forests to learn more about the local flora, animals, and vegetation as well as the other attractions is part of forest nature walks and excursions. As a result, you will follow the trails while being led by a guide for the entire walk. Various animal species and bird species will be witnessed.
How to get to Mweya peninsular.
It is possible to reach the Mweya Peninsula in Queen Elizabeth National Park via both air and land transportation.
By Air
You have the option of scheduling a flight from Kajjansi Airfield, a domestic airfield, or Entebbe International Airport with domestic airline operators such as Aero Link. These will be landing at Mweya airstrip and may be scheduled or chartered planes.
By road
The Mweya Peninsula is located 20 km west of the route that leads from Kampala, the capital city, to Kasese town. It takes 7 to 8 hours to get there.
The ideal time to go to the Mweya Peninsula.
The Mweya Peninsula can be visited at any time of year, although December through February and June through September are the best months to visit due to pleasant weather.
Since these months are considered to be the dry season, parks’ roads and trails are dry and simple to travel, in contrast to the wet season’s muddy, slick, and wet roads and pathways. The thick, overgrown greenery makes it difficult to take clear pictures of the attractions.
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