A quieter forest block tucked inside Queen Elizabeth National Park — bat caves, a resident python, and crater-lake walks away from the park’s main game-drive circuit.
Maramagambo Forest sits in the southeastern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park, a genuine rainforest pocket amid the park’s more famous open savanna. It’s a low-key addition for guests who’ve already done a Kazinga Channel cruise and a game drive and want a change of pace on foot.
The forest’s best-known feature is a bat cave housing thousands of bats — and, notably, a resident python that has adapted to feed on them, a detail guides are happy to point out from a safe viewing platform. Beyond the cave, forest trails lead past several small crater lakes, including the striking, sulfur-tinted Blue Lake.
A cave housing thousands of bats, viewed from a safe platform, along with the python known to prey on them.
Forest trails connecting several small crater lakes, including the distinctly blue-tinted Blue Lake.
A different bird list from the open savanna sections of Queen Elizabeth, with several forest-specialist species.
Considerably fewer visitors than the park’s main game-drive circuit, appreciated by guests wanting a slower half-day.
Maramagambo is inside Queen Elizabeth National Park, so it requires no separate transfer from Rushaga beyond whatever route you’re already taking there — see our Queen Elizabeth National Park guide for that leg of the trip.
We generally suggest it as a half-day break partway through a multi-day Queen Elizabeth stay, between game drives and the Kazinga Channel cruise, rather than a standalone reason to visit the park.
Available year-round as part of any Queen Elizabeth itinerary. Forest trails can be muddier in the rainy seasons (March–May, October–November), so sturdy footwear matters here too.
Located within Queen Elizabeth National Park — reached via whichever route brings you into the park, with no additional transfer required.
No — it’s arranged as part of your Queen Elizabeth National Park itinerary rather than a standalone trip.
Yes, viewing is from a designated platform rather than inside the cave itself.
