A large, little-visited forest in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park, with guided walks, crater lakes, primates and a famous bat cave.
Why go: Maramagambo adds a forest walk to a savanna stay in Queen Elizabeth. It suits travellers spending two or three nights in the park who want something different from game drives.
Maramagambo Forest covers the southeast of Queen Elizabeth National Park, below the Kichwamba escarpment. It is one of the largest forests in the region and sees far fewer visitors than the park’s savanna sectors.
Guided walks follow trails past crater lakes and through tall forest, with chances of monkeys, baboons and forest birds. The best-known stop is a cave whose walls are covered in roosting bats, viewed from a safe distance.
Trails through tall forest with a ranger guide.
A cave full of roosting bats, seen from a viewing area.
Forest-fringed lakes formed in old volcanic craters.
Monkeys, baboons and forest birds along the trails.
Maramagambo is home to several primate species, including monkeys and olive baboons, and to a rich community of forest birds. Because few vehicles enter the forest, walks here are quiet and focused on smaller details: tracks, calls, butterflies and the plants of the forest floor.
The bat cave is the best-known stop. Thousands of bats roost on its walls, and the cave has also attracted pythons that hunt them. Visits are made from a viewing platform outside the cave, so you do not need to enter.
See our Queen Elizabeth National Park guide for the rest of the park.
In the southeast of Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda.
Most walks take a few hours, making it an easy half-day activity.
Yes, as part of a stay in Queen Elizabeth on the way to or from Bwindi.
Add Maramagambo, the Kazinga Channel and Ishasha to your gorilla trip.
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