Queen Elizabeth National Park

Stretching across the floor of the Albertine Rift Valley in western Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most visited and most celebrated savannah park — a vast, dramatic landscape of open plains, crater lakes, and papyrus-fringed channels teeming with wildlife. Home to 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species, the park is famous for its legendary tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector, enormous elephant herds, and the iconic Kazinga Channel boat cruise, where hippos, crocodiles, and buffalo crowd the banks in breathtaking numbers. Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s wild heart — and every game drive delivers a story worth telling.

What is Queen Elizabeth National Park?

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda, straddling the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri along the floor of the spectacular Albertine Rift Valley — one of the most geologically dramatic and ecologically diverse landscapes in the entire African continent. Covering approximately 1,978 square kilometres of remarkably varied terrain, the park encompasses open savannah grasslands, dense riverine forest, sprawling papyrus swamps, volcanic crater lakes, and the wide, wildlife-rich waterway of the Kazinga Channel — all set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains to the north and the distant hills of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.

Established in 1952 and named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II following her visit to Uganda in 1954, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most popular and most visited wildlife destination — attracting more safari visitors annually than any other park in the country, and consistently ranked among the finest and most diverse safari destinations in the whole of East Africa. Its extraordinary combination of savannah game drives, primate encounters, boat safaris, birdwatching, and dramatic volcanic scenery makes it one of the few parks in Africa capable of delivering a genuinely complete and varied wildlife safari experience within a single destination.

Wildlife of Queen Elizabeth National Park

Uganda’s Most Diverse Safari Destination

With 95 recorded mammal species — one of the highest concentrations of mammal diversity of any national park in Africa — Queen Elizabeth National Park offers a wildlife safari experience of extraordinary richness and variety. From the open grasslands of the Kasenyi Plains, where large herds of Uganda kob gather in their thousands and lions stalk through the golden grass in the early morning light, to the dense papyrus swamps of the Maramagambo Forest, where chimpanzees move through the canopy and giant forest hogs root along the forest floor, every habitat in the park supports a different and equally remarkable cast of wildlife characters.

Lions — Queen Elizabeth is home to one of Uganda’s most robust and well-studied lion populations, with several prides ranging across the park’s open grasslands and woodland areas. The Kasenyi Plains in the northern sector offer some of the finest lion viewing in East Africa — with morning game drives frequently delivering sightings of prides resting after nocturnal hunts, cubs at play, and the occasional dramatic predation event on the abundant Uganda kob herds that share their territory.

Tree-Climbing Lions of Ishasha — Queen Elizabeth’s most celebrated and most sought-after wildlife attraction is the remarkable tree-climbing lion population of the Ishasha sector in the park’s remote southern reaches — a pride behaviour so unusual and so rarely observed anywhere else in Africa that it has made Ishasha one of the most famous and most visited wildlife destinations on the entire East African safari circuit. Unlike virtually every other lion population in Africa, the Ishasha lions habitually climb and rest in the branches of large fig trees — particularly the giant wild fig trees that dot the open grassland of the Ishasha plains — a behaviour that has been studied and debated by wildlife scientists for decades without definitive consensus on its origin or purpose. Watching a pride of lions draped languidly across the branches of an ancient fig tree against the backdrop of the Ishasha plains at sunrise is one of the most iconic and unforgettable wildlife images in all of Africa.

Elephants — Queen Elizabeth supports one of Uganda’s largest elephant populations, with herds of several hundred individuals ranging freely across the park’s grasslands, woodland, and forest areas. Elephant encounters are among the most reliable and frequently occurring wildlife sightings in the park — with large family groups commonly encountered during game drives in the Kasenyi Plains and Ishasha sectors, and impressive bull elephants regularly observed along the banks of the Kazinga Channel.

Hippopotamuses — The Kazinga Channel and the park’s network of lakes and waterways support one of the highest concentrations of hippopotamuses in East Africa — with thousands of individuals inhabiting the channel and its surrounding water bodies in enormous wallowing pods that are one of the park’s most dramatic and visually impressive wildlife spectacles. The morning boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel delivers hippo encounters of extraordinary intimacy and abundance — with the massive, prehistoric-looking animals surfacing, yawning, and bellowing at remarkably close range throughout the cruise.

Buffalo — Among the most abundant large mammals in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the park’s buffalo population numbers in the thousands — with enormous herds of several hundred individuals moving across the open plains in great dark masses that are one of the park’s most dramatic and thrilling wildlife spectacles. The Kasenyi Plains and the areas surrounding the Kazinga Channel offer the finest buffalo viewing, with large herds frequently encountered during both morning and afternoon game drives.

Leopards — Elusive, secretive, and breathtakingly beautiful, Queen Elizabeth’s leopards inhabit the park’s woodland and forested areas in healthy numbers — and while sightings require patience, skill, and a degree of fortune, the park’s experienced ranger guides know the most productive areas and the most likely times for leopard encounters. A leopard sighting in Queen Elizabeth — draped over a branch, stalking through the grass, or caught in the golden light of late afternoon — is invariably one of the most exciting and memorable moments of any Uganda safari.

Uganda Kob — The Uganda kob — an endemic antelope species and the animal that appears on Uganda’s national coat of arms — is among the most numerous and most visible large mammals in Queen Elizabeth National Park, with thousands of individuals grazing across the open grasslands of the Kasenyi Plains in concentrations that rival the great wildebeest herds of the Serengeti in their sheer visual impact. The kob’s spectacular rutting grounds — known as leks — where males compete fiercely for mating rights in a drama of territorial display and physical contest, are one of the park’s most fascinating and least known wildlife spectacles.

Chimpanzees — The Kyambura Gorge in the northeastern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park — a dramatic, forest-filled river gorge slicing through the open savannah like a hidden world within a world — is home to a habituated chimpanzee community that can be tracked on guided morning excursions from the gorge’s rim. Descending into the gorge and following the chimpanzees through their dramatic forest setting — with the open savannah visible above and the sounds of the chimps echoing off the gorge walls — is one of Uganda’s most unique and atmospheric wildlife experiences, combining the excitement of primate trekking with a landscape of extraordinary scenic drama.

The Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise — Queen Elizabeth’s Iconic Experience

The Kazinga Channel is a 32-kilometre natural waterway connecting Lake George to the north and Lake Edward to the south — and the boat cruise along its waters is without question the single most iconic and beloved wildlife experience that Queen Elizabeth National Park has to offer. Drifting quietly along the channel’s calm surface aboard one of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s safari boats, visitors are treated to a wildlife spectacle of extraordinary abundance and variety that unfolds continuously along both banks for the duration of the two-hour cruise.

Enormous pods of hippos line the channel’s shallows — dozens, sometimes hundreds of the massive animals wallowing, surfacing, yawning, and bellowing in a constant, prehistoric tableau that plays out just metres from the passing boat. Nile crocodiles bask on every available sandbank and muddy shoreline, ancient and motionless in the morning sun. Elephants wade into the channel to drink and bathe, their enormous grey forms reflected in the still water. Buffalos crowd the banks in their hundreds. And overhead and along the channel’s papyrus-fringed edges, over 600 bird species go about their daily lives in a continuous avian spectacle of colour, movement, and extraordinary diversity.

The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is available in both morning and afternoon sessions — with the morning cruise generally offering the finest wildlife viewing and photographic light, and the afternoon cruise delivering the extraordinary spectacle of the setting sun painting the channel’s waters in extraordinary shades of gold and amber as the day draws to a close. For many visitors to Uganda, the Kazinga Channel cruise is the highlight of their entire safari — a wildlife experience so abundant, so varied, and so effortlessly spectacular that it stands comparison with any boat safari anywhere in Africa.

Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The Kasenyi Plains — Northern Sector

The Kasenyi Plains in the northern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park are the park’s premier game drive destination — a vast, open grassland landscape of extraordinary scenic beauty and remarkable wildlife density where the classic East African savannah safari experience unfolds in its most vivid and thrilling form. Morning game drives across the Kasenyi Plains — departing at dawn when predators are most active, the light is at its most beautiful, and the enormous Uganda kob herds are beginning their daily grazing movements — consistently deliver some of the finest wildlife encounters available anywhere in Uganda.

Lion prides rest and play in the golden morning light. Elephant herds move purposefully across the open grassland. Leopards are occasionally glimpsed retreating to the cover of woodland after a nocturnal hunt. Spotted hyenas scavenge the remnants of the night’s kills. And the Uganda kob gather in their thousands across the plains in a spectacle of antelope abundance that is one of the most visually impressive in all of East Africa. The Kasenyi Plains game drive is the beating heart of any Queen Elizabeth National Park safari — and the experience that most visitors return home talking about most vividly and most passionately.

The Ishasha Sector — Southern Sector

Located in the remote southern reaches of Queen Elizabeth National Park, approximately 75 kilometres from the park’s northern headquarters at Mweya, the Ishasha sector is one of Africa’s most famous and most sought-after safari destinations — home to the legendary tree-climbing lions that have made this remote corner of Uganda one of the most talked-about and most visited wildlife areas on the entire East African safari circuit.

Game drives in the Ishasha sector focus primarily on locating and observing the tree-climbing lion prides that inhabit the sector’s open grassland and fig tree woodland — a search that requires patience, skill, and the expert knowledge of guides who have spent years studying the prides’ movements and habits. When the lions are found — and Ishasha’s experienced guides achieve sightings with impressive consistency — the encounter is invariably one of the most extraordinary and most photographed of any Uganda safari. Ishasha also offers excellent general game viewing with good populations of Uganda kob, topi, elephants, and buffalo, as well as some of the finest birdwatching in the park along its river systems and woodland areas.

Birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth National Park

For birdwatchers, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the greatest and most diverse birding destinations in all of Africa — a park of such remarkable habitat diversity and such extraordinary species richness that it has been designated an Important Bird Area of global significance. With over 600 recorded bird species spanning open savannah, papyrus swamp, riverine forest, crater lake, and montane forest habitats, Queen Elizabeth offers a birding experience of unparalleled variety and abundance — one of the finest in the entire African continent.

The park’s most celebrated and most sought-after bird is the prehistoric-looking shoebill stork — one of Africa’s most bizarre, most ancient, and most coveted bird species — which inhabits the papyrus swamps of the Kazinga Channel and the surrounding lake margins in small but reasonably reliable numbers. A shoebill sighting in Queen Elizabeth is one of the most prized and memorable birding encounters available anywhere in East Africa — and the papyrus swamp boat excursions offered by the park’s specialist birding guides offer the best opportunity to find this extraordinary bird in its natural habitat.

Other outstanding birding highlights include the African skimmer, pels fishing owl, papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, African fish eagle, martial eagle, bateleur, African broadbill, black bee-eater, blue-headed coucal, and literally hundreds of additional species spanning every family and every ecological niche represented within the park’s extraordinary mosaic of habitats. For dedicated birders, Queen Elizabeth National Park warrants a visit of several days — and rewards every moment of careful observation and patient searching with encounters of outstanding quality and rarity.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Kyambura Gorge

One of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s most unique, atmospheric, and genuinely extraordinary wildlife experiences is the chimpanzee trekking excursion into the dramatic Kyambura Gorge — a steep-sided, forest-filled river gorge that cuts dramatically through the open savannah grassland of the park’s northeastern sector, creating a hidden world of dense tropical forest, cascading streams, and remarkable wildlife that feels utterly unlike the open savannah landscape that surrounds it on every side.

The gorge is home to a habituated community of approximately 16 chimpanzees — a small but remarkably accessible and well-studied group — that can be tracked on guided morning excursions beginning at the gorge’s rim and descending steeply into the forest below. The combination of the gorge’s dramatic physical setting, the intimacy of the small chimpanzee community, and the extraordinary contrast between the open savannah above and the dense forest world below creates a trekking experience of unique character and atmosphere — one that complements the park’s savannah game drives perfectly and adds a compelling primate dimension to what is already one of Uganda’s most varied and complete safari destinations.

Crater Lakes of Queen Elizabeth National Park

Among the most visually striking and scientifically fascinating features of Queen Elizabeth National Park are the numerous volcanic crater lakes — over 50 in total — that dot the landscape of the Albertine Rift escarpment along the park’s northern and western boundaries, each one a perfectly circular, water-filled volcanic crater of extraordinary scenic beauty and remarkable ecological character. The crater lakes vary dramatically in their chemistry, colour, and biological communities — ranging from the brilliant turquoise of the highly alkaline explosion craters to the rich green of the nutrient-dense freshwater lakes — creating a landscape of surreal and breathtaking natural beauty unlike anything else in Uganda.

The Crater Lakes Trail — a guided walking or driving route through the crater lake landscape above the Kazinga Channel — is one of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s most rewarding and least-visited attractions, offering spectacular panoramic views across the Albertine Rift Valley, Lake Edward, and the distant mountains of the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside excellent birdwatching opportunities and the extraordinary sight of dozens of perfectly circular lakes scattered across the ancient volcanic landscape like jewels in a geological crown.

Maramagambo Forest — The Park’s Hidden Wilderness

Stretching across the southeastern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Maramagambo Forest is one of Uganda’s largest and most important tropical forest reserves — a vast, ancient, and remarkably biodiverse woodland that provides a dramatic ecological contrast to the open savannah grasslands of the park’s northern plains. Home to chimpanzees, red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, forest elephants, giant forest hogs, and an extraordinary diversity of forest birds, Maramagambo offers guided forest walks of outstanding wildlife richness and remarkable scenic beauty.

The forest is also home to the famous Python Cave — a large limestone cavern on the shores of a small crater lake within the forest, inhabited by an extraordinary colony of African rock pythons that roost in the cave’s cool darkness and hunt the thousands of bats that share the cave as their roost. A guided visit to Python Cave — watching enormous pythons move through the cave’s shadows while bats stream overhead in their hundreds of thousands — is one of the most unusual, memorable, and genuinely extraordinary wildlife experiences available anywhere in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park can be visited year-round, with game drives, boat cruises, and chimpanzee trekking available on every day of the year. However, the dry seasons offer the most comfortable visiting conditions and the finest game viewing experiences.

Peak Season — June to September & December to February Uganda’s dry seasons bring lower grass levels that significantly improve visibility and wildlife spotting on game drives, firmer road conditions that allow access to all areas of the park including the remote Ishasha sector, and the most comfortable and pleasant weather conditions for outdoor activities. This is the best time for lion and tree-climbing lion sightings, the finest photographic conditions, and the period of highest visitor numbers — making advance booking of accommodation and activities essential.

Low Season — March to May & October to November The rainy seasons bring lush green landscapes, newborn wildlife, dramatically reduced visitor numbers, and considerably lower accommodation prices — creating a more intimate and exclusive safari atmosphere that many experienced safari travellers actively prefer. Game viewing remains excellent throughout the wet season, with animals gathering around permanent water sources and the park’s wildlife particularly active and visible in the cooler, overcast conditions. Birding is outstanding during the wet season as migratory species arrive and resident species engage in breeding behaviour.

Where to Stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Luxury:

Kyambura Gorge Lodge — an intimate and beautifully designed eco-luxury lodge perched dramatically on the rim of the Kyambura Gorge, offering stunning views across the park and the gorge below, outstanding cuisine, and a genuine commitment to conservation and community development that makes it one of the most ethically admirable luxury lodges in Uganda
Mweya Safari Lodge — Queen Elizabeth’s original and most celebrated luxury lodge, set on a dramatic peninsula at the confluence of the Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward with panoramic water views, excellent facilities, and the finest location of any lodge in the park

Mid-range:

Elephant Haunt Lodge — a comfortable and well-located mid-range option near the Kasenyi Plains with good access to the park’s prime game drive areas
Enganzi Game Lodge — a friendly and atmospheric mid-range lodge offering excellent value and a genuine bush experience in a beautiful setting near the park’s northern entrance
Ishasha Wilderness Camp — a simple but atmospheric tented camp in the remote Ishasha sector, perfectly positioned for early morning tree-climbing lion game drives and offering an authentic and immersive wilderness experience far from the park’s more developed northern areas

Budget:

Institute of Ecology Bandas — simple self-catering accommodation at Mweya, managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and offering the most affordable option for budget-conscious visitors seeking a base within easy reach of the Kazinga Channel and northern game drive areas

How to Get to Queen Elizabeth National Park

By Road from Kampala: Queen Elizabeth National Park is approximately five to six hours by road from Kampala, travelling west through the towns of Mbarara and Bushenyi before descending into the Albertine Rift Valley. The road is well-paved throughout and the drive is one of the most scenically beautiful in Uganda — passing through the rolling hills of western Uganda, the dramatic Bwera escarpment, and the extraordinary landscape of the Albertine Rift Valley as it opens up before you on the descent to the park.

By Domestic Flight: Charter flights are available from Entebbe to the Mweya airstrip within the park — reducing the journey time from six hours by road to approximately one hour by air and allowing visitors with limited time to maximise their game drive and boat cruise experiences within the park.

Combined Itinerary: Queen Elizabeth National Park is most commonly visited as part of a broader Uganda safari combining the savannah game drives of the west with chimpanzee trekking at Kibale Forest National Park — just one hour to the north — and mountain gorilla trekking at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park — approximately two to three hours to the south. This combination of savannah, primate forest, and mountain gorilla habitat delivers the most complete and varied Uganda wildlife safari experience available, and represents the gold standard itinerary for first-time visitors to the Pearl of Africa.

Top Uganda Safari Packages Featuring Queen Elizabeth National Park 2026

3-Day Uganda Big Five Wildlife Adventure — From $575 per person
5-Day Uganda Gorilla & Chimpanzee Trekking Safari — From $1,933 per person
8-Day Ultimate Uganda Grand Safari — From $2,500 per person

Why Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park?

In a country already overflowing with extraordinary wildlife destinations and world-class safari experiences, Queen Elizabeth National Park stands apart — not for a single iconic species or a single legendary experience, but for the sheer, remarkable completeness of what it offers. In one park, across one safari, you can witness tree-climbing lions draped across ancient fig trees at sunrise, drift past thousands of hippos on the Kazinga Channel at midday, track chimpanzees through the dramatic darkness of Kyambura Gorge in the morning, and watch the sun dissolve behind the mountains of the Congo in a sky ablaze with colour at evening. You can see elephants, buffalo, leopards, Uganda kob, crocodiles, shoebill storks, and hundreds of other bird and mammal species — all within the boundaries of a single, extraordinary park.

Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s wild heart — a place where the full, breathtaking diversity of East African wildlife and landscape comes together in one vast, dramatic, and endlessly rewarding natural arena. Every game drive delivers a story. Every boat cruise delivers a memory. And every sunset over the Albertine Rift delivers a view that stays with you, quietly and permanently, for the rest of your life.

Book your Queen Elizabeth National Park safari today — and experience Uganda’s greatest wildlife destination for yourself.

Park entry fees apply. Game drive, boat cruise, chimpanzee trekking, and Python Cave visit fees are additional. All activities must be booked in advance through the Uganda Wildlife Authority or a registered Uganda safari operator. Chimpanzee trekking permits for Kyambura Gorge are limited — early booking strongly recommended. Tree-climbing lion game drives in the Ishasha sector require a full day excursion from the northern sector or an overnight stay in Ishasha.