Queen Elizabeth National Park

Uganda's most biodiverse park spans the Kasenyi plains, the Kazinga Channel and the Ishasha sector's famous tree-climbing lions.

The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is the park's signature experience, a two-hour drift past one of Africa's densest concentrations of hippo and Nile crocodile, with elephants coming down to drink.

South in Ishasha, lions rest in the fig trees, a behaviour recorded in only a handful of places on the continent. The Rwenzori Mountains rise to the north-west as an easy day-hike add-on.

Highlights

• Kazinga Channel boat cruise past hippo, croc and elephant
• Tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector
• Kasenyi plains game drives for lion and Uganda kob
• Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee tracking
• Over 600 bird species, the highest of any Ugandan park

Best time to visit

Game viewing peaks in the dry months of June–September and December–February when animals concentrate at water. The boat cruise runs well year-round.

Getting there

Six to seven hours by road from Kampala, or a short flight to Mweya or Kasese airstrip. It sits naturally between Kibale and Bwindi on the western circuit.