Queen Elizabeth National Park Safari Guide
Uganda's most visited park spanning the equator — famous for tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, Kazinga Channel boat safaris, and crater lake landscapes.
Top Highlights
Best Time to Visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
June to September and December to February for dry season. The Kazinga Channel boat safari is rewarding year-round. Tree-climbing lions in Ishasha are best spotted in the dry season when fig trees are fruiting.
Queen Elizabeth National Park Safari Budget Guide
Park fees $40/adult/day. Budget lodges from $40-100/night. Mid-range $100-300/night. Luxury $300-800/night. Kazinga Channel boat trip $30/person. Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura $50/person. Ishasha sector lodges $80-500/night.
Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park
6-7 hours by road from Kampala via Fort Portal. Charter flights to Kasese or Mweya airstrip (1.5 hours from Entebbe). Often combined with Bwindi (3-4 hours south) and Kibale Forest (2 hours north).
Queen Elizabeth National Park straddles the equator in western Uganda, encompassing a spectacular landscape of volcanic crater lakes, open savanna, dense forest, and the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel connecting Lakes Edward and George.
The park's most famous attraction is the tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector in the southern reaches. These lions habitually rest in the branches of large fig trees — a behaviour shared with only one other population in Africa (Lake Manyara, Tanzania). The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is equally iconic, drifting past banks lined with hippos, elephants, buffalo, and an incredible density of waterbirds.
The Kyambura Gorge, a sunken forest carved by the Kyambura River, offers a unique chimpanzee tracking experience in a dramatic setting completely different from Kibale's canopy forest.
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