3 Days Queen Elizabeth National Park Safari
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Stays are in camps or lodges.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda’s most popular savannah park, straddling the equator beneath the Rwenzori Mountains — with the Kazinga Channel and the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha.
- Country
- Uganda
- Managed by
- Uganda Wildlife Authority
- Founded
- 1952 as Kazinga National Park; renamed in 1954
- Wildlife
- Over 95 mammal species and 600+ bird species
- Kazinga Channel
- A 40 km waterway between Lake Edward and Lake George
- Size
- 1,978 km², in Kasese District
- Our journeys here
- 2 journeys in the catalogue
Is Queen Elizabeth National Park right for you?
Who it suits.
- Best for
- Classic savannah game drives and boat trips in Uganda, families, birdwatchers and anyone travelling between Kibale and Bwindi.
- How it connects
- UWA’s park page puts it about 410 km west of Kampala, at least seven to eight hours’ direct drive, though most itineraries stop at other parks on the way (its tariff lists 389 km). Flights reach Kasese, Mweya and Kihihi airstrips, and a route through Ishasha leads south to Bwindi.
Queen Elizabeth National Park in our Uganda guide, with the places around it.
Why visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Water, savannah and lions in the trees.
Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most popular and most biodiverse safari park, home to more than 95 mammal species and over 600 kinds of birds, among them the African fish eagle, the shoebill, flamingos and the papyrus gonolek. Founded as Kazinga National Park in 1952, it was renamed in 1954 to commemorate a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, and it now stands against the backdrop of the Rwenzori Mountains.
The park straddles the equator, and monuments mark the exact spot where it crosses the line. In the Ishasha sector in the south, lions are known to climb fig trees and rest along the branches, scanning the plains for Uganda kob, behaviour the Uganda Wildlife Authority describes as rare anywhere in the world. Conservation here also supports local communities, who benefit from ecotourism and sustainable use of resources.
Landscapes & wildlife
Lakes, channel and craters.
The Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway some 40 kilometres long linking Lake Edward and Lake George, is one of the park’s great attractions, drawing elephants, buffalo and hippos to its banks along with a remarkable range of waterbirds. Away from the water, the Katwe explosion craters rise to the highest point in the park, and the lush, humid forests in parts of the park harbour primates, including chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus and vervet monkeys.
The savannah is mostly open grassland, growing moister and more wooded towards the west, and thorny acacia woodland and dense candelabra shrubs create a distinctive habitat, particularly along the Kazinga Channel and on the Kasenyi Plains. That variety, from crater lakes and forest to grassland and channel shores, is what makes Queen Elizabeth so rich in species.
- Tree-climbing lions in Ishasha
- Hippos and buffalo along the Kazinga Channel
- Over 600 bird species
- Chimpanzees and colobus monkeys
Wildlife moves freely and sightings are never guaranteed.
Signature experiences
In Queen Elizabeth.
Kazinga Channel cruise
Wildlife along the banks of the channel.
Ishasha game drives
Looking for lions resting in fig trees.
Community visits
Cultural tours with Bakonzo, Basongora and Banyabindi communities.
Getting there
Getting to Queen Elizabeth.
The park lies in western Uganda, west of Kampala, and the Uganda Wildlife Authority notes that most road itineraries take in other parks on the way. It is also possible to fly by scheduled or chartered aircraft from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield near Kampala to the nearby airstrips of Kasese, Mweya or Kihihi, the last of which serves the Ishasha sector in the south of the park.
Safaris that visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
Filter these journeys2 journeys to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Every journey here includes Queen Elizabeth National Park on its catalogue route.
Questions travellers ask
Queen Elizabeth National Park, answered.
- Where are the tree-climbing lions?
- In the Ishasha sector in the south of the park, where lions are known to rest in fig trees. Sightings depend on where the lions are and cannot be guaranteed.
Often paired with Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Bwindi
Uganda
A road route to Bwindi passes through the Ishasha sector.
Sources
- Uganda Wildlife Authority: Queen Elizabeth National Park (opens in a new tab)
- Uganda Wildlife Authority: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (opens in a new tab)
- Uganda Wildlife Authority: Revised conservation tariff, taking effect 1 January 2027 and running to June 2028, with gorilla and chimpanzee tracking rules (published October 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.
Your journey begins with a conversation
Shape your Queen Elizabeth National Park journey.
Tell us when you would like to travel and who is coming, and our team will suggest safaris that include Queen Elizabeth National Park.