Queen Elizabeth National Park self-drive is one of the most rewarding Uganda independent safari experiences — a park where the game drive diversity is exceptional (kob antelope plains, Kazinga Channel hippo and crocodile, Maramagambo forest chimpanzee trekking) and the Ishasha sector’s tree-climbing lions 80km south of the main Mweya area provide a genuinely rare wildlife encounter. The Queen Elizabeth National Park self-drive entry point for visitors coming from Fort Portal or Kibale Forest is the Katunguru gate on the northern boundary — 3km from the Kazinga Channel and 30km from the Mweya peninsula, where the UWA visitor centre, the Mweya ferry crossing, and the public campsite are located. This guide provides the complete Queen Elizabeth National Park self-drive circuit for 2027/2028 independent visitors.
Queen Elizabeth National Park Entry: Fees and Gates
- Adult entry fee (non-resident): USD 40 per person per 24 hours (paid at the gate or via the UWA online booking platform)
- Vehicle entry: USD 15 per vehicle per day
- Katunguru gate: Main entry from the north (Fort Portal, Kibale Forest direction). Gate on the A109 Kasese-Mbarara road.
- Ishasha gate: Southern boundary entry for direct Ishasha sector access from Kigali or Kabale direction. 80km south of Katunguru on the same park boundary.
- Operating hours: Gates open 6am to 7pm. No entry or exit after 7pm (except for lodge guests with prior UWA notification).
The Mweya Peninsula Game Drive Circuit
The Mweya peninsula — the main visitor area of Queen Elizabeth NP — is a wedge of land between Lake George (northeast) and Lake Edward (southwest), joined by the Kazinga Channel. The peninsula game drive circuit from the Mweya UWA visitor centre covers:
- Kasenyi plains (north of the channel): The open kob antelope grassland where Uganda kob gather in large breeding herds. Lion frequently use the Kasenyi plains to ambush kob — the best Queen Elizabeth NP game drive area for predator sightings. Drive north from Mweya 8km to the Kasenyi circuit junction.
- Kazinga Channel road (south bank): Drive east along the south bank of the Kazinga Channel from Mweya to the Katunguru bridge (12km). Hippo visible in the channel from the road. Buffalo herds graze the channel margins. The road surface is good murram — manageable in any 4WD or AWD vehicle.
- Maramagambo Forest entry point: The Maramagambo Forest lies east of the Kazinga Channel road — a forest chimpanzee trekking option requiring a permit pre-booked with UWA (USD 90/person, 3 hours, different from Kibale).
The Kazinga Channel Boat Launch
The Kazinga Channel boat launch is one of Uganda’s top wildlife boat experiences — a 2-hour boat trip along the channel from the Mweya launch point, with wildlife on the banks including the densest hippo concentration in East Africa (thousands of hippo in the channel system), large crocodile populations, elephant and buffalo at the water’s edge, and over 600 bird species recorded on the channel margins.
- Cost: USD 30 per person (payable at the Mweya UWA visitor centre)
- Departures: 9am and 3pm daily (confirm times on arrival — seasonal adjustments apply)
- Duration: 2 hours
- Booking: Walk-in at the Mweya visitor centre on the day — advance booking not usually required unless the park is at peak capacity (July to August)
Ishasha Sector: The Tree-Climbing Lions
The Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth NP is 80km south of Mweya on the Uganda-DRC border — a separate game drive area known specifically for the behaviour of its lion population, which regularly climbs into the large fig trees of the Ishasha plains. Tree-climbing lions are extremely rare in East Africa (found only at Queen Elizabeth Ishasha and in Lake Manyara, Tanzania) and constitute one of the most unusual wildlife photography opportunities on the continent.
- Drive time Mweya to Ishasha: 1.5 to 2 hours on the Katunguru-Ishasha track (mostly murram)
- Best time for tree-climbing lion sightings: Early morning (7am to 10am) when lions rest in the fig trees escaping ground-level heat and insects
- Entry: Same UWA day fee as main park (covered by the entry fee paid at Katunguru gate)
- Camp: Ishasha Wilderness Camp (UWA public campsite adjacent to the sector)
