Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second-largest national park — 1,978 sq km of savanna, wetlands, and the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake Edward and Lake George along the Albertine Rift in southwestern Uganda. The park is best known for two extraordinary wildlife attractions: the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha in the south, and the Kazinga Channel boat safari where one of the world’s most dense hippo and crocodile populations lines both banks within metres of the boat. Combined with excellent elephant viewing, chimpanzees in the adjacent Kyambura Gorge, and 606 recorded bird species (among the highest for any single African park), Queen Elizabeth is Uganda’s most diverse park and an essential stop on any southwestern Uganda circuit.
Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Kampala
Queen Elizabeth NP is 340 km from Kampala via the Kampala-Mbarara highway (A109) and then southwest toward Kasese. The standard approach: Kampala to Mbarara (267 km, 4 hours on good tarmac), Mbarara to Kasese via the Ishaka junction (100 km, 1.5 hours). The Mweya Peninsula (park headquarters and main lodge area) is 25 km south of Kasese on a paved road. Total from Kampala to Mweya: approximately 5.5-6 hours. Mweya sits on a narrow peninsula between Lake Edward and the Kazinga Channel — one of the most beautiful settings of any Uganda safari lodge.
The Kazinga Channel Boat Safari
The 2-hour launch trip on the Kazinga Channel from Mweya is Uganda’s most celebrated wildlife boat experience — better than the Murchison Falls trip for density of hippo and crocodile. The 40 km channel connects Lakes George and Edward and runs through the heart of the park. The water’s edge on both banks is lined with hippo pods (the park has approximately 5,000 hippos — one of Africa’s largest populations), Nile crocodiles (several hundred individuals, many over 3 metres), and water-associated birds at extreme close range. Buffalo come to drink at the banks, elephants wade in the shallows, and the African fish eagle calls constantly from papyrus tops. The boat approaches within 3-5 metres of animals that are completely habituated to vessel traffic. Trips depart from Mweya jetty at 08:00, 11:00, and 15:00. Cost: approximately USD $30 per person through Uganda Wildlife Authority. Morning and afternoon trips are best — midday animals are less active.
Ishasha Sector: Tree-Climbing Lions
The Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth’s southern area (75 km south of Mweya, accessed via Ishaka and Kabale road junction) is the world’s most reliable location to see lions resting in trees. The Ishasha lions regularly climb the massive fig trees that dot the short grass plains, lying draped across branches 5-8 metres above the ground — a behaviour so unusual that biologists still debate its exact cause (shade from flies? cooling? better game-viewing vantage? territorial marking of tree trunks?). Whatever the cause, the sight of 6-8 lions in the branches of a single fig tree is one of Uganda’s most extraordinary wildlife images. The specific fig trees used by the dominant prides are known to rangers — the central plains near Ntungwe River have the highest density of known tree-climbing fig trees. Consult the Ishasha ranger station on arrival for current pride location. Ishasha entry is included in the main Queen Elizabeth NP fee (USD $40 per person per day).
Kyambura Gorge: Chimpanzee Trekking
Kyambura Gorge (sometimes called the “Valley of Apes”) is a dramatic 1-km-wide, 100-metre-deep riverine gorge carved into Queen Elizabeth’s floor by the Kyambura River. The gorge forest harbours a community of approximately 25-30 chimpanzees alongside red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus, and L’Hoest’s monkeys. Chimpanzee trekking permit: USD $50 per person (significantly cheaper than Kibale’s USD $250). The lower cost reflects lower encounter certainty — Kyambura’s small and stressed community is less reliably found than Kibale’s large, well-habituated groups. Nevertheless, the dramatic gorge landscape makes the walk rewarding regardless of chimp encounter outcome. Trek departure: 08:00 from the gorge trailhead near Kyambura Village (10 km from Mweya on the main road).
Mweya Peninsula Game Drives
The Kasenyi Plains north of Mweya are the main savanna game drive area — well-maintained tracks through open grassland with buffalo, Uganda kob (an antelope endemic to the Albert Nile drainage), warthog, waterbuck, topi, and elephant. Lion prides use this area and are regularly seen in the early morning (06:00-09:00) and late afternoon (16:00-18:30). Leopard are present but elusive. The Crater Circuit in the park’s north passes through the Katwe salt crater — a natural salt lake where local villagers have harvested salt by evaporation for centuries, and where flamingo and other water birds concentrate seasonally.
Birds: 606 Species in One Park
Queen Elizabeth NP’s 606 species is one of the highest bird counts for any single protected area in Africa, driven by the intersection of Albertine Rift montane species, lake and wetland species, and savanna species. The African skimmer (endangered) nests on sandbanks in the Kazinga Channel. The shoebill is present in the Murchison Bay papyrus (western lake edge, best by boat or canoe). The papyrus gonolek (brilliant crimson and black) is common in papyrus reeds throughout. The martial eagle, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, and pel’s fishing owl complete the raptor list. Serious birders typically spend 3-4 days in Queen Elizabeth and record 200-250 species.
Accommodation at Queen Elizabeth NP
- Mweya Safari Lodge: USD $250-380/night per person full-board. On the Mweya Peninsula, excellent boat safari access, hippos on the lawn at night. The flagship Uganda Wildlife Authority lodge.
- Jacana Safari Lodge: USD $150-200/night. Good mid-range on the channel edge. Family-friendly.
- Ishasha Wilderness Camp: USD $200-280/night. In the Ishasha sector for the tree-climbing lions. Excellent tree lion access, remote feel.
- Pumba Safari Cottages: USD $60-80/night. Budget option near Mweya. Self-catering available. Popular with overland groups.
- UWA Community Campsite Mweya: USD $15/person/night. Basic. Views over Lake Edward.
