Tour overview.
Experience Uganda’s most visited national park with our 3-day Queen Elizabeth National Park safari. Located in Western Uganda, within the Mweya peninsula. This 1,978 km² wildlife game park lies 376 kilometers from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.
Established in 1952 as Kazinga National Park, it was renamed in 1954 to honor the visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England. The park’s diverse ecosystems give visitors a wonderful safari experience, including:
- Wildlife: Home to 95 mammal species, including four of the “Big Five”—lions (including the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha), elephants, spotted hyenas, leopards, and buffalo. Other mammals include hippos, bats, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, and warthogs. The reptiles in this park include the Rock Pythons, Spitting Cobras, Nile Crocodiles, Monitor lizards, etc.
- Birdwatching: Over 600 recorded bird species, including the Hamerkop, papyrus gonolek, palm nut vulture, Guinea fowl, Marabou stork, African fish eagle, and many more.
- Primate trekking: Chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge and Maramagambo Forest, alongside vervet monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, and black and white colobus monkeys.
- Unique Geography: Two freshwater lakes (Edward and George) connected by the wildlife-rich Kazinga Channel, plus volcanic crater lakes including Lake Katwe and Lake Nyamunuka.
- The park lies in the Great Rift Valley, with expansive plateaus that make it easy to view wildlife. The other impressive geographical feature is the Kyambura gorge.
Safari highlights.
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park and afternoon game drive.
Day 2: Morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise.
Day 3: Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge and return to Kampala/Entebbe.
Detailed 3-day Queen Elizabeth safari Itinerary.
Day 1: Transfer to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Journey time: 6-7 hours.
Accommodation: 2 nights.
Your safari begins with a 6:30 am pickup by our tour guide from your preferred accommodation in Kampala or Entebbe. The scenic drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park takes you through Uganda’s beautiful countryside in western Uganda. The region boasts many roadside markets, plantations, papyrus swamps, forests, and rural communities engaged in various economic activities.
Arriving in time for lunch, you will enjoy a short break before heading out for your first game drive. Experience a variety of wildlife in the park as you search for elephants, buffalo, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, hyenas, bushbucks, lions, leopards, and warthogs. Return to your lodge in time for your dinner.
Day 2: Game Drive at Kasenyi Section and Boat Cruise along Kazinga Channel.
Game drive duration: 3-4 hours
Boat cruise duration: 2 hours
Rise early before 6:00 am for breakfast and transfer to Kasenyi plains for your morning game drive. This early departure maximizes your chances of meeting nocturnal predators like leopards, lions, and spotted hyenas as they finish their night hunts. During the game drive, we anticipate seeing buffaloes, elephants, warthogs, kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, and many more.
The park’s diverse ecosystem, comprising grassland plains, tropical forest, rivers, swamps, lakes, and volcanic craters, supports a large number of wildlife and bird species. Some of these include the martial eagle, woodland kingfisher, and grey plantain eater, to mention but a few.
After lunch, join other tourists on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel. The water attracts many wildlife species. It is never a dull moment to take photos of water birds, hippos, elephants, buffalo, and crocodiles along the banks. Return to your lodge in time for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Chimpanzee Trekking and Departure.
Chimpanzee trekking duration: 2-3 hours.
Return journey: 6-7 hours.
After breakfast at 6:30 am, drive to Kyambura Gorge for the chimpanzee trekking experience. Prepare with appropriate gear: long pants, hiking boots, long socks, drinking water, a walking stick, and rain gear.
The chimpanzee tracking experience brings you closer to our closest relatives in the wild (sharing 98% of human DNA). When you get to meet the chimpanzees, you learn more about the primate behavior. During your trek, keep an eye out for other wildlife, including hippos, waterbucks, warthogs, and occasionally, elephants.
After the chimpanzee trek, return to the lodge for refreshment and lunch. Thereafter, embark on your journey back to Kampala or Entebbe, arriving in the early evening.
END OF SAFARI.
Accommodation Options (full board).
Exclusive Lodges.
- Honey Bear Bush Camp.
- Kyambura Game Lodge.
- River Station Lodge.
Luxury Lodges.
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Elephant Plains Lodge
- Ishasha Wilderness Camp
- The River
Moderate Lodges.
- Twin Lakes Safari Lodge
- Buffalo Safari Lodge
- Elephant Hab Lodge
- Acacia Wilderness Lodge
Budget Lodges.
- Bush Lodge
- Irungu Safari Lodge
- Tembo Safari Lodge
All accommodations are full board
Safari Inclusions.
- Park fees and permits.
- Cultural tours/walks.
- Boat cruise.
- Fresh drinking water on board.
- Full board accommodation.
- All mentioned activities (unless marked optional).
- English-speaking driver/guide.
- Transportation in a 4×4 safari vehicle.
- Airport transfers.
Safari Exclusions.
- Airfares
- Visa fees
- Personal insurance
- Personal expenses (drinks, tips, laundry, telephone, etc.).
- Optional activities
Option to extend your 3 day Queen Elizabeth safari!
- Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (3-4 hours drive): This is home to the mountain gorillas.
- Mountain Rwenzori National Park (4 hours drive): This is one of the untouched, beautiful parks in Uganda. Did you know that it is one of the three heritage sites in the country?
- Kibale National Park (3 hours drive): The park is home to the endangered chimpanzees and is the best place to trek them in East and Central Africa, with 1,500+ chimps.
- Lake Mburo National Park (3-5 Hours drive): After your adventurous experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can wrap up with a visit to Uganda’s smallest savanna park. Perfect for walking safaris and horseback riding.