Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Tree-climbing lions and the hippo-packed Kazinga Channel
About Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth is Uganda's classic savannah park, spread across the equator between crater lakes and the Rwenzori foothills. The Kazinga Channel boat cruise floats past one of the world's greatest concentrations of hippo, with elephant and buffalo lining the banks.
In the remote Ishasha sector, lions famously lounge in the limbs of fig trees — one of only two populations in Africa with the habit. The park is the perfect savannah interlude between Kibale's chimps and Bwindi's gorillas.
Wildlife
What You'll See
- Tree-climbing Lion
- Hippo
- Elephant
- Buffalo
- Uganda Kob
- 600+ bird species
Activities
What You Can Do
- Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Game drives
- Ishasha lion tracking
- Crater-lake drives
Uganda's most popular park
Queen Elizabeth: Channel, Crater and Tree-Climbing Lions
Queen Elizabeth spans the equator between Lake Edward and Lake George, with the Rwenzori Mountains rising to the north and crater lakes pocking the landscape in between. It is Uganda's most visited park and its most varied — savannah, wetland, forest and lake within a single boundary.
The Kazinga Channel is the centrepiece. This thirty-kilometre natural waterway connects the two lakes, and a boat trip along it delivers what is probably the highest concentration of hippo in the world, alongside buffalo coming down to drink, elephant on the banks and an astonishing density of waterbirds. Two hours on this boat is, for many visitors, the best wildlife experience in Uganda.
The Ishasha sector in the far south is famous for its tree-climbing lions, which rest through the heat of the day draped along the branches of fig trees — behaviour recorded in only a couple of places on the continent, and still not fully explained. The Kyambura Gorge, a forested chasm cut into the savannah, holds a small habituated chimpanzee community.
What you do
Queen Elizabeth Highlights
The Kazinga Channel boat trip
Hippo in extraordinary numbers, buffalo, elephant and prolific birdlife along thirty kilometres of natural waterway. The park's single best activity.
Tree-climbing lions at Ishasha
Lions resting in fig trees through the afternoon heat, a behaviour seen in almost nowhere else in Africa.
Kyambura Gorge chimpanzees
A habituated community living in a forested gorge cut into open savannah — a strange and dramatic setting for chimp tracking.
Crater lakes and the Rwenzoris
The explosion craters of the Katwe area offer superb views, with the Mountains of the Moon on the horizon in clear weather.
Planning
Queen Elizabeth FAQs
Will I see the tree-climbing lions?
Possibly, not certainly. The Ishasha sector holds a relatively small lion population across a large area, and while the tree-resting behaviour is regular, finding the animals on a given afternoon is a matter of luck and good guiding. Staying a night in or near Ishasha rather than passing through on a transfer substantially improves your chances — and it sits conveniently on the road south to Bwindi.
How long should I spend in the park?
Two to three nights. That allows a Kazinga Channel boat trip, morning and afternoon game drives on the Kasenyi plains, and either the Kyambura chimpanzees or a night in Ishasha. Most Ugandan itineraries place Queen Elizabeth between Kibale Forest and Bwindi, which works well geographically.
What wildlife will I see?
Elephant, buffalo, hippo, Uganda kob, waterbuck, warthog and, in the right areas, lion and leopard. Notably absent are giraffe, zebra and rhino, none of which occur here — travellers expecting a full Kenyan-style species list should know that in advance. Birdlife is exceptional, with over 600 recorded species, one of the highest counts of any protected area in the world.
Itineraries
Safaris Featuring Queen Elizabeth National Park
6 days Uganda Gorilla Tour
Kibale → Queen Elizabeth → Bwindi
- Mid-range
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
From $1,800 pp
View details
Let's plan together
Ready to Experience Tanzania?
Tell us your dates and dreams — our Arusha team will craft a private itinerary within 24 hours.
