Why you go
Why go to Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth spreads across the rift floor between Lakes Edward and George, beneath the Rwenzori Mountains. It pairs classic savannah game — elephant, buffalo, lion and the Uganda kob — with crater-lake scenery and one of Africa's great waterways.
The Kazinga Channel boat cruise, linking the two lakes, brings hippo, crocodile and dense gatherings of waterbirds within close range. To the south, the remote Ishasha sector is known for its tree-climbing lions.
Signature experiences
Kazinga Channel cruise
A boat among hippo, crocodile and waterbirds between the lakes.
Savannah game drives
Elephant, buffalo, lion and the Uganda kob on the rift floor.
Ishasha tree-climbing lions
The remote southern sector, where lions habitually drape themselves along the limbs of fig trees — a behaviour seen in only a handful of places in Africa.
In pictures
Queen Elizabeth, before you ever arrive
Representative photography of this destination's landscapes and wildlife — tap any photo to view it full screen.
When to go
The year at Queen Elizabeth, month by month
The best time for game drives in Queen Elizabeth is January to February and June to July. Drier spells concentrate wildlife and keep Ishasha's tracks passable; the Kazinga Channel boat is superb in any month.
Best time to visit
Queen Elizabeth
Driest spell
17° at night
Computed for mid-Jul (±2 min) · across Jul sunrise drifts 07:00–07:03, sunset 19:07–19:09
Drier spells concentrate wildlife and keep Ishasha's tracks passable; the Kazinga Channel boat is superb in any month.
Getting there
Getting to Queen Elizabeth
Overland from Kampala on the western route, or by light aircraft to the park airstrips; commonly combined with Bwindi or Kibale. The southern Ishasha sector sits on the road between the park's north and Bwindi, so it slots naturally into the drive to the gorillas.
Safaris that visit
12 journeys go here
6 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
A six-day safari through southwestern Uganda and into Rwanda, combining mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi with a game drive and Kazinga Channel boat safari in Queen Elizabeth. It ends with a visit to Kigali's Genocide Memorial.
6-Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari
A six-day Uganda safari across Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with game drives, the top of the falls, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
7-Day Uganda Amazing Safari
A seven-day Uganda safari through Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with chimpanzee tracking, game drives, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
11 Day Uganda Safari
An eleven-day Uganda safari covering Ziwa rhinos, Kibale chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo. It begins and ends at Entebbe with a stop at the Equator.
14-Day Amazing Safari in Uganda
A fourteen-day Uganda tour running from Sipi Falls and Karamoja to Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi. It combines game drives and gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with rhino tracking and Lake Bunyonyi.
15 Days Uganda Tour
A fifteen-day Uganda circuit taking in Lake Mburo, Lake Bunyonyi, Bwindi gorillas, Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, with chimpanzee and rhino tracking. The tour closes with adventure activities in Jinja and a Kampala city tour.
16 Day Uganda Rwanda Safari
A sixteen-day journey across Uganda and Rwanda combining gorilla and chimpanzee tracking with savanna game drives, the Nile, Lake Kivu, Nyungwe Forest and Akagera. The route ends in Kigali with a city tour and Genocide Memorial visit.
17 Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari
A seventeen-day safari through Uganda's forests, mountains and savannahs, including chimpanzee tracking in Kibale, an extended Rwenzori Mountains hike, game viewing in Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo, and gorilla trekking in Bwindi.
Good to know
Queen Elizabeth: questions travellers ask
- Why do the lions of Ishasha climb trees?
- It is unusual behaviour found in only a few places in Africa. The likeliest explanations are escaping the heat and biting insects on the ground and gaining a vantage over the kob herds below. Sightings are never guaranteed, but Ishasha is the most reliable place in Uganda to look for them.
- How does Ishasha fit into a safari?
- Because Ishasha lies on the route between Queen Elizabeth's northern plains and Bwindi, it is most often worked in as a half-day game drive on the way south to the gorillas, rather than as a separate trip.
Build Queen Elizabeth into your safari
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