Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park straddles the equator in western Uganda, stretching across an extraordinary mosaic of ecosystems: open savannah, humid tropical forest, volcanic crater lakes, fertile wetlands, and the 40-kilometre Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George to Lake Edward. Originally gazetted as Kazinga National Park in 1952, it was renamed in 1954 to honour a visit by Queen Elizabeth II and today stands as Uganda's most biodiverse national park.

With 612 recorded bird species, Queen Elizabeth ranks as the sixth most bird-diverse location on earth. Its 95 mammal species include elephants now numbering up to 5,000 — a sixfold increase from historic lows — alongside Cape buffalo, hippos, lions, leopards, and ten primate species including chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge. The Ishasha sector in the south is one of only two places on earth where lions regularly climb trees, lounging in the branches of large fig trees overlooking the plains.

What to Do

• Kazinga Channel boat cruise — a two-hour voyage along the 40km waterway home to one of Africa's densest hippo concentrations, with elephants bathing at the banks and 100+ waterbird species.

• Game drives on the Kasenyi Plains — the park's best savannah game viewing, where lions, elephants, leopards, and large herds of Uganda kob are regularly seen at dawn and dusk.

• Tree-climbing lion tracking in Ishasha — the famous lions of the southern sector, spotted from vehicles in the Ishasha fig trees.

• Chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge — habituated chimps in a dramatic forested gorge on the park's eastern boundary.

• Crater lake circuit — dozens of dramatically carved volcanic craters, some filled with blood-red or emerald-green lakes, set into rolling green hills.

• Katwe Salt Lake visit — Africa's only traditional salt mine still in active use, where local communities have harvested rock salt for centuries.

Key Facts

• Bird species: 612 — the most in any single national park in Uganda, and the 6th most bird-diverse location on earth.

• Mammal species: 95, including elephants, Cape buffalo, hippos, lions, leopards, chimpanzees, Uganda kob, topi, and spotted hyena.

• Best time: June–September and December–February for game drives. Birding peaks March–May and October–November.

• Getting there: 6–7 hours by road from Kampala via Masaka–Mbarara–Ishaka–Katunguru.

• Park entry: USD 40 per day for foreign non-residents.