Queen Elizabeth National Park

Western Uganda, Rift Valley floor below the Rwenzoris

Best season: June–September & December–February (dry seasons)

Uganda’s most-visited park earns it through variety: open savanna on the Kasenyi plains, the Kazinga Channel’s boat safari (arguably East Africa’s best hippo-and-bird spectacle), the rift’s youngest volcanic craters, and the Ishasha fig trees where lions genuinely do nap in the branches. Kyambura Gorge adds a sunken-rainforest chimp trek. QENP slots neatly between Kibale and Bwindi on the classic southwestern loop.

Country: Uganda
Region: Western Uganda, Rift Valley floor below the Rwenzoris
Best season: June–September & December–February (dry seasons)
Status: Standard listing

Wildlife highlights

Kazinga Channel boat safari — 60 m from wallowing hippos
Tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector
Elephant herds against the Rwenzori backdrop
Kyambura Gorge chimp tracking
Explosion-crater drive (Katwe craters)

What to pack

Layers for cool Rwenzori mornings, neutral colours for the plains, and binoculars — the channel’s birdlife (600+ species park-wide) rewards them. Malaria precautions standard.

Park fees

Park entry ≈ US$40/day (UWA), Kazinga launch cruise ≈ US$30, Kyambura chimp permits ≈ US$100–150. Rates change — verify with UWA.

Wildlife safety

Elephants and buffalo move through lodge grounds after dark at Mweya — escort walks. Keep distance from buffalo herds on the Kasenyi tracks.

Photos

Every image is license-verified for commercial reuse; photographers are credited where the license requires it.

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 2 — Alvinategyeka, via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 3 — Alvinategyeka, via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 4 — Alvinategyeka, via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 5 — Alvinategyeka, via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 6 — Alvinategyeka, via Wikimedia Commons

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 7 — Timon Cornelissen, via Pexels

Queen Elizabeth National Park — photograph 8 — Frans van Heerden, via Pexels