CORE EXPERIENCES
Standard Permit — $1,500 Exclusive Experience — $15,000 Behind the Scene Package Uganda Habituation Experience Photography & Film PermitsPOPULAR PARKS
Volcanoes National Park Nyungwe National Park Akagera National Park Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National ParkQueen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s most biodiverse savanna park, famous for the tree-climbing lions of its Ishasha sector and the Kazinga Channel, a natural waterway linking Lake Edward and Lake George that holds one of Africa’s densest hippo populations.
A morning or afternoon game drive ($50 per person) covers the open plains and Ishasha’s fig trees in search of lion, elephant, and buffalo, while a two-hour Kazinga Channel boat cruise ($30 per person) delivers close-range sightings of hippo, crocodile, and waterbirds from the water.
GOOD TO KNOW
WHAT TO BRING
Lions climbing trees is unusual behaviour found in only a handful of populations across Africa, and Queen Elizabeth’s Ishasha sector is one of the most reliable places anywhere to see it — lions draped across the wide branches of Ishasha’s fig trees, resting in the shade or watching the plains below from an elevated vantage point. The exact reason for the behaviour remains debated among researchers, with theories ranging from escaping biting insects at ground level to a cooler vantage point in the heat, but whatever the cause, the sight itself is genuinely distinctive and a big part of why Queen Elizabeth draws safari travellers specifically, beyond its general savanna game viewing.
THE KAZINGA CHANNEL
The Kazinga Channel, connecting Lake Edward and Lake George, concentrates wildlife along its banks in a way few other single waterways in Africa can match — hippo pods numbering in the hundreds, basking crocodiles, and a wide range of waterbirds including pelicans, kingfishers, and African fish eagles, all visible at close range from the two-hour boat cruise. Unlike a vehicle-based game drive, the boat cruise offers a stable, comfortable vantage point for sustained observation and photography, without the jostling or positioning competition that can sometimes affect vehicle-based sightings elsewhere.
The game drive and boat cruise offer genuinely different wildlife experiences — the drive covers open plains and Ishasha’s fig trees in search of lion, elephant, and buffalo, while the cruise delivers close, sustained water-based sightings of hippo, crocodile, and birdlife. Most guests combine both for a fuller picture of the park’s ecology, given how differently the terrestrial and aquatic wildlife present themselves. At $80 per person combined, against $50 or $30 separately, the pairing represents reasonable value for the added depth it provides.
Are the tree-climbing lions guaranteed on the game drive?
No sighting in the wild is ever guaranteed, though Ishasha’s specific reputation and your guide’s
knowledge of the sector’s fig trees make a sighting reasonably likely, particularly during warmer
midday hours when lions favour the shaded branches.
Which is better, morning or afternoon for the
game drive?
Both offer good wildlife viewing, though mornings tend to see more general activity across the plains, while
warmer afternoons can increase the likelihood of tree-climbing lion sightings specifically.
How does this fit into a broader Uganda
itinerary?
Queen Elizabeth combines naturally with a Bwindi gorilla trek and chimpanzee trekking at nearby Kyambura
Gorge, forming a well-rounded southwestern Uganda circuit covering primates and savanna wildlife within a
single trip.
Is the boat cruise suitable for all ages?
Yes — it’s a relaxed, low-exertion activity suitable for a wide age range, including young
children and older travellers who might find a bumpier game drive more tiring.
What other wildlife might we see beyond lions
and hippos?
Elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob, and a wide variety of birdlife are commonly seen across both the game drive
and boat cruise, making Queen Elizabeth a genuinely diverse single-park destination.
WHY IT’S WORTH ADDING
For travellers whose primary reason for visiting Uganda is gorilla trekking, Queen Elizabeth National Park offers a genuinely complementary savanna safari experience within reasonable reach of Bwindi — big game, dense hippo populations, and one of Africa’s most distinctive wildlife behaviours in the tree-climbing lions, all without requiring a separate trip to East Africa’s more famous savanna destinations. For guests who want their Uganda trip to include a full-spectrum wildlife experience, not primates alone, this park is one of the clearest ways to achieve that within a single itinerary.
Queen Elizabeth sits within reasonable driving distance of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, making it a natural addition to a southwestern Uganda circuit built around gorilla trekking. Scheduled flights from Entebbe to nearby airstrips are also available for itineraries prioritising time over road transfer, which we can arrange as part of your overall routing between Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, and any other parks on your itinerary.
GOOD TO KNOW
Kyambura Gorge, a dramatic river-carved rift within Queen Elizabeth’s wider boundaries, offers a further chimpanzee trekking opportunity distinct from Nyungwe’s much larger community — a smaller, more intimate population within a genuinely striking gorge landscape. Combining Kyambura with the standard game drive and boat cruise rounds out a Queen Elizabeth visit into a genuinely comprehensive single-park experience, covering savanna game, water-based wildlife, and primates within one well-organised stop on a broader Uganda itinerary, without requiring travel to a separate destination for any of the three.
Unlike gorilla trekking, the game drive and boat cruise don’t operate through a daily-capped permit system, offering considerably more scheduling flexibility. We typically build a full day at Queen Elizabeth into a broader itinerary, allowing time for both the game drive and boat cruise, plus a Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trek if you choose to include it, without an overly rushed schedule that would undermine the quality of any single activity within the day.
WHERE TO STAY
Tell us your dates and group size. We respond with a bespoke proposal within 48 hours.
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