
3-day Queen Elizabeth National Park wildlife safari
- 2
- Nights
- 3
- Days
- Destinations
- Queen Elizabeth · Kampala or Entebbe
Journey overview
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the entire focus of this three-day safari. The short route concentrates on the Kasenyi Plains, the Kazinga Channel, Kyambura Gorge and the Katwe crater and salt-mining area rather than trying to add another park. With 95 recorded mammal species and more than 550 bird species, there is enough range here for game viewing, a boat safari and a forested chimpanzee-tracking section within one park.
Key highlights
- Game drives in the Kasenyi Plains, looking for lions, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and other wildlife.
- Kazinga Channel boat cruise for hippos, crocodiles, waterbirds and wildlife along the banks.
- Chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura Gorge.
- Views of the Rwenzori Mountains and the park’s crater-lake landscape.
Itinerary
3 days of guided travel, planned by our safari team from arrival to departure.
Head to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park
The drive from Kampala or Entebbe runs southwest through Mbarara toward Queen Elizabeth National Park. An Equator stop in Kayabwe breaks the journey before the road continues across Ankole farmland and rolling hills. Lunch is taken in Mbarara, then the final section reaches the Katwe Crater Lake and salt-mining area before lodge check-in. The evening is kept light ahead of the early game drive.
- Luxury
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Mid-range
- Parkview Safari Lodge
- Budget
- The Bush Lodge
Lunch · Dinner
Game drive and Kazinga Channel boat cruise
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Kasenyi Plains is the place to use the cooler morning hours. Your guide will look for lions, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, antelopes and birdlife, with leopard possible but not predictable. A late breakfast and some downtime follow at the lodge. The afternoon belongs to the Kazinga Channel. The two-hour boat cruise links Lake George and Lake Edward, with hippos, crocodiles, elephants and waterbirds such as pelicans, kingfishers and cormorants possible along the shoreline.
- Luxury
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Mid-range
- Parkview Safari Lodge
- Budget
- The Bush Lodge
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Chimpanzee tracking at Kyambura Gorge and return to Kampala
Kampala or Entebbe
Kyambura Gorge provides the final activity before the journey home. A small chimpanzee population lives in this forested gorge within the wider savannah landscape, and the guided trek follows the forest trails while the team searches for them. Colobus monkeys and baboons are among the other primates that may be encountered. Once the tracking session is finished, return to the lodge for lunch and check out. The road back to Kampala or Entebbe then runs east past the Maramagambo Forest area.
Breakfast · Lunch
More related itineraries
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Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kibale National Park fit naturally into a five-day route. Two nights around Queen Elizabeth give you time for game drives and the Kazinga Channel, then the journey shifts north to Kibale for chimpanzee tracking and Bigodi Wetland. It is a compact safari, but the change from open savannah to rainforest gives each half a different character.
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