3 Days Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park spans nearly 2,000 square kilometers of stunning landscapes—from the crater-dotted highlands in the north to the tree-climbing lion territory of Ishasha in the south. It's Uganda's most visited park for good reason: nowhere else offers such variety in such a compact area.

Your safari begins with game drives across the Kasenyi plains, where elephants parade in family groups, buffaloes gather in massive herds, and lions stalk through golden grass. The open savannah makes for excellent wildlife viewing, with Uganda kob, waterbuck, and warthogs appearing around every corner.

The Kazinga Channel boat cruise is the safari's centerpiece. This 32-kilometer natural channel connecting Lake Edward and Lake George hosts one of Africa's highest concentrations of hippos—over 8,000 call these waters home. As your boat glides past pods of wallowing hippos, Nile crocodiles sun themselves on sandy banks, and elephants descend to drink at the water's edge. The birdwatching is spectacular: African fish eagles call from the trees, pied kingfishers hover and dive, and African skimmers skim the water's surface at sunset.

The Ishasha sector reveals one of nature's rarest behaviors: tree-climbing lions. These magnificent cats have learned to lounge in fig and acacia trees, possibly to escape the heat or biting insects. Watching a pride of lions draped across branches, tails dangling, is an image you'll carry forever—a behavior observed in only two places worldwide.