Queen Elizabeth National Park: The Safari Stop on the Way to the Gorillas

The numbers that matter for your stop

Uganda Wildlife Authority lists over 600 bird species, 20 carnivore species and tree-climbing lions in Ishasha. The Kazinga Channel alone holds 2,000 hippos and over 100 water bird species, and the park ranks among the top 5 bird destinations in Africa. For a gorilla trekker this is the only place on the trip where you will see elephants, buffalo, lions and hippos, because neither Bwindi nor Mgahinga has savanna game.

What you see and how to do it

The channel is home to 2,000 hippos and over 100 water bird species, and elephant and buffalo herds come down to the banks in the late afternoon. Book the boat through your lodge or at the Mweya jetty, and plan it for the afternoon after a morning game drive in Kasenyi. Sleep near Mweya the night before if you want an early start the next day for the drive south to Ishasha and Bwindi.

Ishasha tree-climbing lions

The Ishasha males often sport black manes, and spotting a whole pride draped in a fig tree is the park's signature photo. Ishasha matters to gorilla trekkers because it is the northern gateway to Bwindi's southern trailheads, so you can game drive through in the morning and be at a Bwindi gate by afternoon. If you want to get closer to the science, lion tracking with Uganda Carnivore Program rangers uses radio-collar telemetry to find the collared prides.

Kyambura Gorge chimp tracking

Kyambura Gorge is a 100-metre-deep forested gorge where you track chimpanzees on foot. It is a good add-on for trekkers who want primates beyond gorillas without travelling to Kibale. Budget half a day for it.

Drive or fly

By road, plan a full day from Kampala or Entebbe, game drive in Kasenyi the next morning, cruise the channel that afternoon, then continue south through Ishasha to Bwindi on day three. If the drive is too much, you can fly to airstrips at Kasese, Mweya or Kihihi (the last for Ishasha) from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield. Flying into Mweya puts you a short transfer from the boat jetty and the lodges.

Why it matters for your route

Mweya and Kasenyi fall on the Kasese and Rubirizi side. Ishasha, with its tree-climbing lions, reaches into Rukungiri, which is the side you exit towards Bwindi. Because the park touches the DRC border, check current travel advice for the border belt when you plan, just as you would for the gorilla parks on the Virunga edge.

How costs actually land on a gorilla trip

On a packaged Uganda safari the park fees, boat and vehicle are quoted together, so the clearest numbers you can compare are full tour prices. For context on the biggest single cost of the trip, the Rwanda gorilla tracking permit for a foreign non-resident is $1,500 per person per day according to the Rwanda Development Board booking portal. Our tours below show what the whole trip costs, permit included or excluded as noted.

Practical safety notes

Eleven lions were killed by poisoned carcasses in 2018 after herders moved into the park from the DRC, a conservation loss that drew worldwide attention. The park does share a boundary with Virunga National Park in the DRC, so follow ranger instructions, stay inside vehicles on game drives, and check your government's Uganda travel advice before booking. Night drives run only with authorised operators, and walking is limited to guided activities such as mongoose tracking.

For the gorilla half of the trip, read our page on is gorilla trekking safe and is Uganda safe.

When to skip it

If you are flying into Kigali and trekking in Rwanda, the park is out of your way and a Rwanda itinerary makes more sense. If you are driving Uganda's Kampala to Bwindi corridor with a day to spare, it is close to essential. Operators package it that way too: one sells an ultimate Uganda adventure combining gorilla trekking in Bwindi, chimpanzee tracking in Kibale and Queen Elizabeth.

Use our comparison of gorilla trekking in Africa to decide which country fits your dates, then read Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the trek itself.