3 Days Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park

DESTINATION

Rwanda: Queen Elizabeth NP

DURATION

3 Days | 2 Nights

COST

From $700 Per Person

DESCRIPTION

Queen Elizabeth National Park is the safari that proves Uganda doesn’t fit the usual savanna script. In three days you cover open grassland game drives, a launch cruise along one of Africa’s most concentrated wildlife waterways, and a chance at the tree-climbing lions found almost nowhere else on the continent. This itinerary is built for travellers heading south from Kampala or Entebbe who want the full Queen Elizabeth experience, the Kasenyi Plains, the Kazinga Channel, and the option of Ishasha’s lions or Kyambura’s chimpanzees, without committing a full week to it.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Game drives across the Kasenyi Plains in search of lions, elephants, buffalo, and Uganda kob, a launch cruise along the Kazinga Channel where hippos and buffalo gather in some of the highest concentrations in Africa, the option to visit the Ishasha sector for a chance at the rare tree-climbing lions, a photo stop crossing the Equator at Kayabwe on the drive south, and the option to add a chimpanzee trek into Kyambura Gorge, the “Valley of Apes.”

TRAVEL PLAN

Day 1: Kampala/Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth National Park

Your driver-guide collects you early and heads southwest, with a stop at the Equator crossing in Kayabwe for photos before continuing through Mbarara toward the park, a drive of around six to seven hours in total. After entering through Kabatoro or Kasenyi Gate, you’ll check into your lodge and have lunch, then head straight into an afternoon game drive across the Kasenyi Plains, watching for lion prides resting in the grass, herds of Uganda kob, buffalo, and elephant moving toward the water in the cooling light. Dinner and overnight at your chosen lodge.

Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Kazinga Channel Launch Cruise

An early start gets you onto the Kasenyi Plains while the light and the wildlife are at their best, with strong chances of lion, elephant, and the antelope and buffalo herds that draw them. Return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before transferring to the jetty at Mweya for the early afternoon launch cruise, the centrepiece of any Queen Elizabeth safari. The boat moves slowly along the Kazinga Channel for around two hours, passing pods of hippo, basking crocodiles, elephants drinking at the bank, and dense flocks of pelicans, cormorants, and kingfishers, with the Rwenzori Mountains often visible on the horizon. Travellers wanting to add the Kyambura Gorge chimp trek can arrange this in place of the second game drive. Overnight at your lodge.

Day 3: Drive and Return to Kampala/Entebbe

After breakfast then head to Kampala through Mbarara to Kampala or Entebbe, arriving in the early evening, bringing your three-day Queen Elizabeth adventure to a close.

COST INCLUSIONS AND EXCLUSIONS

- - What’s Included A private 4×4 safari vehicle with fuel and an English-speaking driver-guide, two nights’ accommodation at a lodge or camp matching your chosen budget level, all meals as specified in the itinerary, park entry fees for Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Kazinga Channel launch cruise, and bottled drinking water throughout the safari.
    
    What’s Excluded International flights, visa fees, travel insurance, personal expenses such as souvenirs and laundry, tips for your driver-guide and lodge staff, and optional activities such as the Ishasha tree-climbing lions excursion (extra time and fuel supplement), the Kyambura Gorge chimpanzee trekking permit, and optional crater lake drives or cultural visits.
    
    BEST TIME FOR THIS SAFARI
    
    Queen Elizabeth rewards visitors throughout the year, but the dry seasons from December to February and June to September generally give the easiest game viewing on the Kasenyi Plains and the calmest conditions for the channel cruise. The wetter months from March to May and October to November bring greener scenery and some of the best birding of the year, with noticeably fewer vehicles around, a fair trade for travellers who prioritise atmosphere and photography over guaranteed dry tracks.
    
    WHY BOOK THIS SAFARI WITH US
    
    At Pick and Transfer Safaris, every Queen Elizabeth itinerary is built around honest, budget-friendly pricing and a genuine commitment to responsible tourism. We work with trusted lodge partners across all three comfort levels, our vehicles are well-maintained 4x4s suited to the park’s tracks in any season, and your trip directly supports conservation efforts and the communities living around the park. You can read more about our approach on our About Us page, or browse our full Wildlife Safaris collection if you’d like to combine this trip with a primate trekking experience elsewhere in Uganda.
    
    Queen Elizabeth National Park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and all park entry and activity fees on this itinerary go directly toward the conservation of the park’s wildlife and the Kazinga Channel ecosystem.
    
    READY TO PLAN YOUR QUEEN ELIZABETH SAFARI?
    
    This three-day itinerary can be adjusted to fit your travel dates, budget, and interests, whether that means upgrading to a lodge overlooking the channel, adding the Ishasha tree-climbing lions excursion, or extending your trip with a chimpanzee trek in Kyambura Gorge. Get in touch with our travel team and let’s start planning your Queen Elizabeth adventure today.
    
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