2 Days Uganda Queen Elizabeth National Park Safari: Tree Climbing Lions and the Kazinga Channel | Wildlife Tour.
The 2 Days Uganda Queen Elizabeth Safari is a compact but richly rewarding wildlife experience designed for travellers with limited time who want to encounter the very best that Uganda’s most visited national park has to offer. From the world-famous tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector to a boat cruise on the extraordinary Kazinga Channel and a salt lake exploration at Lake Katwe, this Uganda safari itinerary packs a genuine depth of experience into every available hour. Queen Elizabeth National Park covers approximately 1,978 square kilometres of savannah, wetland, forest, and crater lake landscape in western Uganda, home to over 100 mammal species and more than 612 bird species, and two days here leaves every tourist wanting more.
Safari Highlights
Day 1: Transfer from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park, afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel, and Lake Katwe salt lake visit
Day 2: Morning game drive in search of tree-climbing lions and Big Five wildlife, then return to Kampala or Entebbe airport.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Following breakfast at your Kampala hotel, your knowledgeable English-speaking driver-guide collects you, and the journey west toward Queen Elizabeth National Park begins. The drive through Uganda’s varied countryside takes approximately five to six hours and is broken by two worthwhile stops along the way.
The first is the Uganda Equator crossing at Kayabwe, the point where the road bisects the northern and southern hemispheres. This is an entertaining and photogenic stop where tourists can participate in the famous water rotation demonstration and take memorable photographs at the equator monument before continuing west.
The second stop is Mbarara town, reached in the early afternoon, where a comfortable picnic lunch provides a welcome break before the final stretch of the journey into the park zone. Arriving at the lodge in the late afternoon, there is just enough time to check in, freshen up, and prepare for the first of the safari’s wildlife highlights.
Afternoon Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel
At 3:00 PM, the group boards a motorised vessel at the Kazinga Channel landing stage for a 2-hour boat cruise along one of Uganda’s most productive wildlife waterways. The Kazinga Channel connects Lake George and Lake Edward across 32 kilometres of freshwater, and its banks attract wildlife in extraordinary concentrations throughout the year.
From the water, tourists observe hippos surfacing alongside the vessel in remarkable numbers, Nile crocodiles basking on muddy banks, and buffalo herds crowding the water’s edge in their hundreds. The birdlife visible from the channel is outstanding. The shoebill stork, grey crowned crane, long-crested eagle, black-and-white casqued hornbill, African skimmer, white stork, African darter, long-tailed cormorant, greater flamingo, cattle egret, white-crested turaco, African spoonbill, red-chested sunbird, scarlet-chested sunbird, bronze sunbird, and marabou stork are all regularly recorded during the cruise.
Evening Visit to Lake Katwe
Following the boat cruise, the group continues to Lake Katwe for an early evening walk around this remarkable volcanic salt lake. The famous Katwe salt mining operation, one of Uganda’s oldest and most culturally significant traditional industries, is demonstrated by local community members who explain the centuries-old process of harvesting salt from the lake’s crystalline shores. Flamingos frequently gather on the lake’s shallower margins, and the fishing village nearby offers a genuine glimpse into the daily life of the communities that have coexisted with this extraordinary landscape for generations.
Dinner at the lodge and an overnight stay follow a thoroughly full and rewarding first day.
Meals: Half board
Day 2: Morning Game Drive and Return to Kampala
An early breakfast prepares the group for the morning game drive. The Kasenyi Plains sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park is the primary game drive destination, where Uganda kob gather in large herds across the open savannah, and the resident lion prides are regularly encountered in the morning hours before the heat of the day drives them to shade.
The park’s tree-climbing lions, one of the most remarkable and most photographed wildlife phenomena in all of Uganda, are the most sought-after sight of the morning. The Ishasha sector’s lions have developed the extraordinary habit of resting in the branches of large fig trees, a behaviour documented in very few other locations in Africa. A lion draped across a branch ten feet above the ground, surveying its territory with complete indifference to the tourists below, is a safari moment that very few who witness it ever forget.
Beyond lions, the game drive produces sightings of elephants, buffalo, leopards, Uganda kob, waterbucks, warthogs, hyenas, and a variety of bird species that make even the drive between wildlife concentrations genuinely rewarding. Following a relaxed early lunch at the lodge or with packed lunches in the field, the group checks out and begins the return journey to Kampala.
Stopover at the Drum Maker’s Village
En route back to the capital, a stop at a traditional drum maker’s workshop offers tourists a memorable final cultural encounter, watching skilled local artisans craft Uganda’s iconic traditional drums by hand using centuries-old techniques. Handcrafted drums and other traditional items are available for purchase directly from the artisans, providing both a meaningful souvenir and direct support to the local craftspeople who keep this cultural tradition alive. Arriving back in Kampala in the early evening, guests are dropped at their hotel, Entebbe Airport, or any other requested location. End of the 2 Days Uganda Queen Elizabeth Safari.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
What Is Included
- Full board accommodation
- Kazinga Channel boat cruise
- Ground transportation in a 4WD safari vehicle with fuel
- Park entrance fees
- Walking safari
- Bottled mineral water throughout
- A knowledgeable English-speaking driver-guide.
What Is Not Included
- International flights
- Uganda visa fees
- Laundry services
- Gratuities
- Alcoholic
- Soft drinks and any optional activities not listed above.
