2 Days Queen Elizabeth Safari

Your guide collects you from Kampala or Entebbe before dawn for the southwest run via Masaka and Mbarara (approx. 6–7 hours on tarmac). Pause at the Uganda Equator at Kayabwe for the classic water-drain demonstration and coffee, then continue through rolling Ankole cattle country toward the Albertine Rift. The road passes Lyantonde and the long-horned Ankole herds of western Uganda before Mbarara — a useful lunch stop with grilled goat or matoke. Beyond Mbarara the landscape lifts toward the Kigezi escarpment; on clear days the snow-capped peaks of the Rwenzori Mountains appear above tea plantations near Kasese. Your guide handles UWA park registration at the Katunguru or Kasese gate before the short transfer to your lodge near Mweya Peninsula or the Katwe crater lakes. Arrive at Queen Elizabeth National Park by mid-afternoon and check in. Queen Elizabeth protects 1,978 square kilometres of savannah, crater lakes, forest and wetland — Uganda’s most visited national park and a stronghold for lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and more than 600 bird species. Freshen up, then board a 2-hour boat safari on the Kazinga Channel — the natural waterway linking Lakes George and Edward. The channel holds one of Africa’s densest hippo populations — pods of thirty or more animals yawn and grunt within metres of the boat. Nile crocodiles bask on muddy banks; elephant and buffalo herds file down to drink at sunset; African fish eagles scream from dead trees along the shoreline. Birders scan for African skimmer, malachite kingfisher, yellow-billed stork, pink-backed pelican and the channel’s speciality waterbirds. UWA-licensed boats depart from Mweya Jetty; life jackets are provided and rangers point out individual hippos the crew recognise by scar patterns. Return to the lodge as the Rwenzori foothills turn gold in the late light. Sunset from the terrace often brings buffalo and warthog onto the grassland below Mweya — a quiet end to a long transfer day before dinner overlooking the channel or a nearby crater lake. Drive time: Approx. 6–7 hours Activity duration: Approx. 2 hours on the Kazinga Channel Meals: Lunch & dinner Accommodation: Mweya area lodge

Pre-dawn tea at the lodge, then a short transfer to the Kasenyi Plains gate on the park’s northeast circuit — Queen Elizabeth’s prime predator territory east of the Kazinga Channel. Lion prides use the open grassland to hunt Uganda kob, the park’s signature antelope, at first and last light when the cats are most active. Your UWA ranger-guide reads tracks in the road dust and listens for guinea fowl alarm calls that often betray a leopard still hunting at dawn. Spotted hyena, side-striped jackal, Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck and warthog are regular; elephant and buffalo herds cross the plains between forest patches. The Rwenzori foothills make a sharp photographic backdrop when skies are clear — many visitors rate Kasenyi as the park’s most reliable big-cat sector on a short safari window. Game drives here typically run 3–4 hours on established ranger tracks; off-road driving is not permitted, so patience and sharp eyes reward early starters. Tree-climbing lions are more common in the distant Ishasha sector — adding Ishasha extends the route by roughly four hours of driving and is best on a 3-day itinerary rather than this classic Mweya–Kasenyi weekend loop. Return to the lodge for breakfast, check out and begin the drive back to Kampala or Entebbe (approx. 6–7 hours) with lunch en route in Mbarara or Masaka. Roadside stalls sell roasted gonja, fresh pineapple and Ankole milk in gourds. Airport drop-off in Entebbe can be arranged for late-evening international flights — allow adequate buffer after a full drive day from the park. Kazinga hippos and Kasenyi lions in two packed days: Uganda’s most accessible savannah park from Kampala, ideal for a long weekend without flying. Drive time: Approx. 6–7 hours return Activity duration: Approx. 3–4 hours game drive Meals: Breakfast & lunch