Safari in Uganda: Queen Elizabeth & Murchison Falls
Uganda’s savannah safari parks — Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls: what you’ll see, boat cruises, tree-climbing lions, and when to go.
Uganda is best known for gorillas, but its savannah parks deliver a classic Big-Game safari with far smaller crowds than its East African neighbours — often paired with a primate trek in the same trip.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
- A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel brings you close to huge numbers of hippos, elephants, buffalo and waterbirds — the park’s signature experience.
- The remote Ishasha sector is famous for its tree-climbing lions, draped in fig branches through the heat of the day.
- It sits between the Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Edward, an easy add-on to gorilla trekking in Bwindi to the south.
Murchison Falls National Park
- Uganda’s largest park, where the Nile is forced through a 7-metre gap and explodes into the falls — viewed from a launch trip or the top of the falls.
- Game drives north of the river turn up lions, giraffes, elephants and antelope; boat trips downstream are thick with hippos and crocodiles.
Practicalities & when to go
Both parks are long drives from Kampala/Entebbe (roughly 5–7 hours), so plan multi-day trips with park-entry and activity fees paid to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. The drier spells (December–February and June–September) concentrate wildlife around water and make tracks easier. See places to stay near Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and in Kampala.