4-Day Queen Elizabeth Safari with Lion Tracking
This 4-day Queen Elizabeth safari with lion tracking combines classic game drives with a genuine research-based lion tracking experience, plus a Kazinga Channel boat cruise, one of East Africa's best wildlife-viewing boat trips.
Why Choose a Queen Elizabeth Safari with Lion Tracking
Most Queen Elizabeth itineraries offer a standard morning game drive. This one goes further. On Day 3, your game drive includes lion tracking, following researchers who monitor the park's lion population directly, a genuinely different way to encounter Uganda's big cats.
This Queen Elizabeth safari with lion tracking also builds in a full night in Entebbe before you travel, a gentler start than heading straight into the park on arrival day.
Your Tour at a Glance
| Day | Itinerary | Accommodation | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, Entebbe | Boma Guest House | B |
| 2 | Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth | Mweya Safari Lodge | B, L, D |
| 3 | Queen Elizabeth: Lion Tracking & Boat Cruise | Mweya Safari Lodge | B, L, D |
| 4 | Queen Elizabeth to Kampala/Entebbe | — | B, L |
Day 1: Arrival in Entebbe
Arrival at Entebbe International Airport, where you'll be met and greeted before transferring to Boma Guest House. Bed and breakfast.
The Boma is one of Entebbe's most exclusive small hotels, set in tropical gardens just minutes from the airport. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water.
Day 2: Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth National Park
We depart Kampala and drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with lunch in Fort Portal along the way. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Mweya Safari Lodge sits on a peninsula at the heart of the park. Rooms offer sweeping views, and the surrounding area supports some of the best birdwatching in East Africa.
Queen Elizabeth National Park, together with the Kyambura and Kigezi Wildlife Reserves, forms one of the most diverse ecosystems in Africa. Meltwater from the Rwenzori Mountains feeds a vast wetland system, including Lake George, Lake Edward, and the connecting Kazinga Channel, home to thousands of hippos.
Open savannah dotted with acacia and euphorbia trees supports elephants, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, and large buffalo herds, alongside ten primate species including chimpanzees. The park holds more recorded bird species than any other in Africa.
Day 3: Lion Tracking & Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
An early 6:30 AM start for a morning game drive that includes lion tracking, following researchers monitoring the park's lion population directly, a rare, hands-on way to encounter these animals beyond a standard sighting. The park's varied terrain, grassy plains, forest, rivers, swamps, and volcanic craters, supports an exceptional density of wildlife. Return to the lodge for a late breakfast.
After lunch, an afternoon boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel brings you close to hippos, elephants, buffaloes, and waterbucks drinking and bathing at the water's edge, alongside a wide variety of water birds and occasional crocodile sightings. Dinner and overnight at Mweya Safari Lodge.
Game drives cover more than 200km of well-maintained tracks, including major Uganda kob breeding grounds. Watch for hungry lions on the hunt, giant forest hogs in the bush, elephant herds gathering at water in the heat of the day, and warthogs, a common sight around the Mweya Peninsula. The Crater Track, leading toward the misty Rwenzori Mountains, offers some of the park's most dramatic scenery.
The Kazinga Channel boat cruise puts you eye to eye with yawning hippos and surrounded by resident and migratory water birds. Buffalo rest in the shallows while elephant herds drink and play along the banks, crocodiles are a common sight, and leopards are occasionally spotted along the shoreline.
Day 4: Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kampala/Entebbe
Morning checkout with a packed lunch, with an optional visit to Lake Katwe salt lake before departing for Kampala, arriving in the late afternoon in time for an evening international departure.
End of safari.
Continue Planning Your Trip
Prefer a tighter, single-park trip without the Entebbe night? See our 3-day Uganda safari itinerary including Queen Elizabeth. Managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, Queen Elizabeth is one of Africa's most biodiverse parks.
Explore more sample safari itineraries, use our Build My Safari tool to customize this trip, or contact us to check availability and pricing for your travel dates.
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