Queen Elizabeth National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Uganda.

Elephants and buffalo are very common throughout Queen Elizabeth National Park, and lions are surprisingly easy to spot on the Kasenyi and Ishasha Plains. The most common antelopes are Uganda kob, defassa waterbuck, bushbuck and (only at Ishasha) topi. Hippos and crocodiles are common in the Kazinga Channel. A small community of chimpanzees has been habituated for tracking, and nine other primate species are present, including the black-and-white colobus.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeNone

HippoAbundant

BuffaloCommon

ZebraNone

WildebeestNone

ChimpanzeeOccasional

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionCommon

LeopardOccasional

CheetahNone

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

Tree-climbing lions are a specialty of the Ishasha Plains, where they can often be found resting in huge fig trees. The rare giant forest hog is commonly seen along the Kazinga Channel, both on game drives and boat trips. Buffalo in Queen Elizabeth NP are often reddish brown due to interbreeding with forest buffalo from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Chimp trekking is available in the steamy tropical forest of Kyambura Gorge.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Queen Elizabeth NP can be visited throughout the year, but the best times for wildlife viewing are the Dry seasons (January to February and June to July) when animals gather near rivers and lakes. Some minor roads might become impassable after heavy rain.