This 4-day self-drive safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park will take you to visit Uganda’s most loved and most visited national park. The park is found in the southwestern part of the country in the districts of Kasese, Rubirizi, Kamwenge, and Rukungiri. It was found in 1952 as Kazinga National Park and this name was got from the Kazinga Channel the dominant feature in the park which is a 32-kilometer long natural channel that connects Lake George to Lake Edward. Later after two years, it was renamed Queen Elizabeth National park to commemorate ta visit by Queen Elizabeth II. The diverse ecosystem of the park that includes the shady, sprawling savanna, humid forests, fertile wetlands, and the sparkling lakes make Queen Elizabeth National Park a perfect habitat for a variety of wild animals including the classic big games, 10 different species of primates including the chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge and over 600 different bird species the thing which make Queen Elizabeth National park a perfect destination for bird lovers.

Day 1: Arrival at Entebbe International Airport

Always the self-guided safari to any destination starts with hiring a safari vehicle, so after confirming your car rental booking, you will fly to Uganda, and o your arrival at Entebbe International Airport you will be welcomed by an agent from the car rental company from which you booked your safari vehicle.

Then after he will help you carry your language to the vehicle from where you will be briefed about how the vehicle works, inspect your safari vehicle, do the paper working and even signing of the car rental agreement and later he will handle the car keys to you and then drive off your safari.

Right from the airport, you will drive and have a stop in Entebbe town fill the car with fuel and then continue any restaurant in Entebbe and have breakfast do some shopping and then continue southwestwards to Queen Elizabeth National Park. You will have an en-route stop at the equator for some photographs and so some simple experiment there before you proceed to the park with another en-route stop for lunch in Masaka City before you continue via Mbarara. The journey is about 7hours drive and you will reach the park around evening hours for relaxation at your lodge as you wait for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Explore Queen Elizabeth National Park

The second day of your self guided safari will start with an early morning breakfast at the lodge and then drive to Kasenyi plains for a morning game drive where you will get a chance to spot different wild animals including herds of buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs among others, on a good day you can get a chance to spot different big cats like lions, leopards, when they are hunting then after you will return the lodge for lunch and rest for a while as you wait to drive to the Mweya peninsular for an afternoon 2 hours boat cruise on Kazinga Channel. This 32km long natural channel is believed to have the highest concentration of Hippos in the world and also home to over 400 different species of birds. On this boat cruise, you will get a chance to spot all those and since it’s the main water source in the park, you will also get a chance to watch many other animals that come at the channel to take water. Then after the boat cruise, you will return to the lodge for relaxation as you wait for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Chimpanzee Tracking in Kyambula Gorge & Evening Game Drive

After breakfast, the lodge you will drive to Kyambula Gorge for a short briefing about how you have to behave when you with the chimpanzees, then later you will continue in the forest in the search for the habituated chimpanzee family. The chimpanzee tracking in Kyambula Gorge is a bit tiresome and it needs a certain level of fitness. Although the spotting of chimpanzees in Kyambula Gorge is not guaranteed the walk offers a chance to see more other interesting things like different birds, monkeys, and other wild animals. In case you get a chance to spot these close cousins of man, you will be allowed to stay with them for a maximum of one hour and you take photos and videos and learn more about their daily life. Chimpanzee tracking will take something like 2-6 hours depending on the movement of the chimpanzees. Then after you will return to the lodge for lunch and later drive to Kasenyi plains for an evening game drive to try to find some animals and moments you could have missed on the first drive.

Day 4: Tree Climbing Lions & Transfer back to Kampala

On the last day of your safari, you will have breakfast at the park and then transfer back to Kampala with en-route game drive through the Ishasha sector where you will get a chance to spot tree-climbing lions. And later you will continue with your trip with an en-route stop in Mbarara for lunch and then continue to Kampala reaching late in the evening do last minute shopping in Kampala and later proceed to Entebbe International Airport where you will meet the agent from the car rental company to pick the car and you take board your flight back home. And that will be the end of your self guided safari.