Queen Elizabeth National Park

Buffalo, elephant and lion on the Kasenyi plains, and the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon — one of the densest gatherings of hippo and birdlife on the continent.

The park runs from the foot of the Rwenzori down to the Ishasha sector on the Congo border. From Fort Portal you enter at the northern end, which puts the crater road and Kasenyi within reach of a single morning.

The afternoon boat on the Kazinga Channel is the fixture worth planning the day around: hippo a few metres off the bow, buffalo and elephant coming down to drink, and the light going gold across the water.

Further south, Ishasha is the one place in the region where lions habitually rest in fig trees. It's a longer drive and never guaranteed — we'll tell you honestly whether your days are better spent elsewhere.