The lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park is an activity which offers tourists a unique chance to see the lions up close in their natural environment.
Queen Elizabeth National Park in south western Uganda is a destination for wildlife safaris, offering an opportunity to engage in lion tracking experiences. The national park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including the famous tree-climbing lions and those that can be tracked and observed in the wilderness.
The Uganda Carnivore Project and Uganda Wildlife Authority manage the lion tracking experience around Queen Elizabeth national park.
The experience typically involves joining experienced guides and researchers as they track the movements of lion prides within Queen Elizabeth national park. Tourists during the lion tracking experience also have the chance to observe the lions as they interact with each other, hunt for prey, or rest under the shade of acacia trees.
During the tracking experience, visitors can learn about the behavior, social structure, and conservation efforts related to the lion population in the park. Guides often provide insights into the ongoing research and monitoring initiatives aimed at protecting and preserving the lion population within Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Along with the ranger guides, tourists search the lions around Queen Elizabeth National Park by following the trackers around the necks of the lions.
Lion tracking is a form of experiential tourism that is done around the Kasenyi plains of Queen Elizabeth National Park. The morning lion tracking activity starts at about 08:00 am and is carried out in the company of researchers who assist in the hunt for lions in the national park's wilderness.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, tracking lions can also be done in the afternoon around 04:00 pm. The actual activity of lion tracking can take about 2 to 3 hours around the savannah of the national park.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National area is only allowed for a restricted number of individuals, making it an even more exclusive and intimate part of visiting the national park for a safari.
Since the lions are not accustomed to humans in their surroundings, restricting the number of tourists engaging in lion tracking also helps to keep the group more under control and keeps the lions from being scared off.
Individual lions can also be sighted during a safari, but prides of lions can be spotted while lion tracking around Queen Elizabeth National Park. In addition to following the trackers, lions in the wild can also be located by listening for their roars and by following their footprints on the paths in the savannah.
Lions which are hurt or caught in snares can also be rescued and treated during the lion tracking experience.
It is also important for visitors to follow the different guidelines and instructions provided by the ranger guides to ensure a safe and respectful interaction with the wildlife in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Additionally, understanding the park’s rules and regulations regarding wildlife viewing and maintaining a responsible approach towards conservation is crucial for a meaningful lion tracking experience in Uganda.
Visiting the Ishasha sector is also the exciting wildlife encounters to take part in when exploring this park during a safari. The Ishasha sector is in the southern part of the national park.
Lion tracking is among the activities to do when visiting Queen Elizabeth national park for a safari and other activities to do include morning and afternoon game drives, boat rides on Kazinga channel, bird watching, chimpanzee tracking in Kyambura gorge, hikes, nature walks as well as cultural tours in the neighboring communities.
Many other wildlife species can be seen during safaris around Queen Elizabeth national park and they include tree climbing lions around Ishasha sector, elephants, leopards, waterbucks, impalas, bushbucks, warthogs, hippos, buffalos, hyenas and many others.
Cost of lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park costs 100 USD for foreign nonresidents, 80 USD for foreign residents and 100,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
It is recommended that the lion tracking experience is booked in advance before visiting Queen Elizabeth national park.
Park entrance fees for Queen Elizabeth national park is also among the costs during tours in Uganda and foreign nonresidents are charged 40 USD, Foreign residents pay 30 USD and East African citizens pay a fee of 20,000 Uganda shillings as park entrance fee.
Best time for lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park
Tourists can enjoy lion tracking at Queen Elizabeth National Park at different times of the year. The dry season, which extends June through September, as well as in the months of December, January, and February, is the best time to see the lions because of the reduced amount of vegetation, which makes it easier to spot lions and other wildlife in the area.
The best time to enjoy game drives and other safari activities in this national Park is during the dry season. During this time of year, wildlife can be spotted in the park’s water points.
However, some tourists travel during the low season (March to May and around November) in spite of the rain in order to see animals in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Where to stay during Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park
There are different luxury, midrange and budget lodges to stay at during lion tracking experience and they include Elephant hab lodge, Parkview safari lodge, Buffalo safari lodge, Pumba safari cottages, Kyambura gorge lodge, Enganzi lodge, Engiri game lodge, Tembo safari lodge, Ishasha wilderness camp, Twins lakes safari lodge, Elephant plains lodge among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
There are several ways to get to Queen Elizabeth national park for the lion tracking experience and they include flying and by driving.
Tourists can get to Queen Elizabeth national park by flying from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese airstrip and Mweya airstrip.
By road from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park takes about 5 to 6 hours via the Kampala-Mbarara-Kasese route and the second route from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth national park takes about 6 to 7 hours via Mubende.
