Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is among the activities to do when visiting the national park for a Uganda safari. Queen Elizabeth national park is located in the south western part of Uganda and it is the second largest national park in the country. There is a lot to see and do during a safari around this national park including lion tracking, game drives, boat rides, bird watching, cultural tours and so much more.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is an activity which involves a lot of research on the lions and observing their behavior closely and seeing them closely during a drive around the destination.
This activity involves tracking the lions in Queen Elizabeth national park using the trackers which are put around the necks of the lions. Queen Elizabeth national park is known for being home to the tree climbing lions which are a major attraction at the destination.
The tree climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth national park can be seen in the ishasha sector as they rest in the tree branches and there are many reasons that have been suggested for this behavior among the lions including that they climb trees to avoid insects, to watch their prey among other reasons.
In Queen Elizabeth national park, lion tracking is carried out in the Kasenyi plains and it is a form of experiential tourism. The activity starts around 8:00 am and is done in the company of researchers who help with the search of the lions in the wilderness of the national park. Lion tracking is also carried out in the afternoon in the national park.
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park takes about 3 hours and tourists enjoy getting close to the lions on an off the track excursion in the wilderness of the national park. Other wildlife species can also be spotted along the way during this tour.
Queen Elizabeth national park is home to many other wildlife species which can be seen during a safari and they include leopards, waterbucks, impalas, bushbucks, warthogs, hippos, buffalos, hyenas and many others.
A lion tracking permit costs 100 USD for foreign nonresidents, 80 USD for foreign residents and 100,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans. Due to the limited permits issued in a day, booking the activity in advance is recommended before going for the safari in Queen Elizabeth national park.
When visiting Queen Elizabeth national park, park entrance fee is also charged to tourists and it is 40 USD for foreign nonresidents, 30 USD for foreign residents and 20,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
A limited number of people are permitted to engage in lion tracking around Queen Elizabeth national park which makes it an even more intimate and private experience during a safari in the national park. This also makes the group more manageable and prevents scaring of the lions away as they are unfamiliar to humans in their environment.
During the lions tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park, some lions can be seen in their prides while individual lions can also be spotted during a safari. Apart from following the trackers, lions in the wild can also be found by following the sound of their roars as well as their tracks along the trails in the roads.
While seeing lions during a Uganda safari drive around Queen Elizabeth national park may not be a guarantee, lion tracking increases chances of seeing lions around the savannah plains of the national park.
The Uganda carnivores project (UCP) which promotes conservation of lions in Queen Elizabeth national park also benefits from the money that is charged for the lion tracking activity in the national park.
Best time for lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park
During different times of the year tourists can visit Queen Elizabeth national park for the lion tracking experience. However, the best time to engage in the activity is in the dry season in June, July, August, September and also in December, January and February when the vegetation is thinner making it easy to see lions and other wildlife species at the destination.
The dry season is also the best time for many other activities carried out on safari in queen Elizabeth national park including game drives and wildlife species during this time of the year can be seen around water points in the national park.
Other tourists however travel during the low season despite the rains for a wildlife viewing experience in queen Elizabeth national park without having to worry about the crowds and high prices.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed by domestic flights from Entebbe airport to Mweya airstrip and Kasese airstrip.
Another way to get to Queen Elizabeth national park is by driving from Kampala via Mbarara and Masaka to Kasese and another way to get to the national park is by driving via from Kampala to Mubende and Fort Portal to the national park.