Lion Tracking Experience in Queen Elizabeth Park

Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, offers an exceptional opportunity for you to explore lions in the wild. Lion tracking allows you to observe more lions than when on normal game drives. Unlike the usual game drives, lion trekking mainly focuses on following the collared lions under research. The research team or guides make best use of devices like radio collars to track their movements, and there is a chance to go off-track on a game drive on Uganda safaris.

During the lion trekking experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park, expect to have deep insight into the lions’ unique behaviors, ecological significance, social structure, and more. The lion trekking program is led by the Uganda Carnivore Program –UCP, and is responsible in allocating researchers’ roles in tracking lion prides.

Where is lion tracking done in Queen Elizabeth Game Park?

To experience the best of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s lion trekking excursion, expect to visit Kasenyi plains. Located in the Northern end of Queen Elizabeth Park, Kasenyi is a prime sector for not only normal game drives but also for experiential tourism activities like lion tracking. The Kasenyi track/plains features mainly the open savanna grassland where a range of wildlife freely move, including lions, Uganda Kobs, hyenas, elephants, leopards, and buffaloes.

What is lion trekking, and how is it done?

Lion tracking is a unique tourism activity and involves monitoring and observing lions in the wild. The idea behind lion tracking is to help obtain adequate details about lions for deep understanding of their behaviors, ecology, and movements. At the Queen Elizabeth National Park, lion tracking is conducted both for research and tourism purposes. Visitors are accompanied by experienced ranger guides to search for the lions.

Useful devices such as GPS radio collars are used for tracking. The radio collars fitted on the necks of lions emit signals that researchers and ranger guides use to find these big cats with ease. When they get close, a device is used to pick up the signal and pinpoint where the lion is found. This is a reason why lion tracking offers more lion viewing opportunities than traditional game drives.

Lions are observed at a distance inside the tourist car. Details of their behaviors are shared by the ranger guide and visitors can take pictures. Visitors interested in the Kasenyi lion tracking experience can embark on the morning or afternoon sessions.

Why is Queen Elizabeth National Park most popular for lion tracking/trekking?

Queen Elizabeth Game Park is most popular for its unique lion trekking program because it provides excellent viewing opportunities. The park has advanced in lion monitoring and conservation. Besides, lion trekking blends well with scientific research, thus offering tourists captivating encounters and also an opportunity to support lion/wildlife conservation.

Queen Elizabeth National Park holds not the usual lions, but also the unique tree-climbing lions that survive at Ishasha. It is in the Queen Elizabeth Park and Lake Manyara National Park where these unusual big cats only survive in East Africa.

Availability of professional and experienced ranger guides. Queen Elizabeth Park is a complete destination with a team of well-trained ranger guides and researchers.

Tools used for lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Among the useful equipment and tools used on the actual lion trekking in Queen Elizabeth Park are radio collar or tracking collar, GPS technology, camera traps, and a pair of binoculars. Each of these tools or equipment plays a significant role in data collection for lions.

Safety considerations to observe during lion tracking

Safety measures must be respected at all times, considering the nature of the animals you get to interact with during the lion tracking. First, you must have an experienced ranger guide to accompany you for the actual search for the lions. The ranger guides know more details about the ground where these big cats live and their diverse behaviors.

Keep a safe distance when observing the lions. Visitors can park somewhere and observe these incredible cats while inside the car. Do not leave the car and get out, especially when it comes to photography. Your driver guide can position the vehicle to enable you to capture amazing moments of the lions.

The guides’ instructions should be observed at all times during the lion tracking. This is to enable you to explore more about lions with maximum safety.

What is the cost of lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Game Park?

As per the updated cost of lion tracking, the foreign non-residents (international tourists) pay USD 200 per person, foreign residents USD 150, and Ugandan (EAC) residents UGX 200,000.

The best season for lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth Game Park

Lion tracking is Queen Elizabeth National Park is perfectly done during the dry season and which is from June to September or go trek lions from December to February. Short or no rains occur during the dry seasons, with the game tracks all accessible in a 4WD safari vehicle.

Where to stay before/after lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park

The lodges and camps present for overnight stay in and around Queen Elizabeth National Park include Engiri Game Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Bulbul Safari Lodge, Kazinga Channel Resort, Mweya Safari Lodge, and Elephant Plains Lodge.

Booking your lion tracking experience in Uganda

Uganda’s Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park can be booked through the ground tour operator. Talk to our team to plan and book the best lion trekking tour. Ensure that you have your experiential tourism activity planned and booked early.

Getting to Queen Elizabeth National Park for lion tracking

Queen Elizabeth National Park can be reached by road and this involves driving for about 7-8 hours from Kampala via the Bushenyi-Kasese route. Or you can take a 6-7 hours’ drive from Kampala, but through the Mityana-Mubende to Fort Portal –Kasese route. By air, you can take a 1-2 hour flight from the Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airfield and connect to the lodge by a safari vehicle.

Conclusively, lion tracking is one of the many unique experiences awaiting you on Uganda safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Book lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park together with other safari activities such as game drives, launch cruise, nature walks, chimpanzee tracking, and birding.