Lion Tracking Experience in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park is a unique activity that can only be done in this national park. Queen Elizabeth national park in western Uganda is home to a wide variety of wildlife animals such as elephants, buffaloes, leopards, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, oribis, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, hippos, tree climbing lions which are found in Ishasha sector, bird species among others.
Lion tracking is an experiential research program that is only conducted in Queen Elizabeth national park. It is managed by the Uganda carnivore project in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and is aimed at monitoring, educating or creating working relationships of the local communities who live in the near the lions.
The Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park is carried out in Kasenyi plains. It allows a limited number of visitors so as to have a great time with the lions as you take photos, record moments among others.
During the activity visitors and researchers monitor the lions using locator devices to locate lions with tracking devices and it gives you an opportunity to see the lions as you learn about their lifestyle, feeding habits, habituation calls, monitor weather, environment among others. Lion tracking and monitoring results from visitors will be added to the data base hence used in conservation of wildlife.
How lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is done
The lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park is done using radio collars and radiation locators. The activity can be done either in the morning or in the evening hours. It involves visitors tracing the movement of the lions in the national park using the radio locators which pick signals from the radio collars attached to the lion’s neck. The activity is done in Kasenyi plains an area that harbors high concentration animals such as the Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes among others. Lion tracking takes about 2 to 3 hours. During lion tracking in the park you will view other animals like the buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, leopards among others which will make your safari exciting.
Number of people to participate in lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park.
The activity allows a limited number of visitors so as not to stress the animals and also all visitors to have a great time with the lions as they learn about the lifestyle, habits, behaviors, environment while taking plenty of photos.
Cost of lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park costs $100 for foreign non-residents and foreign residents alike; and UGX 100,000 for East African citizens. Visitors are however advised to book in advance at Uganda Wildlife Authority Information Centre in Mweya because lion tracking is on high demand and allows a limited number of visitors therefore to avoid disappointments visitors should book 24 hours in advance.
Best Time to do lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park.
The activity can be done anytime of the year but the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February. During this time there is less rainfall in the park therefore there will be short grass allowing you to clearly view the lions and other animals in the park such as warthogs, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, buffaloes, oribis, leopards, elephants among others.
Other activities you can engage in while in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Boat cruise; This is done at Kazinga channel a water body that joins lake Edward and lake George and the boat cruise can either be done in the morning or in the afternoon. Boats at Kazinga channel depart from the landing site near Mweya safari lodge and during the boat cruise you will view hippos and crocodiles in water and animals along the water banks drinking water such as buffaloes, elephants, antelopes, water birds among others.
Game drive; this is one of the popular activities in the park where visitors view abundant wildlife species while in the comfort of the safari van. Game drive in the park can be done in areas like Mweya peninsular, Kasenyi plains which harbors large concentration of animals, Ishasha sector in the southern part where you will be able to view the famous tree climbing lions which will be looking down on the antelopes as they graze in open savannah plains.
Chimpanzee trekking; chimpanzees are the second most visited attractions in Uganda after the mountain gorillas in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. Chimpanzee trekking in Queen Elizabeth national park is carried out in Kyambura Gorge which is also known as the valley of apes. The activity can either be carried out in the morning or in the afternoon which takes about 2 to 4 hours trekking the chimpanzees and once found you will spend one hour with them in their natural habitat learning about their lifestyle, behaviors, habits, taking photos and recording the moments.
Nature walk; this is an adventurous and interesting activity in that it allows visitors to walk on foot as they explore the national park with beautiful views, feel the breeze among others. nature walk in the park is done in different areas such as Maramagambo forest, Kyambura Gorge, Mweya peninsular among others and during the activity you breath fresh air, get relived from stress, have beautiful views of the landscape, vegetation, animals among others.
Birding; Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda is a home of over 619 bird species which makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. Bird lovers can combine lion tracking with birding which is done during the boat cruise, game drive, nature walk in destinations like Ishasha sector, Maramagambo forest, Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsular, Katwe area among others. during birding you can look out for bird species like black crake, open billed stork, African shoebill, spur winged plover, squacco heron, African fish eagle, yellow backed weaver, white backed pelican, pied and malachite kingfisher, wattled plover, pink backed pelican, water thick nee, long tailed cormorants among others.
In Conclusion: Visitors can always combine a lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park with any of the above mentioned activities that are also offered in the national park. You can also combine your trip to Queen Elizabeth national park with a gorilla trekking safari in Bwindi Impenetrable national park or Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park.
