Lion Tracking In Uganda

Lion tracking is an activity that involves tourists and researchers of the Uganda Carnivore Program (UCP) going out into the field to search for and as well learn more about the life of these big cats. Queen Elizabeth national park is the only park in Uganda that offers lion tracking activity and this is carried out in Kasenyi plains located in the Northern sector of the park. The activity involves monitoring the lions with tracking devices. While on the lion tracking experience, the groups are very limited to reduce stress on the big five as well as increase the quality of the experience for visitors.

This research has indeed brought man closer to the wild game. The activity is carried out early morning before the sun rises and in the evening and sometimes the night and lasts for 1-3hours. During this activity, tourists are driven off the road and the driver switches off the engine so as not to interrupt the big cats. Here visitors are allowed to watch the lions at their convenience. Lion tracking, however, is not a tourist activity but is rather scientific related research that helps the researchers to understand lions better.

Lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

How is Lion Tracking Done and Where?

This activity, therefore, takes you beyond the usual African game drive experience in Queen Elizabeth national park. This is because it helps one to study and identify individual lions, conduct population viability studies and distinguish behavior displays.  During this experience, researchers follow lions with lion calls while tracing the tracker’s signals that are tied to the lion’s neck. The experience is led by well-trained experts including researchers that guide in searching for lions together with a combination of locators as well as radio callers.

The battery-powered radio caller sends frequencies that are read by the GPS which helps to pinpoint the location of lions. When the tracking device makes a noise, this will immediately intensify that the lions are close.

Where to Go for Lion Tracking in Uganda?

Queen Elizabeth national park has the highest concentration of lions in Uganda and on a usual game drive lion sighting is limited but on lion tracking, you get to see as many as you can. This lion-tracking experience is done with the use of UWA safari vehicles.  Tourists who are interested in taking part in this exercise are encouraged to book as early as possible, at least 24 hours before the activity. This is done at Uganda Wildlife Authority Information Centre at Mweya in Queen Elizabeth national park. On several occasions, while doing the lion tracking experience, researchers collect samples like blood, saliva, urine, and ticks among others after the tranquilizer is applied.

Cost of Lion Tracking

Lion tracking experience in Queen Elizabeth national park costs USD100 for Foreign Non Residents and 100,000Uganda shillings for locals and East African residents. Tourists should know some facts about lions which include the following;

Facts About Lions

• Lion feelings of pride are headed by a male or two and in most cases, these are brothers in particular.
• Males are far larger than females with a black mane.
• Lions are territorial animals and lionesses can dictate what goes on in the group since they do most of the hunting.

Lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Tracking Location

Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth national park is done only in the Kasenyi plains in the Northern sector of the park. Kasenyi plains have a great concentration of animals in Queen Elizabeth national park and tourists to this sector should use the opportunity to take as many photographs as they can.

Accessibility

Queen Elizabeth national park can be reached by road and air. Airstrips are both within and nearby and this makes it easy for clients who may want to fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi or any other destinations directly to the park. By road can you need to drive from Kampala up to Mbarara or Fort Portal. The driving time from Entebbe to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Kampala is 6 hours. If you are planning to combine tracking the lions with other park activities.