Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha

Tree climbing lions of Ishasha; Lions are the largest cats and there are two destinations in East Africa where you can see the unique and famous tree climbing lions that is Ishasha sector in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Manyara national park in Tanzania. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park located in western part of Uganda in four districts that is Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri. apart from the tree climbing lions Queen Elizabeth national park also harbors a wide range of animals including elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, hippos, Nile crocodiles, leopards, hyenas, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys and variety of bird species.

Queen Elizabeth national park offers a number of interesting activities which people can engage in during the safari including game drives, lion tracking, boat cruise on Kazinga channel, bird watching, nature walks and chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge also known as the valley of apes.

Why do lions in Ishasha climb trees

There are several beliefs and theories to explain why lions in Ishasha climb trees for example

Some people believe that the lions in Ishasha climb trees to avoid the heat from the ground cool off and rest in a cool breeze.
It’s also believed that the lions in Ishasha sector climb trees to have a clear view of the surrounding in order to spot the prey.
Some people also believe that the lions in Ishasha climb trees as an ingrained cultural preference or behavior learned from the generation before them.
Other people believe that the lions in Ishasha climb trees to avoid biting insects and pests such as tsetse flies and mosquitoes which live in the lower grounds.

Tree climbing lions in Ishasha can be viewed lazily lying up in acacia/ fig tree branches during the game drive in a comfortable 4WD pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide from Achieve Global Safaris. Besides the unique tree climbing lions you will also be able to view other animals like buffaloes, Topi, Uganda kobs, elephants and variety of bird species including martial eagle, Bateleur, palm nut vulture, brown snake eagle, Ross’s turaco, grey woodpecker, white headed barbet, African wattled plover, grey backed fiscal, broad billed roller, white browed robin chat, yellow billed oxpecker, greater honey guide, striped kingfisher, African green pigeon among others.

Best time to visit Ishasha for tree climbing lions

Ishasha sector is located in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and its one of the best destination to visit in the park due to the famous tree climbing lions. Ishasha sector can be visited all year round though the best time to see the tree climbing lions is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the park therefore access roads and tracks in Ishasha will be passable plus vegetation will be thin which makes viewing of tree climbing lions and other wildlife species easy.

Where to stay during your safari in Ishasha sector- Queen Elizabeth national park

There are a number of accommodation facilities in Ishasha where visitors can stay during safari including Enjojo lodge, At the River Ishasha, Ishasha Ntungwe River camp, Ishasha Jungle lodge, Savannah resort hotel, Ishasha wilderness camp, Topi lodge among others.

How to get to Ishasha sector in Queen Elizabeth national park

Ishasha sector is located in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth national park and can be accessed by road transport means whereby visitors will drive from Kampala via Mubende-Fort Portal road or Masaka-Mbarara road to Queen Elizabeth national park which takes about 6 to 7 hours drive and then connect to Ishasha sector which takes about 2 hours drive.

Ishasha sector can also be accessed by air transport means where by visitors can book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mweya airstrip or Kihihi airstrip and then connect to Ishasha sector which takes about 2 hours drive.

For interesting and unique experiences with the tree climbing lions, Ishasha sector is a must visit destination in Uganda.