Ishasha tree-climbing lions
Head south to the Ishasha sector to find lions resting in the branches of ancient fig trees — a behaviour seen in only a few places on Earth.
National Park · Western Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Tree-climbing lions, the Kazinga Channel, and the snow-capped Rwenzori mountains on the horizon.
About the park
Uganda's most diverse park
Set between Lake Edward and Lake George and framed by the Rwenzori "Mountains of the Moon", Queen Elizabeth is home to nearly 100 mammal species and over 600 bird species — one of the richest biospheres on the continent.
The Ishasha sector is famous for its tree-climbing lions, lazing in fig trees above the savanna. A boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel brings you within metres of hippo pods, buffalo herds and forest elephants drinking at the shore.
Size
1,978 km²
Distance from Kampala
~ 400 km
Best time to visit
Jan–Feb · Jun–Sep
What you'll experience
Kazinga Channel boat cruise
A two-hour drift along one of Africa's densest concentrations of hippos, with elephants and buffalo coming to drink at the bank.