Curious about Lion Tracking in Uganda, look no further than the Queen Elizabeth National Park! Established in 1952, the park is one of the most famous tourism sites in Uganda. It is located in Western Uganda and has over 600 bird species, 95 mammals including lions and leopards. Queen Elizabeth has 
been blessed with beautiful plains, woodlands, savannah grasslands, crater lakes, gorges, beautiful forests and mountains. The most famous mountain is Mountain Rwenzori with its lovely snow caped peak – a beauty to behold. However, lions are the greatest attraction in the park, other activities notwithstanding. Most famous of these is the tree climbing lion found in Ishasha sector of the park. Whereas spotting tree climbing lions during a game drive in Ishasha is considered one of the highlights of a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, an activity that is even more interesting is lion tracking.
Uganda Carnivore Program
The Uganda Carnivore program (UCP), a program that began in the 1990’s is to be given credit for introducing lion tracking possible in Uganda. It was at first called the Uganda Large Predator Project. This project was initiated to put an end to the canine distemper Virus that was killing many canines in the Serengeti National Park and conservationists feared that it would spread to Uganda. Once it was realized that the predators in Uganda were only dying due to poisoning, the project stayed on to monitor them further and continue with research on them as well conduct other activities in community conservation. The name was changed to the Uganda Carnivore Program.
The Uganda Carnivore project is led by Dr. Ludwig Siefert who is also a lecturer in Makerere University. He also assists with predator research in other game parks in Uganda. Other senior staff working with the project are Kenneth Mugyenyi and James Kalyewa. Kalyewa monitors the predators daily while Mugyenyi is in charge of community outreach activities.
After taking on from what was then known as the Uganda Large Predator Project, UCP continues to train young scientists. They work hand in hand with the government and other international partners while also hosting international volunteers and student researchers whose interest is in ecology. In order to raise funds and increase visibility of the project, lion tracking was introduced. At a fee, one is taken lion tracking to find out more about these predators.
How much is Lion Tracking Queen in Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is the only national park that organizes lion tracking. The activity is carried out at the Kasenyi plains of the park and not the tree climbing lions found in the Ishasha sector. 
For one to be able to engaged in the activity, they need to book in advance. This can be done with the help of tour companies or directly paying at the Mweya Information Centre. It costs an international tourist $60 while for any East African citizen, the cost is 100,000 Ugandan shillings. From these payments, the national park authorities submit $10 of each payment made to the Uganda Carnivores Program. This program not only specializes in predator research but also sensitizes local communities around the park on how to live in harmony with the lions and other cats. It is important to note that this booking fee does not include the park entrance fee.
How is Lion Tracking in Uganda Arranged?
Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park has been made possible through advancement in technology. Radio collars with signals are put around the neck of one of the lions or lionesses. The dominant lioness is preferred because she usually determines group movements and hunting schedules. A lioness often remains with the main pride whole the males go out to mark their territory. By following the lioness, the Researchers find it easier to follow the whole pride. How is the collar put around the neck of the lioness? Researchers shoot the lioness with a small harmless injection containing a tranquilizer to keep her unconscious while they put the collar around her neck. It is put in such a way that the lioness still has easy movement and will not get stuck in any vegetation.
The radio collar then sends radio frequencies to the researchers through GPS system with the exact location of the lioness. This device helps the scientists observe lion movements, if they are sick or if they are too close to communities living close to the park.
If you are planning to register for lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth National Park, know that there is a limit to how many can take part. It has to be a small number such that the lions are not stressed by the presence of many human intruders. With a smaller number, one can also take better pictures and the research team can easily manage a smaller group. Lion tracking in Uganda has three sessions. There is the morning, afternoon and evening session. Each person must arrive on time for briefings. A session takes between 2-3 hours. The lions are followed beeping noise from GPS gadgets. The beeping noise becomes as you reach closer to the lions. During lion tracking, there is no specific route to be followed. The researchers follow the beeping noise and this can lead anywhere including up to human communities living close to the park. Once the team is near to the lions, the engine is switched off so as not to scare them away.
On a typical lion tracking day, the lions can be found after following them for 40 square kilometers but the distance can go up to 400 square kilometers especially during seasons when food is scarce and they have to move long distances for the pride. Tracking is never boring because you will be encounter other park animals like buffaloes, hyenas, warthogs, elephants and antelopes among many other creatures.
Throughout the activity, you will be taught how the lions feed, their behavioral and socializing patterns. You will also learn about the lifespan of lions and their roles in a pride. You might even be lucky enough to find the whole pride in one place. If you do, you will get to learn how territorial lions are and how they also communicate with each other in case of danger. A lion has a larger mane than a lioness. You will also learn that lions urinate around their territory to warn off other males from coming into their territory. Though everyone knows that the male is the head of a pride, it is the female that do most of the hunting and dictate what happens in the pride. A lioness is very protective of its cubs and will fight off even males who threaten them. We hope that you can also watch as one of the primates is shot at with a tranquilizer and a radio collar placed on its neck.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park for lion tracking
One can reach the park by air or road. If one chooses to use air transport, then all they need to do is book a flight from Kajjansi/Entebbe to Mweya, Ishasha or Kasese airstrip. This can be done by your tour company. They should also have someone wait to pick you up at the airstrip and take you to the offices to register for lion tracking. If one chooses the longer road transport from Kampala, they should prepare to drive to Mbarara for about 4 hours.
How about accommodation in Queen Elizabeth National Park? There are a variety of hotels and guest houses available depending on your budget. You should check out the websites of Simba safari lodge, Buffalo lodge, Katara lodge, Mweya safari lodge and Ishasha Wilderness Camp.
Other Activities apart from Lion tracking in Queen Elizabeth
If you are a lover of nature, you will not be disappointed while in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Form the Maramagambo forest to the amazing Kyambura Gorge, the park has so much to offer nature lovers. You can also go to the Mweya Peninsular for a long walk to explore rivers, crater lakes and birding sanctuaries. Then there is the amazing boat cruise along the Kazinga channel to witness most of the park animals in one place.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is also home to chimpanzees. Chimpanzee tracking at the Kyambura Gorge is amazing. Kyambura gorge is an underground forest with incredible biodiversity. You can spot smaller primates, hippos and rare birds. One can also go for mongoose tracking along the Mweya Peninsular or learn about salt mining in Lake Katwe. Last but not least, you can visit the villages closes to the park for an amazing cultural experience.
