Queen Elizabeth Tree-Climbing Lion Safari
3 Days · Ishasha Lions · Kazinga Channel · 600 Bird Species

Early morning departure southwest on the Kampala–Mbarara highway, continuing through Mbarara and into the Queen Elizabeth NP area. Total drive: 400 km, approx. 6 hours. Check in at your lodge on the Mweya Peninsula or near Katunguru. Afternoon game drive in the Kasenyi plains — the park's premier open savannah for lion, elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob, and topi. Your guide knows the lion territories intimately. Sunset over Lake Edward with the Rwenzori Mountains on the western horizon. Dinner and overnight.

Morning: Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise. Board the launch for a 2-hour cruise on the 32km Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George and Lake Edward. This channel holds the world's highest concentration of hippos — thousands crowd every bank, their pink ears twitching, their explosive exhalations creating constant movement around the boat. Enormous Nile crocodiles bask on every sandbank. African skimmer, pink-backed pelican, African fish eagle, pied and malachite kingfishers, and the elegant African jacana line the shores. Over 100 bird species can be logged on a single cruise. Afternoon: Drive to Ishasha Sector — Tree-Climbing Lions. The drive south through the park takes approximately 2 hours. Begin your game drive in Ishasha's open fig tree woodland — scanning every tree carefully. When you find them — and the success rate here is very high — the sight is extraordinary: full-grown lions sprawled in the branches of giant fig trees, 3, 4, sometimes 6 metres above the ground, watching the plains below with absolute calm. This behaviour, found almost nowhere else in the world, is believed to be a response to ground-level insects and the desire to catch breeze. Game drive until sunset.

One final dawn game drive in Ishasha — the lions are often active at first light and the golden hour light for photography is extraordinary. Then depart north for the return drive to Kampala or Entebbe (400 km, approx. 6 hours). Arrive by evening.