Best places to see lions in Uganda

Best places to see lions in Uganda; Lions are among the big five mammals found in savannah national parks in Uganda. lions are the largest carnivores that live for up to 14 years in the wild and while in the zoo, lions can live for about 20 years. Lions have a gestation period of 110 days and give birth from 1 to 4 cubs which normally weigh 1.2-2-1 kilograms. A full grown male lion can weigh between 150 to 250 kilograms while a full grown lioness can weigh between 120 to 182 kilograms. Lions live in prides of 2 to 40 lions and females are responsible for raising the cubs and hunting. Male lions are normally thrown out of the pride by the dominant males at the age of 3 to 4 years and when they are about 7 to 10 years old, they usually try to take over a pride. Lions are one of the most sought after/ most wanted to see animals during the safari in Uganda after the chimpanzees and mountain gorillas. Lions in Uganda are best seen in three national parks including,

Best place to see lions in Uganda

Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is second largest and one of the best places to see lions in Uganda. The national park is located in western region in Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi and Kamwenge districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is famously known for the tree climbing lions which are found in Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park and is a home of 95 mammals species including elephants, buffaloes, leopards, hyenas, Uganda kobs warthogs, waterbucks bush bucks, topi, hippos, Nile crocodiles, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys and over 600 bird species.

Lions in Queen Elizabeth national park can be viewed during the game drives in Kasenyi plains, mweya peninsula, ishasha sector where you will view the tree climbing lions lying in fig/acacia tree branches. Lions in Queen Elizabeth national park can also be seen during the lion tracking experience in mweya peninsula where you will be able to view and learn about the lions. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can either be done very early in the morning in the savannah plains, in the afternoon or at night in mweya peninsula.

Kidepo valley national park

Kidepo valley national park is located in the north eastern part of Uganda in Karamoja district between Uganda’s border with Kenya and South Sudan. The national park was gazetted as a national park in 1962 and it’s a home of over 77 mammal species including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs among others and over 476 bird species. Lions in Kidepo valley national park can be viewed during the game drives in the Narus valley or kidepo valley. Game drives in Kidepo valley national park can either be done very early in the morning when animals are more active, in the afternoon or at night where you will be able to spot the lions hunting.

Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park is largest national park in Uganda located in north western region and it’s another best place to see lions in Uganda. Murchison falls national park is a home of different mammal species including elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, waterbucks, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys and over 450 bird species such as the illusive shoebill stork. Lions in Murchison falls national park will be viewed during the morning game drives, afternoon game drives or night/nocturnal game drives.

Best time to see lions in Uganda

Lions in Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Kidepo valley national park can be seen anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less or little rainfall in the national parks therefore access roads and game drive tracks in the national parks will be dry and passable which makes game drives easy and vegetation will be short which allows you to spot the lions clearly.

Lions in Uganda can also be seen during the low/rainy season in the months of March to May and October to November because during this time there are few people in the national parks due to rains therefore you will be able to explore the savannah parks with less crowds.

Tourists who wish to see lions on their wildlife safari in Uganda should visit all the three national parks or at least two of the parks that is Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park or Kidepo valley national park. For more information about the best place to see lions in Uganda, you can reach out to us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.