THE ISHASHA TREE CLIMBING LIONS

Joy doesn’t simply happen to us; we have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day because if you hold it in your heart, it heals any crummy stories in your life. You can find all the joy you seek when you decide to cross oceans and seas and visit the Ishasha territory found in the southern side of the golden grassland of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. The Ishasha side of Queen Elizabeth National Park is famously known for its unique climbing lions, who ascend trees with ease but sometimes face challenges when descending from fig trees. While not specifically confirmed, it is speculated that lions climb trees to access fresh air due to the high and hot temperatures in the area. The park receives little or no rainfall, making it quite dry. Additionally, climbing trees may protect them from wind and insect bites. The sight of these majestic lions resting on well-spaced, large fig trees captures the attention of many tourists who take photographs to either sell or keep as cherished memories.
The best time to see these tree-climbing lions is during the dry season when the vegetation is short, allowing for easier spotting of the pride as they set out to hunt at dawn or near waterholes. The entry fees for the Ishasha circuit are as follows:
Adults: $40
Children aged 5 to 15: $20
Children under five have the opportunity to enter for free.
The southern side of the park offers glorious and angelic accommodations with excellent services and well-trained staff, including bar attendants, managers, waiters, and waitresses. Accommodation options in Ishasha include Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Enjojo Lodge, and Ishasha Ntungwe River Lodge. The Ishasha region is also a birdwatcher’s paradise, with various bird species like Terek sandpiper, grey plover, rare blue quail, African thrush, greater honeyguide, trilling cisticola, white-browed coucal (a medium-sized bird), and more.
Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the oldest national parks, was founded in 1952 and was initially known as Kazinga National Park. It is located in western Uganda, covering districts such as Kasese, Bushenyi, and Rukungiri. The park is home to a variety of carnivores like leopards, lions, tigers, cheetahs, and hyenas, as well as herbivores like rhinos, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, antelope, Uganda kob, and hippos. It’s also rich in reptiles, including crocodiles in Kazinga Channel, turtles, snakes, and lizards. Furthermore, you can find primates like monkeys, baboons, gorillas, chimpanzees, and numerous bird species, such as the black-bellied bustard, white-browed Robin, hooded vultures, African eagle, secretary bird, handsome francolin, grey crowned crane, and African jacana.
Accommodations at the park are divided into three categories:
Luxury:
Enganzi Game Lodge
Kyangabi Crater Resort
Mweya Safari Lodge
Trackers Safari Lodge
Mazike Valley Lodge
Queen Elizabeth Katara Lodge
Kyangabi Crater Lodge
Midrange:
Buffalo Safari Lodge
Elephant Plains Lodge
Kasenyi Retreat Lodge
Tembo Lodge
Kabatoru Safari Lodge
Humble:
Ramada
Baymont
Queen Elizabeth National Park offers a variety of activities for tourists to enjoy extensive joy, including game drives in Ishasha, boat trips along the channel with opportunities to view hippos and crocodiles in the water, birdwatching, nature walks to observe the behaviors of different animal species, and hot air balloon rides to view the Eden-like landscape and the crystal-clear, glittering crater lakes, such as Lake Edward with its salty waters, the Bunyaruguru Crater Field, and the Ndali-Kasenda Crater Fields.
The only place where you can experience heaven on Earth is at Queen Elizabeth National Park. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to set your sights high, not merely gazing at the water but sailing on it to the Pearl of Africa.