Introduction
There are only three places where you can find lions in Uganda. These include Kidepo Valley National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lions are among Africa’s big 5 animals. They live in open savanna parks with a lifespan of up to 14 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity. They are the second largest carnivores to tigers. However, in Uganda’s wilderness, there are no tigers thus lions are the largest carnivores in the country.
Lions have a gestation period of about 3 months giving birth between 1 to 6 cubs. The lionesses take full responsibility for nurturing the cubs to maturity. A fully grown lioness weighs about 120 to 180 kilograms while males weigh from 150 to 250 kilograms. The males are always differentiated from the females by size and the mane on their necks. The female size is slightly smaller than the males’ size and lionesses do not have a mane. When you visit Uganda on a safari, spotting lions is among the top activities after mountain gorilla and chimpanzee trekking. Lions live in a large group called pride and their number can range from 2 to 40 members. This gives them confidence even when they attack prey and increases their chances of success.
Places to spot lions Uganda
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is Uganda’s most isolated national park. It is located in the northeastern part of Uganda bordering Kenya and South Sudan. It was gazetted in 1962 to protect wildlife from extinction. The park is home to over 77 mammals including lions, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, kobs, and hartebeests to mention but a few.
Lions being diurnal animals, you can encounter them during a game drive in the morning. This is when they are very actively hunting. Lions can be spotted in the Narus Valley or Kidepo Valley inside the park. They can also be active during the night since they can adjust their time for hunting. Lions have excellent eyesight thus an advantage over their prey under the cover of the night. The hot sun of the day also forces them to hunt at night therefore nighttime is also a great time to spot them. Kidepo Valley National Park is home to over 476 species of birds including ostriches.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in Uganda covering an area of about 3,893 square kilometers. It islocated in northwestern Uganda harboring wildlife including lions, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, oribis, hartebeests, monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees, bushbucks, hippos, and Nile crocodiles among other species. Like lions in other destinations in Uganda, they have similar behaviors, they are always very active at dawn and dusk.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park ranks as the second largest protected area in Uganda with an area of about 1,978 square kilometers. It is located in western Uganda covering districts of Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi, and Kamwenge. Queen Elizabeth unlike other national parks, is famous for accommodating tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. This park is home to over 95 mammals. These include lions, buffaloes, leopards, hyenas, topis, Nile crocodiles in Kazinga Channel, kobs, warthogs, chimpanzees in Kyambura gorge, red-tailed monkeys, L’Hoest’s monkeys to mention but a few.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 600 bird species with both endemics and migratory birds. While in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can also see lions in the Kasenyi sector known as the mating ground. This place hosts a high concentration of animals like kobs, buffaloes, and warthogs. This is because it is so open and has fascinating endless plains that provide the best grazing space.
You can see lions wandering around Queen Elizabeth National Park but there are some specific areas to find them. You will find lions around the Mweya Peninsula in the Ishasha sector. The Ishasha sector is the only place in the country to encounter tree-climbing lions. They can be spotted hanging on fig and acacia tree branches. Visitors can spot these apex predators while on an early morning or late evening game drive experience. This is the period when they are more active than during the day when they are resting.
Best time to see lions in Uganda
You can see lions in all three mentioned national parks in Uganda throughout the year. However, it is better to visit these national parks in the dry season from June to September and December to February. This is when the roads in parks are dry hence easing navigation.