Lion Tracking Research Experience

The Lion Tracking Research Experience offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join professional wildlife researchers from the Uganda Carnivore Program as they monitor collared lions across Queen Elizabeth National Park's Kasenyi Plains. Using radio telemetry equipment—antenna, receiver, and headphones—you'll learn to track specific lions by their unique radio frequencies, following researchers as they collect vital behavioral data that informs conservation strategies across East Africa.

Unlike conventional game drives where lion sightings are opportunistic and never guaranteed, this exclusive program uses science to locate specific collared individuals, providing a success rate exceeding 95%. You'll observe lions in their natural environment—resting after hunts, grooming, playing, or interacting with pride members—while researchers share intimate knowledge about each individual's history, personality, and place within the complex social structure.

A Conservation-Focused Experience

What makes the Lion Tracking Research Experience profoundly meaningful is understanding the conservation context behind the research. The Uganda Carnivore Program was established to address the critical threats facing predator populations in and around Queen Elizabeth National Park. Lions here face dangers including retaliatory killings by communities who lose livestock to predators, poisoning, snaring, and habitat loss. Your permit fee directly supports anti-poisoning patrols, community livestock protection programs, environmental education, and long-term population monitoring.

During your tracking session, researchers don't just show you lions—they share the complex challenges of carnivore conservation in Africa. You'll learn about individual lions they've monitored for years, understand how human-wildlife conflict threatens populations, and discover the innovative strategies being employed to ensure lions and communities can coexist peacefully.

The Kasenyi Plains: Lion Territory

The Kasenyi Plains form the heart of lion territory in Queen Elizabeth National Park—an expansive savanna ecosystem bordering Lake George that supports one of Uganda's healthiest lion populations. The open grasslands provide excellent visibility for tracking and observation, while scattered acacia trees offer shade where lions rest during the heat of the day. Beyond lions, you'll encounter elephants, buffalo herds, Uganda kob (the lion's primary prey), waterbuck, topi, hyenas, and occasionally leopards. The plains are also renowned for exceptional birding with over 600 species recorded in the park.