Overview
Ishasha sector is located near the fur most south western rim of Queen Elizabeth national park. Additionally, Ishasha has a magnificent land scape dominated by savannah woodland tree species. Some of them are the huge fig trees, Cactus tress, and acacia trees among others. The sector is recognized for its unimaginable inhabitants. These are the tree climbing lions which are usually spotted in the southern section. These creatures enjoy hanging on branches of huge trees. This has made Queen Elizabeth national park not only the most liked park but also the most traveled to national park in Uganda. Pamoja tours and travel company is here to organize your game drive trips in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Tree climbing lions
A morning drive through Ishasha will give you a jaw dropping experience of amusement and daring for more experience in east Africa. The sector has its unique tree climbing lions with a number of candelabra trees with big branches that allows the animals to hang up there. These lions can only be found in Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda and a few of these in lake Manyara Tanzania. However, they are very hard to track since they are a few in number. These lions make an exceptional attraction and they make a highlight for the safari within Queen Elizabeth National park. Did you know that the males of these exceptional lions have black manes.
Why they are tree climbers?
It is believed that the lions in this park adopted this unusual behavior in an attempt of keeping away from the tsetse flies, the scotching heat of the ground from the sun especially during the dry seasons and to spot the Uganda Kobs which are the major food for these lions.
Other animals
In addition to the fascinating population of tree climbing lions, there is a number of Uganda Kobs in the park; their presence is an exceptional attraction to both the tourists and lions. The Uganda Kobs’ presence attracts lions and other big cats in the area and this is partly one of the reasons why lions here climb trees in Ishasha area.
Queen Elizabeth has got a number of other animals that inhabit the land like antelopes, topi, warthogs, waterbucks, numerous antelopes, zebras, hippos, large herds of buffaloes and most of all, the magnificent African elephants. These are called African elephants because their ears are shaped like a map of Africa.
Birds
Ishasha also has a number of birds which you can see on Lake Edward and Ishasha River. Birding here is perfect, through the open savanna grass lands and along the water banks where you will be able to spot various bird species like African crake, long-crested eagle, broad-billed roller, African white-backed vulture, African green pigeon, Ross turaco, white headed barbet, grey woodpeckers among others. The sector is therefore a great destination for birding in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Perfect time to visit Ishasha sector
The dry season if favorable for the fantastic uninterrupted game drives because the roads happen to be dry with low chances of getting rainfall to interrupt the trips. The best time is in the months of June to September and January to February where the grass is short, making it so easy to spot lions in the field. This also increases the chances of seeing wildlife, as there will be search for water and animals are more likely to congregate around the fewer remaining water holes. However, the sector is open for visitors throughout the year because all activities will continue taking place regardless of the weather changes.
Travel tips for Ishasha sector
Here are a few things to carry on your trip to Ishasha sector, these will give you the best experience and memories on your game drives;
- Camera
- Open roof car is an ideal for the game drive for safety and a clear view
- Binoculars are a real deal for the tree climbing safari
- Pen for writing and a book to record some information down.
Accommodation
Ishasha offers luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation facilities which offers quality services. The sector has a number of accommodation places in the surroundings. These cater for most of your needs, for instance;
- freshly prepared meals
- full time customer services
- comfortable beds
- free internet
- craft shops
- recharging facilities
- camp fires
- restaurant and bars
These give you the perfect get away place to enjoy alone or with family in the wilderness.
- Ishasha wilderness camp
- Enjojo lodge
- Mweya safari lodge
- Ihamba lodge
- Kasenyi safari camp
- Park view lodge
- Queen Elizabeth bush lodge
How to get there
By air
On landing at Entebbe airport, you can take an airport taxi to Kajjansi airstrip which will take you less than an hour with the new bypass to Kampala. On reaching Kajjansi airstrip, there are daily scheduled flights from Kajjansi airfield which fly directly to the air strips in Queen Elizabeth national park.
After your trip in Ishasha, Mweya and Kihihi airstrips are the closest airstrip to the Ishasha sector where you can get a plane to fly you back to Kampala or Entebbe.
By road
Kampala is 410 km north of Queen Elizabeth national park which is 8-9 hour drive if you will drive via Mubende – fort portal road from Kampala to Queen Elizabeth national park and then connect to Ishasha sector. In case you want to connect from other destinations like Mweya peninsula into Queen Elizabeth national park, it is going to take you 2 hours’ drive and then from Lake Mburo national park Mbarara to Ishasha, it takes you 6 hours’ drive. From Bwindi impenetrable forest to Ishasha, it takes you 2 hours’ drive. It is likely that your journey will include stops at other attractions or national parks along the way.
Recommendation
On your visit in Ishasha, you can also combine your trip with other exciting activities in Queen Elizabeth national park. The activities include;
- lion tracking in Kasenyi plains
- mongoose tracking at Mweya peninsular
- boat cruise at Kazinga channel
- community visits of the Bakiga
- nature walks
These will definitely make a memorable safari unforgettable to attract you back to visiting Uganda, the pearl of Africa and its wonders.
