GAME DRIVE (MWEYA - KASENYI - ISHASHA)

Whether on the Mweya and Kasenyi Plains side of Lake George, or to the south in the Ishasha sector, the Queen Elizabeth Park offers excellent opportunities to see iconic savannah mammals, with the exception of the extinct rhinoceros and the historically absent giraffe. The circuit along the Kazinga Channel offers a network of fairly tight tracks characterized by dense vegetation where you will be led to look for leopards and certainly to come across elephants. It is possible to explore this area in about 2 hours from Mweya, but the classic circuit consists of passing the main road and continuing towards Lake George towards the bare and euphoric candelabra-covered plains of Kasenyi where lions are numerous; lion tracking is organized in this part of the park for US$ 100 (park entrance included) in order to observe the king of the animals for four to five hours (independent travellers must have their own vehicle in which UWA trackers will ride). There are also large herds of Ugandan cobes, topis, buffaloes and many birds. The tracks in the Ishasha sector are much less frequented, but they provide an extraordinary encounter with a population of tree lions of about 40 individuals. This feline particularity, which is only found in the Lake Manyara Park in Tanzania, has not yet been the subject of real scientific studies, but the hypothesis put forward is that these lions, by climbing in the sycamores, would try to escape from insects carrying disease. Safari departures usually take place at dawn, but the lions stay in the trees when it is hottest. In addition to this leonine attraction, the Ishasha area, with its acacias and grassy savannah, will suit the most adventurous: it is, indeed, possible to camp near Lake Edward (Edward Flat), in the middle of nowhere, in an area of great wildlife richness: the presence of a UWA ranger (count 40 US$) is mandatory! Most travelers make their safaris as part of a chauffeur-driven tour. If you have your own vehicle, you can hire a park ranger to help you flush out the animals for US$20 per vehicle. Ask at the park office in Mweya or at the entrance to Ishasha.