Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National park

Ishasha sector is one of the best regions to explore on a game viewing tour in Queen Elizabeth National Park. Located in the Southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, Ishasha offers amazing encounters with the tree-climbing lions a must se on our Uganda safari. In Africa, it is in Ishasha and Lake Manyara where tree-climbing lions can be spotted. The Ishasha is largely dominated by the huge candelabra trees, where you can watch the tree-climbing lions when relaxed. At the Ishasha sector, there are mostly the Euphorbia candelabrum, the favorite tree species for tree-climbing lions to lazily relax from. The sector also features the cactus trees, fig trees, and other woodland trees.

What else to see in Ishasha

Other common wildlife species to find in the Ishasha sector include African elephants, Uganda Kobs, hippos, topis, hyenas, and several bird species.

The birds of Ishasha

Ishasha sector is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, an excellent spot to find a variety of avifaunal species. The birds to find on a birding trip in Ishasha include the yellow-billed oxpeckers, egrets, wattled starling, giant kingfishers, broad-billed rollers, African wattled plovers, striped kingfishers, African green pigeon, palm-nut vulture, rare shoebill storks, hammerkop, martial eagle, black-headed heron, and African fin-foot. Other birds include water thick-knee, yellow-throated long-claws, fan-tailed widowbird, compact weaver birds, Cassin’s grey flycatchers, Southern ground hornbills, and African harrier hawks.

At Ishasha, it is also possible to find birds such as the Senegal lapwing, white-rumped swift, little swifts, ring-neck dove, African jacanas, bateleur, tawny-flanked prinia, white-winged black tit, gray-backed fiscal, fork-tailed drongo, white-headed sawing, croaking cisticola, banded martin, rattling cisticola, trilling cisticola, siffling cisticola, spectacled weaver birds, splendid starling, Ruppell’s starling, violet-backed starling, black-necked weaver, red-chested sunbird, red-billed fire finch, common waxbill, bronze manikin, and fan-tailed widowbird.

Keen birders can also spot birds such as flappet lark, olive bee-eaters, Verreaux’s eagle-owl, palm-nut vulture, African pied wagtail, and more.

Activities in Ishasha

The memorable safari experiences/activities to expect to engage in the Ishasha sector include guided game drives, bird-watching, and cultural tours.

Guided game drives

Ishasha offers unforgettable game drive excursions, a great opportunity for you to observe a range of wildlife. At Ishasha, expect to find not only the unique tree-climbing lions, but also other wildlife, including antelope families. A 4×4 safari vehicle is ideal for your exploration in Ishasha, and you can embark on a game viewing session with an experienced guide.

Bird-watching

At Ishasha, expect to come across a diversity of birds, including the Ruppell’s griffon, bateleur, African jacanas, Senegal lapwing, yellow-fronted tinker birds, woodland kingfishers, African pygmy kingfisher, spot-flanked barbet, tawny-flanked prinia, gray-capped warblers, African penduline-tit, western black-headed batis, gray kestrel, blue-napped mousebirds, African fire finch, winding cisticola, crested francolins, Northern red bishops, red-eyed dove, tambourine dove, laughing dove, mourning collared dove, and more.

Cultural Visits

Visitors can also have a combination of cultural experience and game drive. The guided cultural tour allows you to meet the residents in their local community to learn more about their cultures, traditions, and other practices. You can also visit some of the wildlife conservation initiatives run by locals, including Save Wildlife Uganda, a local initiative that promotes biodiversity conservation and also focuses on enhancing community livelihoods.

Popular Accommodation in and around Ishasha

Ishasha features all kinds of accommodation options, including budget, midrange, and luxury. They are suitably set in the areas accessible to tourists before and after game viewing excursions. The popular safari lodges and camps to consider for an overnight stay include Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Enjojo Lodge, Ishasha River Lodge, Savanna Resort Hotel, and Topi Lodge.

The best time to visit

Ishasha offers all-year-round experiences. But the dry season is the most favorite time on the travel calendar in Uganda for tourists to explore Ishasha and its wonders. The first and longest dry season extends from June to September and then from December to February, marking the shortest dry months.

Safaris can also be organized around the wet or rainy/low season, which is mostly ideal for birders. The longest wet or rainy season starts from March to May and is characterized by heavy rains. The shortest off-months of the year start from October to November. During the wet or rainy months, most birds begin breeding, and a range of them can be spotted, including migratory species that confine here.

Ishasha & Bwindi

At Ishasha, tourists can easily connect up to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in just 2-3 hours’ drive. This is perfect, especially for tourists interested in gorilla trekking tours in the Buhoma sector. The Buhoma sector lies in the Northern end of Bwindi and is close to the Ishasha sector. Visitors can enjoy a game drive to spot tree-climbing lions and proceed to Bwindi to relax, then start gorilla trekking adventure the following day.

How to get there

By road transportation.

It takes you between 7 and 8 hours to drive from Kampala to the Ishasha sector. From Kigali, there is an option of connecting to the Ishasha sectors via Katuna or Chanika border crossing. By air, you can set off from Entebbe Airport (EBB) to Kihihi or Mweya Airstrips, then drive in a 4×4 safari car to Ishasha for your vacation.

Explore more about Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Besides Ishasha, Queen Elizabeth National Park also has other amazing locations worth visiting for game tours. They include Kasenyi Plains in the Northern end, Kazinga Channel, Kyambura Gorge, Maramagambo Forest Reserve, and others.

At Kasenyi, expect to explore the diversity of wildlife, including the Big game; elephants, cape buffaloes, lions, and on a lucky day, you may come across leopards. Kasenyi is most explored by tourists on game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Kyambura Gorge offers a thrilling chimpanzee trekking adventure. A chimpanzee trek in Kyambura Gorge takes you on an exploration of chimpanzees in the natural environment, and visitors have up to one hour to enjoy a face-to-face encounter with these special primates, and more.

Kazinga Channel is suitable for visitors interested in boat excursions, where you get a chance to explore aquatic species like crocodiles, hippos, and birds. Visitors can also appreciate the scenic landscape in the surroundings.