A pride of lions rests together in the golden grass of the open savanna.

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Lion Tracking in Queen Elizabeth

A radio-telemetry drive with Uganda Carnivore Programme researchers to locate collared lion prides in Queen Elizabeth's Kasenyi plains.

Add this to a trip What happens

Duration2–3 hours

WhereKasenyi plains, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

ExertionEasy

From$50

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The Experience

Queen Elizabeth National Park’s lion population has been studied for years by the Uganda Carnivore Programme, and this experience puts visitors in a vehicle alongside a researcher using radio-telemetry equipment to locate specific collared individuals, rather than driving on general sighting luck alone. It runs mainly in the Kasenyi plains area, one of the park’s more reliable lion zones.

Because it follows a known signal rather than track-reading alone, success rates run higher than a standard game drive, though a collared lion’s exact location and activity — resting, hunting, with cubs — is never known until you arrive.

Park entry fees and gorilla and chimp permits in Uganda are set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Highlights

Led by an active carnivore research programme, not a standard guide
Radio-telemetry equipment tracks collared individuals
Focused on the Kasenyi plains, one of the park's best lion areas
Higher success rate than a general game drive
Often includes background on the research programme's conservation work
Usually a morning or early evening session

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How the Day Unfolds

Briefing with the researcher

Visitors meet a Uganda Carnivore Programme researcher, who explains how the collaring project works and gives context on the specific pride or individuals currently being monitored in the Kasenyi area.

Following the signal

Using a handheld telemetry receiver, the researcher tracks the strength and direction of a collared lion's signal, directing the vehicle toward the source — a genuinely different way of searching than the track-and-radio-chatter method used on standard drives.

Finding and observing the pride

Once located, the vehicle positions at a respectful distance for viewing, with the researcher able to identify individuals by name and history, and to explain current behaviour — a resting pride after a night hunt, or cubs kept hidden while adults hunt nearby.

Data and departure

Researchers often record observations during the sighting as part of ongoing monitoring, and the drive back gives an opportunity to ask about the programme's broader conservation work in the park.

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In Pictures

A lion yawns widely while lying in golden grass, its mane catching the afternoon light.

A lion rests low in tall golden grass, its eyes alert to the plains around it.

A small group of lions lounges together on a lush green stretch of savanna.

A safari vehicle waits at a respectful distance as a pride of lions rests nearby.

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Included, and What to Bring

Included

Research vehicle and telemetry equipment
Uganda Carnivore Programme researcher guide
Briefing on the collaring and monitoring programme

Bring

Binoculars
A camera with zoom
Sun protection and a hat
Water

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Permits and Good to Know

This experience typically costs around $50 per person, in addition to standard Queen Elizabeth National Park entry fees, with proceeds contributing directly to the Uganda Carnivore Programme's ongoing lion research and conservation work.

Is finding a lion guaranteed?

More likely than on a standard drive, since the telemetry tracks a known collared animal, but not guaranteed — signal strength, terrain and the lion's own movement all affect the outcome.

What is the Uganda Carnivore Programme?

A long-running research initiative monitoring lion, leopard and hyena populations in Queen Elizabeth National Park, partly in response to poisoning incidents that have affected the park's lions.

Can I combine this with a standard game drive?

Yes, many visitors do both on the same trip, treating this as a specialist add-on rather than a replacement for general game viewing.

Is the Kasenyi area good for other wildlife too?

Yes, it is a reliable area for general plains game alongside the lion research focus.

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Where It Happens

Semuliki National Park

Uganda · National Park

A lowland Congo Basin rainforest on Uganda's DRC border, with steaming hot springs and Central African bird species found nowhere else in the country.

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

Uganda · Reserve

A dedicated sanctuary protecting Uganda's reintroduced southern white rhinos, tracked on foot after the species was wiped out nationally by the 1980s.