Tree-climbing lions Uganda is one of the most famous wildlife spectacles in the country, the Ishasha lions’ unique habit of resting in the branches of large fig trees making Queen Elizabeth National Park an essential destination. The tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, in the southern sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, are lions that regularly rest in the branches of large fig and acacia trees. Tree climbing is unusual for lions, and Ishasha is one of the few places where it is seen often; Lake Manyara in Tanzania is another. Finding them lounging in a tree is one of the highlights of a Uganda safari.

Tree-Climbing Lions Uganda: Why Ishasha’s Pride Climbs Fig Trees

Why they climb

No one is completely sure. The main ideas are that branches are cooler and catch the breeze, that they lift lions above biting flies, and that they give a good view over the plains where Uganda kob and topi graze. Climbing appears to be learned behaviour passed on within prides. Lions in Ishasha usually climb in the heat of the day and come down to hunt in the evening.

Threats

Ishasha’s lions are few and vulnerable. Poisoning by herders retaliating for killed cattle has hit Queen Elizabeth’s lions hard, including the deaths of 11 lions in 2018 and six Ishasha lions in 2021. Uganda Wildlife Authority and conservation groups work with communities on compensation, stronger livestock enclosures and lion monitoring.

Where to see it

Drive the Ishasha tracks slowly and check large fig trees, ideally from late morning to mid-afternoon. Ishasha lies on the route from northern Queen Elizabeth to Bwindi. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to lions in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth, the topi and gorillas plus Queen Elizabeth.

Frequently asked questions

The Ishasha Phenomenon

The lions of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha sector are renowned worldwide for their habit of climbing and resting in the branches of large Acacia albida (winter thorn) and wild fig trees. While lions across Africa occasionally climb trees, the Ishasha prides do so with a regularity and ease that has made the behaviour a defining characteristic. The origin of this habit is debated — possible advantages include escape from ground-level insects, a cooler elevated vantage point, and improved visibility for locating prey. Whatever the origin, the behaviour is socially transmitted: cubs learn by watching their mothers and aunts, and the habit has been maintained in these prides for as long as observers have recorded it.

Which Prides Climb?

The tree-climbing behaviour is specific to certain prides in the Ishasha sector and is not universal among Queen Elizabeth National Park’s lions. Game drives in the Ishasha sector specifically target the fig and acacia trees along the Ntungwe River and the main Ishasha plains tracks, where habituated prides are regularly found. Morning game drives, when lions have been hunting overnight and are resting through the heat of the day, produce the most reliable sightings. The prides are well-studied, named, and tracked by Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and researchers.

Getting to Ishasha

The Ishasha sector is in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, approximately 100 kilometres from the Kasenyi area via the park’s main route or accessible directly from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Most gorilla trekking itineraries routing through Queen Elizabeth include an Ishasha night, making the combination of gorilla trekking and tree-climbing lion sightings one of Uganda’s most popular wildlife itineraries.

Conservation Context

The Ishasha lion population is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park’s broader lion conservation story. Retaliatory killing by cattle herders at the park boundary and disease from contact with domestic dogs present ongoing threats. Uganda Wildlife Authority conducts regular lion monitoring and collaborates with communities on livestock protection measures.

Tree Climbing: Ecological Reasons

The ecological advantage of tree-climbing in Ishasha’s lions has been studied but remains incompletely understood. Buffering against ground-level heat — temperatures can exceed 35°C on the Ishasha plains — is the most widely accepted primary function. Escape from biting flies (including tsetse and other diptera) that concentrate near the ground is a second likely function, as the same acacia trees are used by other large mammals for shade for similar reasons. Improved vantage over the vast plains for spotting prey and rival prides may also play a role. The behaviour has been socially transmitted within the prides for long enough that it is now culturally established — cubs mimic their mothers beginning from a very young age.