Ishasha and its untold attractions

Hippos sunbathe near River Ishasha. It’s not common to find the animals basking in the sun. Photo by Matthias Mugisha

What you need to know:

  • If a lion chases you in Ishasha do not risk by climbing a tree!
  • Lions in Ishasha climb trees and make one of the unique features of the lower section of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

The lions own the trees, hippopotamuses (hippos) sun bathe, Topis run marathons and the night skies have more stars than darkness. And all that happens in Ishasha. Ishasha is the southern section of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Officially Ishasha is famous for its tree climbing lions. There are only two families of lions that climb trees in the world; the Ishasha ones and those in Manyara National Park in Southern Tanzania. But it is only in Ishasha where lions, lazily resting in trees can be easily seen. If you are being chased by a lion in Ishasha, think out of the box but do not climb a tree.
However, the story of lions in trees is not what makes Ishasha unique. Have you ever heard of sunbathing hippos? That is the less talked about attraction in Ishasha.

The banks of the snaking River Ishasha, which is also the boundary between Uganda and the DR Congo, is home to “sunbathing” hippos. It is a rare sight given the behaviour of hippopotamuses.
Hippopotamus are found in Africa and are considered the third largest land mammal (after the white rhinoceros and elephant).
Hippos are considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. A group of hippos is known as a ‘herd’, ‘pod’, ‘dale’ or ‘bloat’.
In Uganda, they are found in several protected areas such as Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls, Semliki and Lake Mburo National Parks. In all these parks, the hippos are mostly seen while in water though isolated incidents of a few hippos outside water can be sighted.
Hippos spend most of the day in water such as rivers, lakes and swamps to keep cool. They eat grass at night when it is cool. They also give birth in water.

Sunbathing hippos
Despite the hippos dislike for the sun and its accompanying heat, the hippos of Ishasha love the sun. Big pods can be occasionally sighted sunbathing on the banks of Ishasha in the afternoon. If nobody has put it on the list of wonders of Ishasha, the Saturday Monitor is doing it along now with the big herds of topis that roam the grasslands of Ishasha.
In Uganda, topis are found in Lake Mburo National Park. The Topis in Ishasha are unique. They are many.

Topis (Damaliscus lunatus topi) are a highly social and fast antelope subspecies of the genus Damaliscus found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of Africa.
Topis resemble hartebeest but have a darker coloration with less sharply angled horns and with elongated heads. Both males and the females cooperate in defending their territory against strange topis of either sex.
In some cases female topis form large herds and move across the territories of many different males-mating. Topis are fast runners and can reach 70km per hour. There is no better place to see them running in large numbers than in Ishasha. We add topis on the list of unique attractions in Ishasha.

Apart from lions, hippos and topis, there is plenty to see in Ishasha. There are other animals such as elephants, Uganda kob, worthogs, buffalos and many more. For bird lovers, remember that Queen Elizabeth National Park is said to have the largest checklist of any protected area in East Africa with more than 600 species recorded. The elusive but popular shoebill can also be sighted in Ishasha.
It’s not the end of sightseeing even when the sun goes down. Around a campfire at night, look skyward. You will be amazed by the million stars. If you are a night photographer, what an opportunity. That is, if it’s not cloudy.

A sea of attractions

Apart from lions, hippos and topis, there is plenty to see in Ishasha. There are other animals such as elephants, Uganda kob, worthogs, buffalos and many more. For bird lovers, Queen Elizabeth National Park is said to have the largest checklist of any protected area in East Africa with more than 600 species recorded. The elusive but popular shoebill can also be sighted in Ishasha.