Ishasha National Park

The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

Technically this place is called the “Ishasha Sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park”, but I think it’s a lot easier and clearer to just call it Ishasha NP. So I’m going with that…

On the way to the Ishasha entrance – hours and hours of this wilderness

This remote park lies on the very Western border of Uganda, butting up against – yes, you guessed it – the mighty DRC. I put in a huge day to get all the way there, with monster thunderstorms on the horizon for the entire journey.

As soon as I get close to the park entrance I know I’m on a good thing. I actually hear elephants trumpeting while chatting to the guy at the entrance gate! Way back in Gabon, Rep. Congo and the DRC I was shocked by the landscape – rather than the insanely dense jungle I had always expected, much of the landscape was green rolling hills with beautiful grasslands.
Here, again, I find the same thing and I’m extremely happy about it.

Within five minutes I spotted a huge herd of elephants roaming

Rolling hills and wildlife

The scenery is simply stunning, and for around $90USD I decide the afternoon and morning in the park are well worthwhile, with a spot of camping in the middle.

Stunning trees and DRC mountains

These kind of tracks stretch endlessly into the distance

Muddy roads and stunning scenery are a feature in Ishasha

This park is famous for lions that climb trees – one of the only places in the world where this is found. I keep my eyes peeled and search high and low all over the park, though I never do spot a single lion. The torrential rains keep the temperature down, and I’m told they move into the trees when the temperature skyrockets in the early months of the year.

This massive guy was all alone, and I waited ten minutes for him to get off the road – he’s WAY bigger than the Jeep, so he has right of way

Gravel and muddy roads beg to be explored

The landscape is breathtaking

The massive thunderstorms swirl around all afternoon and camping at night is a rainy affair. In the morning I’m moving before sunrise, exploring far and wide all over the park.

Dirt roads lead to massive thunderstorms

These guys are everywhere

Camping in Ishasha, right on the hippo-filled river

As you can see the landscape is breathtaking, and I especially like the trees which have a special quality. At about lunch time the skies open with an enormous torrential downpour, and I take that as a signal to leave the park and move onto new adventures!

Herds of hundreds of buffalo roam in the grasslands

Curious big guy

-Dan