Our Activities

Lion Encounter offers Lion Walks, group activities, volunteering and more. And the best bit? It’s all this as part of a larger conservation program to save the African Lion, so not only can you be happy you’ll get a fantastic experience, great memories and some awesome photos – but you’ll be assisting our conservation efforts to help conserve Africa’s lions, and wildlife.

It is important to note that all of Lion Encounter’s activities are operated for the purposes of the Rehabilitation and Release into the Wild program. We operate a 4 stage rehabilitation program in which our lion walking activity is part of stage 1. The purposes of which are to provide our captive born cubs as many opportunity as possible to be in their natural environment.

To book any of these activities please contact us on info@lionencounter.com or visit our Contact Us page. 

Lion Walk

Lion Walking is a once in a lifetime activity. Accompanied by our guides and handlers, you will meet our young cubs in the bush, and watch as they learn, explore, play and generally just act as any lion cubs do! It’s an opportunity to learn about the species as well as get some fantastic photos – and memories!

Our lions are taken into the bush for walks daily with or without guests. It is not for the purposes of a commercial or tourism operation that they are taken for walks, but rather to get the young cubs used to their surroundings, and allow them time to be in their natural environment – crucial for their development throughout the conservation program. It is fortunate that we are able to allow guests to accompany these walks as this raises awareness on the issues of lion conservation, which is essential in any species conservation, in addition to vital funds that are raised as a result. Looking after our lions is not a cheap venture, and developments in the project need significant finances, something we can only achieve thanks to the support of our guests, visitors and supporters.

Our young cubs view the accompanying people as older members of their pride which allows us to walk with them safely and naturally – with no leads or chains. This is as close to a natural experience with young cubs in captivity as you’re going to get!

We walk lion cubs as part of the first stage of our conservation program. This requires the young lions being exposed to their natural environment and are provided with as many opportunities to learn and develop in an environment as close to that of a wild lion as possible. This means that they often come across wildlife and game whilst on their walks, and the walks allow them the opportunities to practice hunting and stalking. Occasionally our cubs will be successful and our program has seen our walking lions kill giraffe, wildebeest, bushbuck, buffalo, baboon and impala, amongst others.

We do not ever guarantee any contact between humans and the lion cubs. These lions are hand raised and born in captivity so are used to people. However, they are trained only to the point that it is safe for them to be with people. We make every effort to keep their upbringing (and therefore their walks) as natural as possible. They are not trained to sit or roll over; these cats are not pets! Fortunately, they are social animals, and very lazy and therefore it is likely there will be a chance for you to get close to the cubs.

To find out more about our lion walks in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, please click here 

Encounters for Prides

If you are visiting Victoria Falls as part of a large group? Or are you an agent hosting an incentive tour? Maybe you’re a teacher bringing a college group? Why not visit lion encounter as part of your activities?  The Encounter’s for Prides package allows large groups to visit our cubs, learn about our project, and by doing do, contribute to the conservation efforts of our project. Our lion walking activity is available to up to 24 guests morning and afternoon, but for larger groups we can offer shorter interactions in the bush with our cubs. We’ll divide the group up into smaller groups who will head out into the bush for short interactions / viewings with the cubs.

To find out more about our Encounter’s for Prides in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, please click here 

Lion Interaction

Lion interaction is an awesome activity designed to give you a brief yet comprehensive opportunity to learn about the lion species as well as get some fantastic photos – and memories! You will be accompanied by our guides and handlers, and you will meet our young cubs in the bush. During the encounter, you will get the opportunity to observe them closely as they learn and explore the bush, see how they play and interact between themselves and generally be lion cubs! You get to have a chat with our knowledgeable guides who will answer any questions you might have about the lions, their habitats and behaviour.

We also do lion interactions with the lion cubs as part of the first stage of our conservation program. This requires the young lions being exposed to their natural environment and provided with as many opportunities to learn and develop to as close to that of a wild lion as possible.

We do not ever guarantee any contact between humans and the lion cubs. These lions are hand raised and born in captivity so are used to people, and are trained only to the point that it is safe for them to interact with people however, we make every effort to keep their upbringing as natural as possible. They are not trained to sit or roll over; these cats are not pets! Fortunately, they are social animals, and very lazy and therefore it is likely there will be a chance for you to get close to the cubs.

To find out more about our Lion Interactions in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, please click here

Packages and Combos

Lion Encounter is based at the heart of adventure tourism in Africa – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe! We are privileged to be surrounded by fantastic history, inspiring cultures, jaw dropping scenery and some incredible activities. So really… what are you waiting for?!

Because we know once you’ve seen the options you’ll have a “to do list” as tall as you are, we’ve made it easier (on your time and your pocket!) for you by listing some of the activities you can package the lion walk. This means by booking the lion walk, with any of these activities listed, we’re able to offer you a cheaper rate than if you booked them individually.

Some of these activities can be done in one day and others will need to be spread across a two or more days, but please don’t hesitate to contact us for help or advice on planning your itinerary.

To find out more about the packages available in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, please click here [iscmd_ytv]