Gallery: Fathala Lion Walk
Exhilarating and terrifying, the Fathala Lion Walk is one of our most popular tours.
Majestic, powerful, and endlessly fascinating, most of us dream of a close (but safe) encounter with lions, or a cuddle with a cub. This once-in-a-lifetime adventure awaits you in Senegal. Just be aware that the concept of a cuddle with a cub might be a bit of a stretch with those innocent yet dangerous claws.
Learn more about our private guided tours from Dakar to Fathala.
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SHIMA Lion Walk Photos
Shindy’s Lion Walk Adventure
My Lion Walk adventure was brief, thrilling and terrifying. The lions respect their trainers, are well fed and cared for, so not really interested in me as a meal (per se). BUT seeing them walk towards me with no protective barrier made my heart stop. Their wildness is palpable. They have their own personalities and their own will.
As I walked behind them, the lion and lioness decided to engage in a domestic spat, snarling at each other. After their little quarrel, he stopped walking and she stalked off. What was I to do? I froze in fear as the trainers came to the rescue, encouraging him to continue the walk.
Fathala Lion Walk Videos with SHIMA Travel Tours
The Babies: Sweet, cute and wild!
The baby lion cubs are just as cute as you would imagine in real life – except very focused on their milk, no interest in me and innocently sporting some VERY SHARP dagger-like claws. These are the youngest cubs of the lion couple I had met earlier.
Again, no interest in me. Mamadou – a trainer with over a decade of experience at Fathala – came with their dinner and they smelled it – four fresh donkey hind legs 😅. They knew that Mamadou meant food and that I meant nothing.