Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park: One of the most frequented protected areas in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is situated in the western part of the country. To safeguard a number of plant and animal species, the national park was gazetted in 1952. As of right now, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to 95 different mammals, 10 different primate species, and 600 different bird species.
With a total area of 1978 square kilometers, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a wide variety of animals that live in the savannah ecosystem. The national park is home to Lake Edward, Lake George, and the Kazinga Channel, which provide water for the park’s flora and fauna.
The best way to see the various sights in Queen Elizabeth National Park is by going on game drives. You may see all the park’s attractions during game drives by using the various game trucks that were made there. The Ishasha area, where tree-climbing lions reside, is one of the several places in Queen Elizabeth National Park where game drives are conducted. Other areas include Mweya and the Kasenyi plains.
The night game drives in this park are not free of charge, but the day game drives are, only because it’s necessary to use UWA ranger guides. Tourists will only be charged the parking entrance fee, which is valid for 24 hours, and they will be permitted to drive through any of the zones.
The game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Day game drive safaris
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drives take place during the morning and evening hours. Although these game drives can be guided if one so chooses, the majority of the time it is the safari drives that carry visitors across various areas of the park where animals do congregate.
Game viewing in this park can be carried out in the Kasenyi plains or in the Ishasha region, where tree-climbing lions live. The large number of wild animals that can always be seen grazing or resting are concentrated in these wilderness regions. You will get to see a variety of park wildlife, birds, plants, and bodies of water while on the game drives.
During day game drive safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park, visitors may observe a variety of species, including buffaloes, lions, hippos, leopards, spotted hyenas, warthogs, sitatungas, Uganda kobs, defassa waterbucks, elephants, side-striped jackals, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and many more.
Night game drives
To observe nocturnal species, night game drives in this park take place during the dark hours of the night. Unlike day game drive safaris, which are free, night game drives are accompanied by armed ranger guides who are responsible for safeguarding tourists from potentially harmful wild animals and do cost more.
The only location for night game drives in the park is Mweya, a stretch of land situated between Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward. Tourists can see animals like leopards, civets, lions, side-striped jackals, hippos, and many others as the activity is conducted with a powerful spotlight.
The best time for game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is open for this activity year-round, although some times are superior to others. Despite the park never being dry, there is a dry season when it is at its finest. The dry season occurs between June and September, as well as between December and February, when there is minimal or no precipitation. The routes leading to the park are accessible, the game tracks are dry, and the vegetation is sparse with excellent views of the animals.
The rainy season, which lasts from March to May and October to November, is a fantastic time for travelers, particularly those who appreciate bargains, to go on game viewing in this park. Since there are fewer tourists inside the park during the low season, lodging options are available at lower prices. The game vehicles are covered with mud, the rain is torrential, and the flora is tall, making it difficult to see the park’s wildlife.
There are many sights in the park outside of game-viewing safaris. On the Kazinga Channel, there are boat cruises, bird watching, nature walks, neighborhood tours, and a variety of other activities. Tourists may always pair any of these with the game drive events to enjoy a wonderful time in the park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park game drive safaris
The park is accessible by air or road in a single day for game drive excursions. Airline businesses like Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda fly between Kajjansi airstrip, Entebbe International Airport, Mweya airstrip, and Kasese airstrip via air transport. The simplest method to get to the park is via these flights, which last an hour and fifteen minutes.
This park may be reached by vehicle transport from Kampala via two routes, which may take seven to eight hours to drive, depending on the condition of the roads and the number of stopovers. Tourists traveling from Kampala/Entebbe may enter the park via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Kasese. Tourists may also reach the park from Kampala by traveling through Mubende, Kyenjojo, and Fort Portal to Kasese.
Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth National Park for a game drive safari
Queen Elizabeth National Park offers a variety of lodging options for visitors to stay for one or two nights. The price range of these accommodations varies from low to mid-range to high-end, and the lodging depends on the amount of money available.
The lodges include, among others, the Mweya Safari Lodge, Jacana Safari Lodge, Elephant Hub Lodge, Hippos Safari Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Bush Lodge, Volcanoes Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, Enganzi Game Lodge, Mweya Hostel, and Kazinga Channel View Resort.