Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park: Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most visited protected areas and the only place to track tree- climbing lions in Uganda. It is located on the western side of the country. The national park was gazetted in 1952 to protect several wildlife species and vegetation. Queen Elizabeth national park as of today has 95 mammals, 10 primate species, and 600 bird species.

Queen Elizabeth national park covers a total area of 1978sq.km and it’s full of savannah vegetation which is home to so many wildlife species. The national park is a place to find Kazinga channel, lake Edward, and Lake George which are a source of water for animals and birds within the park.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are the best way to see different attractions within the park. All the attractions in Queen Elizabeth park can be seen during game drives by using different game trucks which were constructed in the park. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are carried out in different regions among which include Mweya, Kasenyi plains, and Ishasha sector home to tree-climbing lions.

The day game drives are free of charge within this park but the night game drives are not simply because it’s a must to involve UWA ranger guides. Tourists will only be asked to park entrance fee which lasts for 24 hours and they will be allowed to access any of the areas for game drives.

The game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Day game drives

The game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are done in the morning and evening hours. These game drives can be guided if one wishes to but, in most cases, it’s the safari drives that take tourists through different regions of the park where animals do concentrate

The game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be carried or in the Kasenyi plains or Ishasha sector home to tree-climbing lions. These wild areas have a huge concentration of wild animals which are always seen grazing or resting. During the game drives, you will see different park animals, birds, vegetation, and water bodies.

Day game drives in Queen eluizabet6h national park give tourists an opportunity to see animals such as buffaloes, lions, hippos, leopards, spotted hyenas, warthogs, sitatungas, Uganda kobs, defassa waterbucks, elephants, side-stripped jackal, vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and much more.

Night game drives

Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are done in the dark hours of the night to see nocturnal animals. The night game drives are guided by armed ranger guides whose role is to protect tourists from dangerous wild animals and they do come at an extra fee, unlike day game drives which are free.

The night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are done in only Mweya a piece of land between Kazinga channel and lake Edward. The activity is done with a strong spotlight and tourists are able to see animals such as leopards, civets, lions, side-stripped jackals, hippos, and much more.

Best time for game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth park can be done at any time of the year however there are periods that are better than the rest. The park has never been dry but it has a dry season which is the best time to visit the park. The dry season happens from June to September and December to February when there is little or no rainfall. The game tracks are dry, the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the animals and the roads leading to the park are passable.

Travelers especially those who love discounted things can visit Queen Elizabeth park for game drive activities in the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. The low season comes with discounted accommodation facilities because there are few tourists within the park. There is heavy rainfall, game trucks are muddy and the vegetation is tall with unclear views of the park animals.

Apart from game drive activities, Queen Elizabeth park, has a lot to offer because it has got a lot of attractions. There are boat cruises on Kazinga channel, birding watching activities, nature walks, community visits, and much more. Tourists can always combine the game drive activities with any of these to have a great experience within the park.

Accessing Queen Elizabeth park for game drives

Queen Elizabeth national park can be accessed for game drive activities using road transport or air transport in a single day. By air transport, airline companies such as bar aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda have flights from Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe international airport to Mweya airstrip and Kasese airstrip. These flights take 1 hour and 15 minutes making it the easiest means of transport to access the park.

By road transport, Queen Elizabeth park can be accessed from Kampala using two routes which take 7-8 hours driving depending on the nature of the roads and the number of stopovers. From Kampala/Entebbe tourists can go through Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, to Kasese to the park. From Kampala, tourists can also go through Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, to Kasese and access the park.

Where to stay on a game drive safari in Queen Elizabeth national park

There are so many accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth park where tourists can spend a night or two. These accommodations range from budget to mid-range to luxury options and where one stays depends on how much they have. Some of the lodges include 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 among others.