Leopard filming in Queen Elizabeth national park
Leopard filming in Queen Elizabeth national park: Leopards filing in Uganda can be done in several national parks among which include Queen Elizabeth national park. Queen Elizabeth national park is found in the western part of Uganda in Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. Queen Elizabeth national park harbors a variety of wildlife which include 95 mammals, 10 primates, and 612 bird species.
Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the best national parks in Uganda to film leopards. Filming the leopards of Queen Elizabeth park is done in Kasenyi plains which is found on the northern side of the park. A high population of leopards in Queen Elizabeth national park is said to be living in the Kasenyi plains/sector. Filming leopards in Queen Elizabeth national park is also possible but not as interesting as in the Kasenyi plains.
Leopards are the smallest of the big 5 mammal species and they were called big mammals because they are difficult in hunting and are considered to be dangerous. Leopards are some of the most dangerous animals in the world especially when they are protecting their food, cubs, and territory.
Leopards are nocturnal animals that carry out most of their hunting during the night hours. They have very dull eyes which see brighter during the night hours. In the morning leopards tend to go back to their hideout places so they are seen hiding in the trees making early hours the best time for filming.
The leopards filming experience in Queen Elizabeth national park
The activity starts early in the morning in the Kasenyi plains for the high chances of meeting the leopards before going to their hideout places. The leopard filing activity is led by armed ranger guides who track leopards that have radio callers attached to their necks. Finding a group of leopards is always a must because GPS is used to locate where the leopards could be.
Once a group of leopards is found, the filming crew gets their equipment ready and starts recording videos of leopards which are always doing their day to day activities. During the filming exercise, tourists get an opportunity to learn about the leopard habits and see them do daily activities among others. Leopards are very shy cats but they are dangerous when disturbed therefore you need to follow the rules and regulations of the activity as taught by the armed ranger guides.
What is required for leopards filming in Queen Elizabeth national park?
Tourists that are out there intending to visit Queen Elizabeth national park for leopard filming are required to have a filming permit issued by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and press media cards which are from the Uganda Media Council.
Best time for leopard filming in Queen Elizabeth national park
Are you wondering about what could be the best time for leopard filming, to have the best filming videos of leopards in Queen Elizabeth national park you need to look at when the best time to visit the park is. The best periods for leopard filming is the dry season and which is from June to September and December to February and the best time of the day is the morning hours when the leopards haven’t gone back to their hideout places. During the dry seasons, leopard filming is good because the park has little or no rainfall, game tracks are dry and the vegetation is short with good views of the cats.
Leopard filming can still be done in Queen Elizabeth national park during the rainy season from March to May and October to November when the vegetation is so green to give out the best nature videos. The rainy season is not that good because it has a lot of rainfall, the game tracks are muddy and slippery limiting access to some areas and the vegetation is tall and thin with good views of leopards.
Accessing Queen Elizabeth national park for leopard filming safari
Accessing Queen Elizabeth national park by road transport: The national park is a 7-8 hours drive from Kampala/Entebbe via Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Rubirizi to the south of the park. There is also a route from Kampala via Mubende, Fort Portal, and Kasese to the northern side of the park
Accessing Queen Elizabeth national park by air transport, tourists can access Queen Elizabeth national park for leopard filming in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Different airline companies like Bar aviation Uganda and Aerolink Uganda do organize chattered flights to Queen Elizabeth national park for luxury travelers and those that hate traveling for long distances. Flights are from Kajjansi airstrip and Entebbe international airport to Mweya airstrip or Entebbe international airport.
Accommodation on a leopard filming safari in Queen Elizabeth national park
Leopard filming is mostly done in the Kasenyi plains of the northern part of Queen Elizabeth national park which means that tourists that are coming for the activity should look at booking lodges that are near Kasenyi plains. These lodges are of budget, mid-range, and luxury options e.g. Mweya safari lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Park View Tourists lodge, and Engiri Game Lodge among others.
