Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park; Game drive is one of the major activities in Queen Elizabeth national park which gives tourists an opportunity to explore the park in a comfortable pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide who will help you to spot different wildlife species. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in western part of Uganda located in four districts namely Rubirizi, Rukungiri, Kamwenge and Kasese. The national park covers a total land area of 1,978 square kilometers which is comprised of savannah grassland, forest, wetland and lakes which act as habitat for different wildlife species including elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, lions, leopards, topi, hyenas and over 600 bird species.

They can either be done very early in the morning when the animals are still active or in the evening when the animals are heading back to their resting places. Game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park are best done in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsula and Ishasha sector in the southern part of the park. During the game drives you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, bushbucks, hippos, tree climbing lions, leopards, hyenas and variety of bird species.

Queen Elizabeth national park also offers night game drives where tourists will be able to explore the park at night with spotlight torches in order to view nocturnal animals which become active at night. Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are only done in Mweya peninsula because the Kasenyi plains are usually flocked with frequent visitors during the day therefore night game drives are prohibited as a way to minimize stress on the animals. During the night game drive, you will be able to view animals like lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals, serval cats, view hippos feeding and other animals resting.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can either be done using 4 WD tour company vehicles or Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) vehicles with pop up roofs so as to view different animals clearly and take beautiful pictures.

Best time to do game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season there is less rainfall in the national park therefore access roads to the national park and game drive tracks will be passable compared to the wet season when the tracks are muddy. During the dry season vegetation will be thin which helps you to view different animals clearly and take beautiful pictures.

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala or Entebbe through Masaka-Mbarara road or Mubende-Fort Portal road which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.

Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aerolink Uganda limited from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mweya or Kasese airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road.

Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth national park during your safari.

Queen Elizabeth national park has a number of accommodation facilities where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange and budget including Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Pumba Safari Cottages, Elephant hab lodge, Parkview Safari lodge, Enganzi Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, Simba Safari Camp, Queen Elizabeth Bush lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Kingfisher Lodge Kichwamba, Kyambura Tented Camp, Katara Lodge, Ishasha Tented Camp, Kitandara Hippo Hill Lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Ishasha Ntungwe River Camp, Engiri Safari Lodge among others.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be combined with other activities like chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge where you will be able spend time with the chimpanzees, boat cruise on Kazinga channel, hiking/ guided nature walk in Maramagambo forest, bird watching, lion tracking experience, cultural encounters among others.

For more information about game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park, kindly contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various Uganda safari packages.