Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth Park
Game Drives of Queen Elizabeth Park: The majority of tourists who want to go on a wildlife safari in Uganda want their tour operators to include game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park. One of the most common queries is whether or not the game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park are financially worthwhile.
Given all that Queen Elizabeth National Park has to offer visitors, the answer is definitely yes. There are 600 bird species, 10 primates, and 95 mammals in the national park, the majority of which can be spotted during game drive activities in various park locations. Game drives at Queen Elizabeth National Park are a great way to add something special to your safari schedule.
Travelers should be aware that they have spent their money on an experience that will last long after they return home. The park was gazetted as Kazinga National Park in 1952, but since the Queen of England’s visit, it has become fairly famous to the outside world and is now one of the most visited national parks in the country.
The Ishasha area in the south of Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to the renowned tree-climbing lions. The national park is particularly popular for its 600 bird species, which have made it one of the best places to go birdwatching; the chimpanzees who live in Kyambura Gorge (95 animals); and the Kazinga Channel, which links two sizable bodies of water, Lake George and Lake Edward.
Many wildlife species can be spotted at Queen Elizabeth National Park during game drive activities, which provide visitors with unforgettable experiences and make the cost worthwhile. Within Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drive activities are offered in three different sessions: morning, evening, and night.
As long as you pay the park entrance fee that grants you access to the park, both the morning and evening game drives are free. For safety considerations, the day game drives can only be paid for if armed ranger guides are hired to accompany the participants. The money spent on game drives is worthwhile since it supports local communities, employees, and the conservation of species and their habitat.
The Queen Elizabeth National Park entrance fee is UGX20,000 for East African citizens, $40 for foreign non-residents, and $30 for foreign residents. A UWA ranger guide must be hired for the night game drives, which are paid for. Foreign residents pay $20, foreign non-residents pay $30, and East African citizens pay UGX50,000 for the night game drives.
Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth Park
Day game drives
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, day game drives are conducted in the morning and evening. The game drives begin at your lodge, where you are picked up by your safari driver and taken to several game-watching locations within the park. The Mweya Peninsula, Ishasha Sector, and Kasenyi Plains are the locations of the day game drives. Those who go on game drives in the Ishasha area have the chance to observe the rare tree-climbing lions, which are only found here.
Buffaloes, elephants, lions, aardvarks, bushbucks, sitatungas, giant forest hogs, topis, defassa waterbucks, Nile crocodiles, hippos, Uganda kobs, side-striped jackals, and spotted hyenas are just a few of the animals that visitors can see during Queen Elizabeth National Park’s day game drive activities.
Night game drives
Since the park is home to a variety of nocturnal creatures, those who enjoy them can take night game drives. With the aid of powerful spotlights, visitors can see several nocturnal animals during the night game drives, making the experience worthwhile.
Only the Mweya Peninsula, which is located on the park’s western edge, is used for nighttime game drives. Because the day lion tracking activity strains lions, the activity is not conducted in the Ishasha sector. To see wild animals like lions, leopards, warthogs, bushbabies, civet genets, serval cats, and bushpigs, among others, during the night game drives, a UWA ranger guide and a spotlight are essential.
Best time for game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Although Queen Elizabeth National Park offers game drive activities all year round, some months of the year offer the best wildlife experiences. The best time of year for game drives is during the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February. This is because there is little to no rainfall during these months, which keeps the game tracks dry; the vegetation is sparse and short, making it easy to see the wildlife; and the roads leading to the park are always passable and in good condition.
Although there is a lot of rainfall during the rainy seasons of March to May and October to November, visitors can still go on game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park during these times. It benefits low-cost tourists by providing them with discounted lodging options. There is a lot of rainfall during the rainy season, which makes the game tracks muddy and slick. The roads going to the park are also in bad shape, and the tall vegetation makes it difficult to see the wildlife.
Accessing the park
By road: Travelers can reach the park in 7-8 hours from Kampala by way of Masaka, Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Rubirizi, or from Kampala by way of Mubende, Fort Portal, and Kasese. Great views of the various attractions along the route and at the stops are abundant on these tours.
By air: chartered flights are the best option if you want to travel to Queen Elizabeth National Park quickly, as they take one hour and fifteen minutes. Flights to Queen Elizabeth National Park are operated by Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation Uganda from Kajjansi Airport and Entebbe International Airport to Mweya Airport and Kasese Airport.
