Game drive safari in Queen Elizabeth national park; Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda located in western region in Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi and Kamwenge districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the savannah national parks in Uganda that offer the adventurous game drive safaris where travelers will get an opportunity to explore the savannah plains in a comfortable pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide. There are two categories of game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park for example the guided game drives where visitors will be guided by professional driver guides from tour companies/ Uganda wildlife Authority park guides during the game drives or self-game drives where you will be able to explore the park by yourself.
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can either be done very early in the morning when the animals are still active, in the afternoon or in the evening when animals are heading back to their resting areas. During the game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park, you will follow different game tracks in Kasenyi plains which harbors the highest concentration of animals, Mweya peninsula game track, Kazinga channel game track, crater drive and Ishasha sector. During the game drives, you will be able to enjoy stunning views of the sunrise and sunset, view different animals including the buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector, leopards, hyenas, bushbucks, giant forest hogs, topi, warthogs, view some bird species among others.
Queen Elizabeth national park also offers night game drives where visitors will be able to explore the park at night with the company of Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides and spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals which become active at night. Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park is only done in Mweya peninsula as Kasenyi sector receives many tourists during the day hence the animals are left to rest at night as a way to minimize stress on them. During the night game drive which starts at around 6:30pm, visitors will be able to view nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, hyenas, genet, serval cats, civet, bush babies, banded mongoose, hippos which will be feeding, enjoy beautiful views of the stars among others.
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 period is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this time there is less rainfall in the national park therefore vegetation will be short which helps you to view different animals clearly, access roads and game drive tracks will be dry and passable which makes game drives easy.
Cost of game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park
Day game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park using a private vehicle costs 20 USD per person for foreign non residents, 15 USD per person for foreign residents and 20,000 UGX per person for East African citizens while night game drives costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 20 USD per person for foreign residents and 50,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
Day game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park using Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicle costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 25 USD per person for foreign residents and 30,000 UGX for East African citizens while night game drive costs 40 USD per person for foreign non residents, 35 USD per person for foreign residents and 40,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.
What to carry during the game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
When going on a game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park, you can carry different items like camera and extra batteries, a hat/ sunscreen, a guide book, energy snacks and drinking water, insect repellent, warm sweater, back pack, a pair of binoculars among others.
Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park
Apart from the game drives, Queen Elizabeth national park offers other interesting safari activities that tourists can engage in during the safari including Boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will be able to cruise meters away animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view water birds among others, Lion tracking experience in Kasenyi plains where you will be able to view and learn about lions, guided nature walks in Maramagambo forest, Kyambura gorge, Mweya peninsula, bird watching where you will be able to view variety of bird species, cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the local people, banded mongoose tracking among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara or Mubende Fort Portal and then to the park headquarters which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle.
Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter flights with Aero link Uganda from Entebbe international airport to Kasese or Mweya airstrip and then connect to the park by road.
Game drive is an adventurous activity in Queen Elizabeth national park which can be combined with boat cruise, sport fishing, horseback riding, cycling, bird watching among others in Lake Mburo national park. For more information about game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris.
