Game drive safaris in Uganda; Game drive is one of the popular activities in Uganda where visitors get an opportunity to explore the national park in a comfortable safari vehicle with an experienced driver guide. Uganda is a home of 10 national parks and game drives are only done in savannah national parks including Murchison falls national parks, Queen Elizabeth national park, Kidepo valley national park and Lake Mburo national park. Game drives in Uganda can either be done very early in the morning at around 6:00am when animals are most active, in the afternoon or at night where you will explore the national park at night with spot light torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals.
Where to go for game drives in Uganda
Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is largest and one of the savannah national parks located in northwestern part of Uganda. Murchison falls National Park is a home of over 76 animals including the big four mammals which are the elephants, buffaloes, lions and leopards, other animals like Uganda kobs, waterbucks, Jackson’s hartebeests, hippos, Oribi, giraffes, primates like olive baboons, chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys among others. Game drives in Murchison falls national park can either be done very early in the morning, in the afternoon or at night following different game tracks like Buligi track, Victoria rack, Albert track, Queens’ track, honeymoon track among others. During the game drives, you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, elephants, Jackson’s hartebeest, leopards, giraffes, oribi, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, lions, hyenas, bushbucks, hippos, view variety of bird species among others. During the night game drive in Murchison falls national park, you will be able to view nocturnal animals like lions, hyenas, bush babies, night jar, porcupines, civet, genets, view hippos feeding among others.
Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda after Murchison falls national park. The national park is located in western region and it’s a home of over 95 mammals including the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector, buffaloes, leopards, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, hippos, topi, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, olive baboons and over 600 bird species. Queen Elizabeth national park offers both day game drives which start at around 6:30am and night game drives which start at around 6:00pm. During the day game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park you will follow different game tracks in Kasenyi plains, Mweya peninsula and Ishasha sector where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, topi, giant forest hogs, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs, view some bird species. You will also be able to view the sunrise, sunset, take beautiful pictures of the landscape among others. During the night game drive which is only done in Mweya peninsula, you will be able to view nocturnal animals like lions and leopards which become active at night, bush babies, spotted hyenas, civet, genet, serval cats, hippos among others.
Kidepo valley national park
Kidepo valley national park is another savannah national park in Uganda that offers game drive safaris. The national park is located in the north eastern part of Uganda and it’s known for harboring high numbers of wildlife species. game drives in Kidepo valley national park can either be done very early in the morning or in the evening with a professional driver guide following game tracks in the Narus valley and Kidepo valley where you will be able to view different animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, giraffes, zebras, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, hippos, lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, Oribi, Bohor reedbucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, view the sun rise, sunset, variety of bird species among others.
Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park located in western part of Uganda in Kiruhura district. Game drives in Lake Mburo national park can either be done very early in the morning when animals are still active, in the afternoon or at night where you will be able to view nocturnal animals. During the game drive, you will follow game tracks like the zebra track, Kazuma track, Lakeside track and Kigambira loop track where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, impalas, leopards, giraffes, zebras, elands, topi, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, oribi, duiker, bohor reedbuck, enjoy beautiful views of the landscape, sunrise and sunset among others. Lake Mburo national park also offers night game drives which start at around 6:00pm with an armed ranger guide and spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals like bush pigs, honey badger, leopards, side stripped jackal, porcupine, aardvark, Black Galago, hippos, white tailed mongoose among others.
Best time to go for game drive safari in Uganda
Game drive safari in Uganda can be done all year round though the best period is during the dry season which is also known as the peak season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this time there is less rainfall in the savannah national parks therefore game track will be dry and passable and vegetation will be short which help you to have clear views of different animals.
For breathtaking and unforgettable experiences in Uganda, game drives can be combined with other activities like boat cruise, guided nature walk, chimpanzee trekking, golden monkey trekking, gorilla trekking among others. For more information about game drive safari in Uganda, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.
