Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a landmark lifetime adventure on a visit to the park and game drive viewing involves driving through the game park to watch and study different wild animals, birdlife, and vegetation.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is famously an outstanding game park perfect for game spotting, bird life, vast community, and beautiful scenery like Kyambura Gorge one of the wide savannah plain valleys. More so, the park harbors about 3000 African elephants,1000 buffaloes,5000 hippos, and over 600 species of birds, warthogs, Mongooses, monkeys, and chimpanzees watched in Kyambura gorge. Other animals to see include kobs, sitatunga, Topis, waterbucks, lion leopards, civets, and carvel cats among others.
The best season for the drive is the dry season which usually happens; from January to February and June to September.
During the rainy season game drive viewing is a trick as the track are slippery hence making game drives very difficult during these months –October to December and March to May.
Lion Tracking
This is slightly different from the normal game drive which is known as the scientific experiential lions tracking because it involves more research than a tourist-designed activity. It is a special life experience that requires a researcher to a border. Note, the research is done by the Uganda carnivore project to track the behavior of the lions that have radio collars and this radio collar helps to track these animals. Lion tracking activity in Queen Elizabeth National park can be conducted in the Ishasha sector where you will be able to track both ground lions and tree-climbing lions. You will enjoy a closer look at the lions while taking a real picture.
Night game drive
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, the night game drive is conducted at Mweya plains a piece of land crossing between Kazinga channel and lake Edward. The night game drive is only done in Mweya not allowed in Kasenyi plains. Well, during the day the Kasenyi plains are flocked with several visitors those visits it for lion tracking whereby you are required to have a permit for Lion tracks. However, the night game drives help to minimize stress on the animals in this area.
The night game drives at Queen Elizabeth national park are best done in self-drive vehicles which can be hired by the tour company. You can choose to hire ‘’UWA’’ Uganda Wildlife Authority tour vehicles are good for the activity. It is advisable to book an armed ranger from the Uganda Wildlife Authority offices. Vehicles must have pop-up roofs to help you see the lions and leopards and others animals.
Besides doing a game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park here are other activities to combine with a game drive;
Boat cruise
This is an impressive activity that is done on the Kazinga Channel which connects both two remarkable Lake George and Lake Edward. During the boat cruise, you will have chances to see the crocodiles along the Kazinga Channel, hippos bathing on the water shores, and spotting of bird species among others. About cruise also allows you to see Katunguru fishing village and if you are lucky you will be able to fishermen.
Nature walk
A nature walk in the park is rewarding and can be done in different stunning places around Mweya peninsular, Maramangambo forest hike through Kyambura gorge where you will be to enjoy the beautiful vegetation in the gorge. You can encounter animals like elephants, warthogs, monkeys, mongooses, lizards, and monitor lizards among others.
Queen Elizabeth national park is a UNESCO World heritage and a great safari destination that boasts a diversity of wildlife safari and countless bird species more than 600 bird species are best seen along the Kazinga Channel and Kyambura gorge. Among the species to see includes; Great blue turaco, Collared pratincole, Caspian plover, Black bee-eater, African skimmer, African hobby, African finfoot, western banded snake eagle,white-backed night heron, spotted redshank, Great white pelican, Grey-winged robin-chat, Red-chested sunbird, Rufous-bellied heron, Shoebill, Pell’s fishing –owl among others.
Chimpanzee trekking
Queen Elizabeth national park is among the few primate places where chimpanzees can be tracked in Kyambura gorge. Chimpanzee tracking starts early in the morning with a short briefing about the rules of chimpanzees. After the briefing, you’re led by a tour guide into forest trails to search for them. Once you allocate them one hour is given to you to observe them in their natural inhabitants.
Best time of the year to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park
The best time to flock into the park starts from June to Mid-September and December and February.
Visitors planning to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park can combine Uganda wildlife safari with Gorilla safaris to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The shortest route to connect you to the quickest road to Bwindi is via the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Get Started Now!
