Where to do night game drives in Uganda; Night game drive is an exceptional activity where visitors get an opportunity to explore the savannah national parks in Uganda at night with an armed park ranger and spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals which become active at night. Uganda is blessed with 10 national parks and night game drives is done in three savannah national parks namely Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park.
Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest and one of the savannah national parks in Uganda that offers the interesting night game drive. Queen Elizabeth national park is a home of 95 mammal species including the tree climbing lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, topi, warthogs, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys and over 600 bird species.
Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park is only done in Mweya peninsula since Kasenyi plains is highly visited by many travelers during the day. During the night game drive experience, you will be accompanied by an armed ranger guide who will help you to spot different nocturnal animals like lions, hyenas, leopards which will be looking for a night hunt, view bush babies, banded mongoose, serval cats, civet, genal, view hippos feeding, enjoy the beautiful stars among others.
Night game drive in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is the largest protected area in Uganda located in northwestern part of Uganda. Murchison falls national park is one of the most visited national park that harbors abundant wildlife species including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, Uganda kobs, oribi, warthogs, waterbucks, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys and over 450 recorded bird species.
During the night game drive in Murchison falls national park which is mostly done in the northern section, you will be companied by an experienced ranger guide with spotlight torches for clear viewing of different wildlife species. The night game drive in Murchison falls national park will give you an opportunity to view nocturnal animals like leopards, lions, porcupines, civet, hyenas, bush babies, genets, nightjar, hippos feeding, enjoy views of the stunning moonlight, view other animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, resting among others.
Night game drive in Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park is one of the smallest national parks in Uganda located along Masaka-Mbarara highway in Kiruhuhra district. Lake Mburo national park is a home of different wildlife species including buffaloes, impalas, zebras, giraffes, topi, elands, bushbucks, waterbucks, leopards, jackals, hyenas and over 300 bird species.
Night game drive in Lake Mburo national park starts in the evening at around 6:00 pm after dinner and you will be accompanied by an experienced ranger guide with spotlight torches for clear viewing on nocturnal animals like leopards, side-stripped jackal, porcupines, honey badger, hyenas, bush pigs, black galago, white-tailed mongoose, Aardvark among others.
Cost of night game drives in Uganda
Night game drive in Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 25 USD per person for foreign residents and 50,000 UGX per person for East African citizens when using private vehicles and 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 when using Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) vehicles. When using private vehicles only pre-registered vehicles will undertake night game drives and use of UWA guides is mandatory.
Best time to go for night game drive safari in Uganda
Night game drives in Uganda can be done all year round 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 or little rainfall in the national parks therefore vegetation will be thin which gives you an opportunity to view nocturnal animals clears, access roads and game drive tracks will be dry and passable.
How to get to savannah national parks in Uganda
Night game drive in Uganda is done in Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park and the national parks can either be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala to Murchison falls national park which takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive, Lake Mburo national park which takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive or Queen Elizabeth national park which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.
Night game drive destinations in Uganda can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport to Pakuba airstrip in Murchison falls national park, Mbarara airstrip in Lake Mburo national park or Mweya peninsula in Queen Elizabeth national park.
What to carry on a night game drive safari in Uganda
There are a number of essentials that visitors should carry when going on a night game drive adventure including warm clothes to keep you warm, dull colored clothes, insect repellent to protect your skin from biting insects like mosquitos, spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals, camera and extra batteries to take photos and record videos of the nocturnal animals.
Night game drive is a thrilling and exceptional activity in Uganda that can be combined with other activities like gorilla trekking, boat cruise, lion tracking experience, bird watching among others for breathtaking and unforgettable experiences.
