Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park; Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda located in western region in Kasese, Rubirizi, Kamwenge and Rukungiri districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is known for harbouring over 95 mammal species including the famous tree climbing in ishasha sector, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, giant forest hogs, warthogs, bushbucks, hippos, Nile crocodiles, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons and over 600 bird species. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of three national parks in Uganda that offers the exciting night game drive and other national parks include Murchison falls national park and Lake Mburo national park.
Night game drive is an adventurous activity in Queen Elizabeth national park where tourists will be able to explore the park at night with armed 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 plains receives many visitors during the day hence night game drive is restricted so that the animals can rest at night as a way to minimize stress. Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park starts at around 6:00pm/ 7:00pm after dinner and during the night game drive, you will have spotlight torches and also be accompanied by an experienced Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guide who will help you to spot different nocturnal animals like leopards, lions, hyenas, bush babies, banded mongoose, serval cats, civet cats, jackals, view hippos feeding and other animals like Uganda kobs, warthogs, buffaloes, elephants among others.
Cost of night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
Night game drive in queen Elizabeth national park 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 when using a private vehicle while when using Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicle, a 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. Only pre-registered vehicles will undertake night game drives and use of UWA guides is mandatory.
Best time to do a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park
Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season also known as the peak season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less rainfall in the park therefore access roads and game drive tracks will be dry and passable which makes night game drives easy compared to the rainy season where the game drive tracks are muddy and slippery hence making game drives difficult.
Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers other interesting activities that tourists can engage in apart from the night game drives including day game drives/ lion tracking experience where you will be able to view animals grazing in the open savannah plains, boat cruise on Kazinga channel, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees, guided nature walks in Maramagambo forest, bird watching where you will be able to view different bird species among others.
Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park has a wide range of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury where you can stay during your safari including Mweya Safari Lodge, Engiri Game Lodge and Campsite, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge, Elephant Plains Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Elephant Hab Lodge, Tembo Safari Lodge, Kyangabi Crater Resort, Enganzi Game Lodge, Aardvark Safari Lodge, Twin Lakes Safari Lodge, Irungu Forest Safari Lodge, Kyambura Gorge Lodge, Kingfisher Lodge, Katara Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Rift Valley Game Lodge, Enshama Game Lodge and Campsite, Forest Hog Safari Camp, Lake Munyanyange Caves Lodge, Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge, Parkview Safari Lodge among others.
How to get to queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala/ Entebbe 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 tourists will book scheduled or charter domestic flights from Entebbe international airport to Kasese/Mweya airstrips and then connect to the park headquarters by road.
Night game drive is an adventurous activity in Queen Elizabeth national park that can be combined with chimpanzee trekking/ habituation in Kibale forest national park. for more information about night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for affordable Uganda safari packages.
