Game drive safari in Uganda.
One of the most well-liked activities in Uganda is game drive safari, which gives visitors the chance to explore the country’s savannah national parks in a cozy 4WD pop-up safari vehicle with a knowledgeable driving guide who is familiar with the many wildlife trails.
Game drives are conducted in four savannah national parks—Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Queen Elizabeth National Park—among Uganda’s ten national parks, which are home to a variety of wildlife species, including mammals, primates, and birds.
In Uganda, game drives may take place at night to see nocturnal species, which are most active at night, or very early in the morning, about 6:30 am, when the animals are at their most active. In the evening, the animals return to their resting places.
Ugandan locations for game drives
Murchison Falls National Park game drive
The biggest and most popular wildlife drive location in Uganda is Murchison Falls. With about 450 bird species and around 76 animal species, the national park is the oldest in Uganda, having been gazetted in 1952. In Murchison Falls National Park, game drives can be conducted in the morning or the afternoon with a professional driver guide.
You will follow various game tracks, such as the Buligi game track, Queens track, Pakuba track, Victoria track, Tebito track, Albert track, and Chobe track, among others, where you can see animals like buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos, giraffes, and other animals that are feeding in the open savannah plains. You can also see predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas, as well as various bird species.
With the help of knowledgeable park rangers and spotlight torches, visitors can explore Murchison Falls National Park at night and get a close-up look at nocturnal creatures like hyenas, leopards, civets, lions, genet, porcupines, bush babies, nightjars, hippos feeding, and more.
Lake Mburo National Park game drive
The smallest savannah national park, Lake Mburo, is situated in the Kiruhura area in western Uganda. The zebra track, the lakeside track, the Kazuma track, the Kigambira loop trail track, and other game tracks allow you to see a variety of animals, including zebras, buffaloes, waterbucks, impalas, elands, bush bucks, warthogs, giraffes, leopards, topi, bush pigs, hippos, duikers, and reedbucks. Game drives in Lake Mburo National Park can be conducted in the morning or the afternoon.
One location that allows tourists to explore the park at night using spotlight torches is Lake Mburo National Park, which also offers night wildlife drives. You may see nocturnal creatures including leopards, spotted hyenas, genet, bush pigs, white-tailed mongoose, side-stripped jackals, porcupines, honey badgers, Aardvarks, and black Galago seeing hippos during the night wildlife drive at Lake Mburo National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park game drive
After Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second-largest national park. The national park is situated in the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri in western Uganda. One of the greatest places to see wildlife is Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is home to over 600 bird species and 95 animal species.
In Queen Elizabeth National Park, game drives may take place in the evening in a cozy Uganda safari vehicle accompanied by a qualified driving guide, or very early in the morning at 6:30 am.
In addition to seeing animals like buffaloes, elephants, leopards, the well-known tree-climbing lions in Ishasha sector, Uganda kobs, warthogs, topi, giant forest hogs, spotted hyenas, hippos, and bush bucks, you will follow various game tracks in Kasenyi plains, Ishasha sector, Mweya peninsula, Kazinga channel drive circuit, and crater drive circuit during the game drive.
Ugandan game driving safari
Queen Elizabeth National Park
In order to provide visitors with a good view of nocturnal wildlife such as leopards, serval cats, spotted hyenas, lions, civets, banded mongooses, bush babies, and hippos, Queen Elizabeth National Park also provides night game drives, which are limited to the Mweya peninsula and need spot light torches.
Kidepo Valley National Park game drive
The most stunning protected area is Kidepo Valley National Park, which is situated in the Karamoja region of northeastern Uganda and shares borders with South Sudan and Kenya. Given its reputation for supporting a wide variety of animals, Kidepo Valley National Park is among the greatest places to see wildlife.
Early in the morning, mid-afternoon, or late at night, game drives are conducted at Kidepo Valley National Park in two locations: the Narus Valley and the Kidepo Valley. Elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, zebras, giraffes, bush bucks, elands, Jackson’s hartebeest, bohor reedbucks, oribi, warthogs, kudus, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas are just a few of the creatures you may see while on the game drive.
The ideal time of year to go on wildlife drives in Uganda
Although game drives are possible throughout the year in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Kidepo Valley National Park, the best time to visit is during the dry season, which is June, July, August, September, December, January, and February.
This is because there is less rainfall in the national parks during this time, so access roads and game drive tracks are dry and passable, and the vegetation is thin or short, making it easier to see various animals feeding in the open savannah plains.
Many animals congregate around water features during the dry season to cool down and drink, which makes it easier to get fantastic views of various creatures and snap stunning photos.
