Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park : Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda located in western region in Kamwenge, Kasese, Rubirizi and Rukungiri districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is a home of different wildlife species including the big four mammals which include buffaloes, elephants, lions, leopards, other animals like waterbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, topi, bush bucks, hippos, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons and over 600 bird species.

Game drive/ wildlife viewing is one of the top attractions in Queen Elizabeth national park where tourists will be able to explore the park in a comfortable 4 WD pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park are commonly done in Kasenyi plains, mweya peninsula or ishasha sector and they can either be done very early in the morning when animals are more active or in the afternoon. During the game drives, you will be able to view animals like elephants, waterbucks, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, lions, leopards, bush bucks, warthogs, giant forest hogs, hyenas among others.

Queen Elizabeth national park also offers night game drives 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. During the night game drive which starts at around 6:00 0r 7:00pm, you will be able to view nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, serval cats, civet, hyenas, jackals, genets, hyenas, bush babies, hippos among others.

Best time to do game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less or little rainfall in the park therefore access roads and game drive tracks will be dry and passable.

Cost of game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park

Day game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park is not charged however tourists will be required to pay park entrance fees which costs 40 USD per person for foreign non residents, 30 USD per person for foreign residents and 20,000 UGX per person for East African citizens.

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 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) vehicle. Only pre-registered vehicles will undertake night game drives and use of UWA guides is mandatory for night game drives.

Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park

Apart from game drives, Queen Elizabeth national park offers other activities that tourists can engage in during the safari including boat cruise on Kazinga channel where you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles on water, guided nature walk where you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species, bird watching where you will be able to view variety of bird species, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend one hour with the chimpanzees 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 Elephant Plains Lodge, Aardvark Safari Lodge, Buffalo Safari Lodge, Twin Lakes Safari Lodge, Topi Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth Bush Lodge, Irungu Forest Lodge, Lake Munyanyange Cave Resort, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Marafiki Safari Lodge, Pumba Safari Cottages, Elephant Hab Lodge, Mweya Safari Lodge, Kasenyi Safari Camp, Enganzi Lodge, Ishasha Wilderness Camp, Park View Safari Lodge, Simba Safari Camp, King Fisher Lodge, Lake Chibwera Camp, Katara Lodge, Ishasha Jungle Lodge, Ihamba Safari Lodge, Ishasha Ntungwe River Camp, Kitandara Hippo Hill Lodge among others.

How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is located in located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via masaka, Mbarara or Mubende Fort Portal and then to the park headquarters which takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle.

Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe international airport to Mweya or Kasese airstrips and then connect to the park headquarters by road.

You can as well access Queen Elizabeth national park from Murchison falls national park which takes about 7 hours’ drive, Bwindi impenetrable national park which takes about 5 hours’ drive and Kibale forest national park which takes about 3 hours’ drive.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park can be combined with activities in Murchison falls national park such as sport fishing, game drives, top of the falls drive, Nile delta boat cruise or boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest among others. For more information about game drives in Queen Elizabeth national park, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.