Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park: Game drives are highlight and one of the top remarkable Uganda Safari activities you should experience on a Uganda Safari. This thrilling safari experience is popularly done in Kasenyi Plains, the area is renowned host for the richest number of wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park in its beautiful landscape.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most frequented national park in Uganda, and is one of the best places to visit for an incredible safari experience that will give you an unforgettable safari experience. The park is located in Kasese, western Uganda.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the few places in Uganda where you will get to see four of the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffaloes and elephants), the park is home to over 600 bird species and 95 mammal species.
In addition to the popular Kasenyi Circuit, other game drive circuits in Queen Elizabeth National Park include
- Ishasha Game Drive Circuit
- Channel Drive Circuit
- Crater Drive Circuit
While on a safari in Uganda, you will enjoy viewing some of these animals up closer than you imagined. The fact that Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the top Uganda parks with the highest animals of Uganda guarantees the fulfillment of your dream Uganda Wildlife Safari.
Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park are offered as day and night game drives, both of these offer rewarding experience, however there are night game drives in the Kasenyi Sector because it floods with tourists during the day. Nevertheless, you can have a night game drive at Mweya Peninsular where you can view the nocturnal wildlife of Uganda.
These game drives are best done in 4×4 vehicles or minibuses that have a seating capacity of about 5 to 12 hours including the drive.
Common animals to see on Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to four of the Big Five African animals, lions, leopards, elephants and buffaloes which you will enjoy seeing during the game drives. Other animals you will encounter include hippos, civet, Uganda kobs, topis, Sitatunga, warthogs among others.
You will also be treated to sights of colorful birds, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to over 600 bird species including African finfoot, African hobby, African skimmer, Ayres’s hawk-eagle, Black bee-eater, Black-rumped buttonquail, Broad-billed roller, Caspian plover, collared pratincole, Common sand martin among others.
Circuits used on Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Kasenyi Circuit
Kasenyi Circuit is the most famous game drive circuit in Queen Elizabeth National Park thanks to many resident herds of Uganda kobs, these predators attract predators – lion and leopards flocking in the plains to hunt on the prey.
Kasenyi Plains is one of the best places to see the magnificent Africa lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the area harbors 3 lion prides that can best encountered shortly after sunrise. However, sighting these lions is not guaranteed. For guaranteed sighting, you can sign up for a lion experiential game drive with the Mweya – based Uganda Predator Project. They monitor and track the movement of lions, leopards, and hyenas with radio callers fitted on their necks.
From Mweya to Kasenyi plains, it is a about half an hour’s drive.
Ishasha Circuit
The Ishasha Circuit is found in the remote Southern region of Queen Elizabeth National Park, the perfect place to see the rare Tree – Climbing lions. These lions are seen perched up in the huge fig trees and lazily resting their day away are a breathtaking site to see.
There are main game drive circuits running through Ishasha Sector, these are The Southern Circuit and The Northern Circuit.
The Southern Circuit – This circuit offers visitors a chance to have a clear view of the rare Tree Climbing Lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha Sector. The circuit passes through the main kob breeding area where you will to see lions stalking their prey.
The Northern Circuit – This circuit is a 4 kilometers circuit best for general watching of Uganda wildlife animals, the circuit overlooks the floodplain of the Ntungwe River. On the pools and wallows of the Northern Circuit, you will see buffaloes, the loop develops into a ful- blown wetland and from here, and birders can spot black coucals, compact weavers and other wading birds.
Other circuits in the Ishasha sector include the Edward Flats and Ishasha River Campsite
Channel Drive Circuit
The Channel Drive Circuit runs roughly in a parallel direction from Kazinga Channel’s Northern shores, this circuit serves majorly as a route between Katunguru Bridge and the Mweya Peninsula. The tracks stem from the main road providing excellent viewing of Uganda’s wild animals such as warthogs, bushbucks, waterbucks, elephants among others.
Crater Drive Circuit
The Crater Drive Circuit is about 27 km between the Kabatoro Gate and the Crater Gate, it follows an awe-insiprining route around the edges of extinct craters filled with lakes, forests and grasslands.
Best Time to Do Game Drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park are best done anytime thoughout the year, however the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and December. This months are dry season with less or little rainfall, there for routes through the park are less muddy and accessible. Also the vegetation cover is less thus easy seeing of the animals.
