Recommended parks for night game drives in Uganda; Night game drives are a unique activity that allows guests to explore Uganda’s savannah national parks at night with an armed park ranger and spotlight lamps for clear views of nocturnal creatures that become active at night. Uganda has ten national parks, and night wildlife drives are conducted in three savannah national parks: Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, and Lake Mburo.
Night game drive Safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second biggest savannah national park, and it provides an exciting night game drive. Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to 95 animal species, including tree-climbing lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, topi, warthogs, primates such as chimps, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and over 600 bird species.
Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park are only available on the Mweya peninsula since the Kasenyi plains are popular with day visitors. During the night game drive experience, you will be accompanied by an armed ranger guide who will assist you in spotting various nocturnal animals such as lions, hyenas, and leopards on the lookout for a night hunt, as well as viewing bush babies, banded mongoose, serval cats, civet, genal, hippos feeding, and admiring the beautiful stars.
Recommended Parks For Night Game Drives in Uganda : Night game drive Safaris in Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest protected area, located in the northwestern region of the country. Murchison Falls National Park is one of the most popular national parks, with abundant wildlife species such as lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, Uganda kobs, oribi, warthogs, waterbucks, primates such as chimps, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and over 450 bird species.
For the night game drive at Murchison Falls National Park, which is typically done in the northern area, you will be accompanied by an expert ranger guide who will use spotlight torches to provide a clear view of various animal species. The night game drive in Murchison Falls National Park will give you the opportunity to view nocturnal animals like leopards, lions, porcupines, civet, hyenas, bush babies, genets, nightjar, hippos feeding, enjoy views of the stunning moonlight, and view other animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, resting, among others.
Recommended Parks For Night Game Drives in Uganda : Night game drive Safaris in Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo National Park is one of Uganda’s smallest national parks, located on the Masaka-Mbarara route in Kiruhuhra region.
Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda is home to a variety of animal species, including buffaloes, impalas, zebras, giraffes, topi, elands, bushbucks, waterbucks, leopards, jackals, hyenas, and more than 300 bird species.
The night game drive in Lake Mburo National Park begins around 6:00 p.m. after dinner, and you will be accompanied by an experienced ranger guide who will use spotlight torches to provide clear views of nocturnal animals such as leopards, side-stripped jackals, porcupines, honey badgers, hyenas, bush pigs, black galago, white-tailed mongoose, and aardvark.
Cost of night game drives in Uganda
Night game drives in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park cost 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.
For visitors who choose to use Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicles, 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 utilizing private cars, only pre-registered vehicles will conduct night game drives, and UWA guides are required.
Best time to go for night game drive safari in Uganda
Night game drive safaris in Uganda may be done at any time of year, but the optimum time is during the dry season, which runs from June to September, December, January, and February. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall in the national parks, so the foliage is sparse, allowing you to see nocturnal creatures. Clears, access roads, and game drive paths are dry and navigable.
How to get to savannah national parks in Uganda
Night game drive safaris in Uganda are conducted in Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. The national parks can be accessed by road, with a drive from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park taking about 5 to 6 hours, Lake Mburo National Park taking about 4 to 5 hours, and Queen Elizabeth National Park taking about 7 to 8 hours.
Night game drive destinations all over Uganda can also be reached by air transport, with 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
When going on a night game drive adventure, visitors should bring warm clothes, dull colored clothes, insect repellent to protect their skin from biting insects such as mosquitos, spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals, a camera, and extra batteries to take photos and record videos of the nocturnal animals.
Night game drives are an exciting and unique activity in Uganda that may be coupled with other activities such as gorilla trekking, boat cruises, lion tracking, and bird viewing to create magnificent and lasting experiences.
