Game drives in Uganda involve encountering most of the wildlife species in most of the savannah protected areas in the safety and comfort of your 4v4 safari vehicles. Game drives are the only way to get up and close to the wildlife species as they go about their activities of grazing, resting, and hunting. This wildlife viewing or game drive experience is the most popular tourist activity in the country engaged in by most of the visitors that come into the country. The wild can be fun and adventurous to explore but very dangerous, especially when close to the game on foot and that is why game drives are not just perfect experiences but also incredibly safe. Uganda prides on being the perfect tourism destination for game drives because of the diversity of the wildlife species it harbors. Most of the protected savannah areas in Uganda provide a substantial population of various wildlife species which are amazing specimens for game drives. Uganda has over 10 national parks and among these 5 are savannah parks which facilitate game viewing due to the vast landscapes that host a variety of wildlife species. Embarking on a game drive experience in Uganda assures visitors of spotting some of the most cunning, smart, fast, gigantic, and ferocious wildlife species that dominant the untamed wildness of the pearl of Africa. Some of these wildlife species to encounter on a game drive adventure include four of the Big Five animals, lions, leopards, elephants, and buffaloes. Others like antelopes, impalas, giraffes, oribis, topis, hyenas, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, ostriches, cheetahs, foxes, and zebras, to mention but a few can also be spotted.
Types of game drives in Uganda
With plenty of the wildlife species available to see in the all the savannah national parks in the country, two types of game drives have been named according to periods they are found. These types are described as follows.
Day game drives
In Uganda, day game drives are the most commonly done due to their convenience and also because they are cheap to participate in. Like the name suggests, day game drives in Uganda are done during the day hours along designated areas and trails. The day game drive experiences present the visitors with a chance to see clearly the game and also the environment where these wildlife species dwell. During day game drives, visitors can spot species like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, warthogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, topis, and other grazers as it is during the day that they are most active.
Night game drives
The second type of game drive in Uganda is the night game drive. As it stands, night game drives take place during the night hence the name. Night game drives in Uganda are best for visitors that want to experience the night fall in Uganda’s wildness. In the predator life, the night presents the perfect hunting time. This is because of the predators, especially the lions and leopards have an excellent eye sight in the dark. Visitors get an action pack adventure as the predators use the cover of darkness to hunt down their prey.
Destinations in Uganda where game drives are done
Uganda’s vast landscape includes over 10 national parks that harbor various wildlife species but about 5 parks are perfect destinations for game drives. These destinations include the following.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Named after the Queen of England Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth National Park is an ultimate destination for game drives in Uganda. It is located in the western region of the country covering areas of Rubirizi, Kasese, Kamwenge, and Rukungiri. It spans 1,978 square kilometers in land mass harboring a variety of Uganda’s game. It is popular for hosting the tree-climbing lions located in the Ishasha region of the park. Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park take place in the Kasenyi plains, Ishasha sector, and the Mweya peninsular.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park hosts the major population of the wildlife species in the country since it ranks as the largest national park. It is over 3,893 square kilometers in size stretching across the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi. The park hosts over 120 mammal species which can be spotted on a game drive experience. The well-developed trails in the park make the game drive experience a seamless one.
Kidepo Valley National Park
Kidepo Valley National Park is the listed visited national park in Uganda. This is because of it is the furthest park and its accessibility is challenging to a few. The park however, is very interesting and a good destination for game drives because of the open landscape that is dotted with several wildlife species. The park also prides as the only protected area in the country that hosts ostriches and cheetahs. The Narus Valley and the Kidepo Valley are the two main sights of game drives in the park.
Lake Mburo National Park
In size, Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest protected savannah national park in the country. What this park misses in sizes, it makes up for it in the diverse wildlife species it harbors. With no lions in the park, the game population has tremendously increased and game drive experiences are much more exciting.
Semuliki National Park
Semuliki National Park is also a good game drive destination in Uganda. It hosts a variety of wildlife species such as elephants, antelopes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, leopards, and reedbucks, among others. The game drives in this park take place along designated trails that lead to most of the favorite hung out areas of wildlife.
Best time to do a game drive in Uganda
The dry season is always the best time to do game drives in Uganda. This is because of the conditions associated with this particular weather such as dry conditions due to limited rainfall and also hot temperatures. These conditions help in tracking the animals since they are always located close to the watering holes in the park. The vegetation is also sparse thus adding to the excitement since it gives a clear view of the animals. The dry season in Uganda takes place two times in a year from June to August and December to February.
The wet season, however is also good for game drives in Uganda though presents challenging conditions like heavy rainfalls and slippery muddy trails that hidden navigation. The vegetation is also dense and a perfect hiding spot for the game. With these challenging factors, visitors can still spot the animals and get the best shots and clear views of their green habitat. With much pasture and water in across the entire game drive destination, visitors don’t have to drive for long before encountering these wildlife species. March to May and October to November is when the country experiences the wet season.