Night game drives in Uganda

Night game drives in Uganda; Night game drive is an adventurous and exceptional safari activities in Uganda where travelers get an opportunity to explore the savannah national park at night with an experienced ranger guide and spotlight torches for clear viewing on nocturnal animals. Uganda is a home of about 10 national parks that offer different safari activities and out of 10 national parks, night game drive is done in 3 national parks that is Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park.

Night game drive in Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park is the largest national park and one of the savannah national parks that offers night game drives in Uganda. The national park is known for harboring abundant wildlife species including elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, oribi, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons in Budongo forest and different bird species including the elusive shoebill stork, Abyssinian ground hornbill, marabou stork, secretary bird, open billed stork, black-headed lapwing, grey crowned crane, Senegal thick-knee among others.

Night game drive in Murchison falls national park is mostly carried out in the northern part of the park as it harbors high concentrations of animals. During the night game drive which starts at around 19:00 pm, you will be accompanied by an armed ranger guide with spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals like lions, leopards, civet, bush babies, genets, night jar, porcupines, hyenas, view hippos feeding, enjoy stunning views of the moonlight among others.

Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park

Queen Elizabeth national park is another protected area in Uganda that offers the interesting night game drive. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda after Murchison falls national park located in western region in Kasese, Rukungiri, Rubirizi and Kamwenge districts. The park is famously known for harboring he tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector and other animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants, warthogs, giant forest hogs, waterbucks, bushbucks, leopards, hyenas, hippos, topi, banded mongoose, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, l’hoest monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys in Kyambura gorge and variety of bird species like brown backed scrub robin, white backed vulture, black belied bustard, white tailed lark, swamp flycatcher, collared Pratincole, papyrus gonolek, palm-nut vulture, pink-backed pelican, shoebill, great blue turaco among others.

Night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park is only done in Mweya peninsula as Kasenyi plains receives big numbers of travelers during the day. During the night game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park which starts at around 19:00pm, you will be accompanied by an UWA ranger guide who will help you to spot nocturnal animals like serval cats, bush babies, civet, genal, banded mongoose, leopards, lions, hyenas, view hippos grazing among others.

Night game drive in Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park located in western part of Uganda. The national park is a home of various animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, leopards, zebras, impalas, topi, elands, jackals, hyenas, giraffes, oribi, hippos and different bird species like saddle-billed stork, black-bellied bustard, African wattles lapwing, bare-faced go-away bird, shoebill stork, greater painted-snipe, black crake, common Squacco, black-headed heron among others. During the night game drive in Lake Mburo national park which starts at around 18:30pm, you will be accompanied by a park ranger and spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals like hyenas, bush babies, leopards, porcupines, white tailed mongoose, side-stripped jackal, bush pigs, honey badger, black galago, aardvark, among others, you will also be able to view buffaloes, elands, impalas, topi, warthogs, bushbucks, enjoy views of the moonlight among others.

Cost of a night game drive in Uganda

A night game drive in Uganda 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 while a night game drive using UWA vehicles costs 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 private vehicles, only pre-registered vehicles will undertake night game drives and use of UWA guided is mandatory for night game drives.

When going or night game drives in Uganda, there are a number of items that travelers should carry including spotlight torches which are provided by Uganda Wildlife Authority, insect repellent to protect you from biting insects like mosquitos, warm sweater to keep you warm, dark or dull clothes which blend with the environment, camera and extra batteries to take pictures of the nocturnal animals hunting among others.

Apart from night game drives, there are other interesting activities that visitors can engage in during their Uganda wildlife Safari including gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park, chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park, golden monkey trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park, mountain climbing, cultural encounters, boat cruise, sport fishing, horseback riding, bird watching, guided nature walks among others.

For more information about night game drives in Uganda, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.