Game Drive Safaris in Uganda

Game drive safaris in Uganda’s savannah national parks to view wild animals are a great compliment to gorilla trekking adventures. Uganda is blessed with diverse savannah grasslands across several game parks and wildlife reserves. 

On a Uganda wildlife viewing game drive, you expect to see more than the typical Big 5 game animals but a variety of animal species roaming the savannah plains. Kidepo Valley, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo and Piane Upe are some of Uganda’s finest game destinations with experiences along unbitten tracks and lots that have not been explored, unlike other African destinations.

Game Drive Experience in Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National park has a network of game tracks in the east of the park running around the savannah grassland with a variety of landscapes comprising of acacia woodland, wetlands, lush hillsides, rock outcrops and seasonally flooded valley surfaces. A game drive in this park gives you the best opportunity to see two animal species that define Lake Mburo; the Impalas and the Zebras.

Other species expected to see on a game drive include; herds of Cape Buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, herds of eland, Hippopotamus, the recently introduced giraffes and many others that will always be encountered.

Game drives in this park take different paths depending on the season when you visit, since it lies in the shadow area between Lake Victoria and the Rwenzoris the park receives ample rainfall. During the wet season, most animals are scattered and it is advisable to avoid wetland tracks while in the dry season, animals usually converge around the swamps and lakes for water which gives a perfect photo opportunity of the wildlife in their natural habitats.

A Night game drive is an alternative way to view the park with a different experience than what the day offers. Rare species of animals mostly nocturnal are sighted, which are hardly seen during the day. Most nocturnal animals such as pottos, bush babies, leopards and even lions can be spotted while hunting.

Game drives in Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth National Park is an outstanding park in Uganda that provides an excellent game drive experience due to its vast community of over 95 mammal species. Some of these include; Elephants, Hippopotamus, Cape Buffalos, Kobs, Topis, Waterbucks, Bushbucks, Warthogs and Giant forest hogs among many other herbivores. About 20 predator species can also be spotted including lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and side-striped jackal.

The Queen Elizabeth Park set against the backdrop of the serrated mountains of the moon is plausibly the country’s most popular tourist destination. Game drives are common along the channel tracks, the looping trails, the Kasenyi plains and the Ishasha sector with amazing tree-climbing lions. Each of these has a unique game experience with lots of species to encounter. 

Game drives in Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls National Park is largely a savannah park, with a variety of game species. There are various game viewing tracks and points within different ecosystems in Park that offer different and unique game experiences. The most common are the Buligi Peninsular; this is a prime game viewing zone where the grassland is surrounded by the Victoria Nile as it flows into Lake Albert at the same time the Albert Nile flows out. Some of the game species to encounter include; the antelopes, cape buffalo, giraffe, elephant, lions and leopards are often encountered in this triangle. Especially at the delta point where most of the game tracks converge, here the lion is usually seen in wait of prey as a game approach for water.

The southern sector is also known as the Heart of Murchison, is increasingly becoming a popular game viewing area with several vehicle tracks for searching the lion as it hunts the kobs, giraffes and other species can also be seen in this area.

Game drives in the Kidepo Valley National Park

Kidepo Valley is the finest true African game destination in Uganda, which makes this park unique from others on the African continent and its East African counterparts, is that Kidepo offers experiences along unbitten tracks unexplored and less trampled. Game drives are common in the Narus Valley the only places with Oases that hold water all year round even when the seasonal rivers have dried. This makes Narus valley a concentration area for animals as they look for water, animals are most active in this area early in the morning and in the late afternoon; so 6 am and 4 pm are the optimal times to set out for a game drive experience. Elephants and buffaloes are usually seen in the swamps along with the valley floors, Elands and giraffes like the drier slopes while lions like roaring on the rock outcrops.

The drier Kidepo valley though being short of the big game, is massive with stunningly scenery views, drive for about one hour to the Kanangorok Hot springs 30 kilometres north of Apoka Tourism Centre. This road is full of magnificent landscapes and crosses the dry sandy beds of the Kidepo River, this area is rich in ostriches and secret birds.

Game drives in Pian-Upe

Pian-Upe is a virgin safari destination in the pearl of Africa, the unbitten and unexplored tracks give you a chance to see the game in an unrumpled ecosystem. The savannah grasslands harbour some unique animals that make this game reserve standout, rare wildlife species of Bovids including; Roan antelope, Lesser kudu, Bright’s gazelle, in Uganda, these are found only here and in Kidepo Valley National Park. Wildlife is concentrated around the Loporocho swamp. Predators like; Cheetahs the fastest animal in the whole world, wild cats, Jackals, spotted hyenas, Civets, Serval cats mysterious leopards and lions are also believed to inhabit the Pian-Upe conservation area.