A Uganda night game drive is a tour activity that occurs in the savannah national parks in the country, typically past sundown, and involves using a spotlight torch to view the wild animals more clearly. The visitor is accompanied by an armed park guide to protect against dangerous animal attacks. This exciting activity is available at Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park.

The night game drives are mainly done in the savannah parks due to safety concerns, park regulations, and the presence of accessible nocturnal wild animals. Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls, and Queen Elizabeth National Parks are characterized by open landscapes, and relatively well-developed tourism infrastructure that offer better visibility and safety for nighttime activity. This is compared to other national parks with dense vegetation, rugged terrain, or poor tourism infrastructure. Also, savannah habitats harbor a wide range of wildlife, including lions, leopards, hyenas, bush babies, and others that are more active at night.

Night game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda is about 1,978 square kilometers and sits on elevations ranging from 2,985 meters to 4,560 meters above sea level. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular park in Uganda and is famous for the tree-climbing lions in the Ishasha sector. On the road, Queen Elizabeth National Park is 375 kilometers from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara, and Kasese.

Night game drives at Queen Elizabeth National Park are only done in the Mweya peninsula and commence between 6:30-7:30 pm. Accompanied by an armed ranger guide in a comfortable 4×4 safari vehicle and with spotlight torches, you will experience a 2-3-hour drive in the park searching for nocturnal wild animals such as leopard, lion, hyena, hippo, civet, bush baby, banded mongoose, serval cat, and others.

Night game drives in Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park in northwestern Uganda spans around 3,893 square kilometers and on altitudes ranging from 615-1187 meters above sea level. From Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park is 305 kilometers on the road to the Masindi gate.

Murchison Falls National Park is divided by the Victoria Nile into 2 sectors, the southern sector and the northern sector. The night game drives like the day game drives are done in the north sector. This is due to its relatively large number of wildlife species compared to the southern sector.

Night game drives at Murchison Falls National Park are accompanied by an armed ranger guide on customized safari vehicles, and with spotlight torches. The night game drive typically starts at dusk, between 6:30-7:30 pm. This allows the visitor an opportunity to view a variety of nocturnal animal species such as the leopard, hyena, lion, porcupine, civet, bush baby, night jar, hippo, hartebeest, waterbuck, and many others.

Night game drives in Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park in western Uganda spans around 370 square kilometers and sits on elevations ranging from 1,220 meters to 1,828 meters above sea level. Lake Mburo National Park is 230 kilometers from Kampala via Masaka and Mbarara.

Like in the aforementioned national parks, you will be accompanied by an armed ranger guide and on a 4×4 safari vehicle. You will also move with a spotlight torch to search for the nocturnal wild animals starting at dusk, around 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm. The game drive will take 2-3 hours. Wild animals to be spotted include aardvark, galago, genet cat, leopard, porcupine, honey badger, side-stripped jackal, and bush pig to mention but a few.

The cost of a night game drive in Uganda

A Uganda night game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park costs USD 30 per person per tour for foreign non-residents, USD 20 per person per trip for foreign residents, and around 50,000 per person for East African citizens.

However, the night game drive using Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger guides is a must and only pre-registered vehicles are allowed to undertake this adventure. You can book with a reputable tour operator like Standard Safaris Ltd for your night game drive adventure. If you’re booking with us, you have the added advantage of organizing other tour and travel services, including transportation, meals, and accommodation.

The best time to visit Uganda for a night game drive

Visiting Uganda for a night game drive can be done year-round, however, the best time largely depends on the weather patterns, wildlife behavior, and your preferences. Usually, the dry season is ideal for night game drives in Uganda’s three savannah parks. These occur from December to February and from June to August.

During the dry seasons, the weather is drier thus making wildlife sightings easier. This is because they have to gather around a few water sources. Moreover, this time is characterized by thinner vegetation, offering better visibility during night game drives. The temperatures are also relatively cooler compared to the rainy seasons, to ensure a more comfortable experience for visitors.

The rainy seasons also offer unique night game drive experiences from March to May and September to November. The vegetation is relatively denser to favor several bird species, thus creating a picturesque setting for night game viewing.

Packing for a night game drive in Uganda’s Savannah parks

While planning a night game drive in Uganda’s savannah game parks, carry several items that will make you comfortable and safe while on your tour.

• Bring a sweater and headgear to keep yourself warm during the cool night hours.
• Carry insect repellent to protect your skin from insect bites, especially from mosquitoes
• Carry a camera and extra batteries to capture as many photos or videos of the nocturnal animals as possible.
• Wear dull-colored clothes to avoid distracting the nocturnal animals
• Carry a first-aid kit for any minor injury that may occur.