Queen Elizabeth National Park night game drives are among the most highly anticipated activities in this magical wilderness. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular protected area in the country. It is located in the western part of the country, stretching through the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rukungiri, and Rubirizi.
It lies in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley, spanning over 1,978 square kilometers. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the ultimate adventure destination because of the many species it harbors. The species in the park include over 10 species of primates and over 95 species of mammals, and of these, 20 species are carnivores and about 600 species of birds.
The idea of establishing this park came in 1952, making it the oldest protected area in the country. By the time of its establishment, it was named Kazinga Channel National Park after the water channel of water located in the park that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. However, two years after the park was established as a national park, it was honored to host the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1954. To commemorate her visit to the park, the Kazinga Channel National Park was changed to Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park comes second after Murchison Falls National Park in size. The park hosts four of the Big Five animals, lions, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants. The rhinos are the only missing species on this Big Five list. This is because of a very dark story of poaching that saw the last rhino in the natural wild poached in 1983 in Murchison Falls National Park. Since then, rhinos have been consciously protected and bred at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary but will shortly be reintroduced into the wild. Other animals in Queen Elizabeth National Park include hyenas, warthogs, antelopes, waterbucks, hippos, crocodiles, and reedbucks, to mention but a few.
Night game drives
Queen Elizabeth National Park offers incredible tourist activities that give visitors memorable times in the park. Among these activities, game drives or game viewing is one of the most interesting and major activities in the park. This activity of game drives is done in two ways, day game drives and night game drives. Our main objective in this article is the night game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
What are night game drives?
Night game drive, as the name suggests, is an activity done under the cover of darkness. It involves driving through the wilderness of Queen Elizabeth National Park on a safari 4×4 vehicle for a chance to spot wildlife at night with the help of a spotlight. Night game drives are a whole new experience as the often-seen resting and lazy cats use this time to take down prey. As the night falls in the park, the nocturnal species brace themselves for a treat as they venture out to graze and hunt. The lions and leopards are the masters of the night, as their night vision is 10 times better than humans and any other species.
Therefore, with this incredible ability, these cats reserve their energy during the day and use the night hunt. Hippos, on the other hand, come out of the water to graze since they lack sweat glands and cannot graze out in the hot sun of the day. The night works best for them, and these can be encountered grazing while on a night game drive in the park. Night game drives are perfect for encountering most of the wildlife because these animals sometimes hide in the dense vegetation from the hot sun. However, at night they come out to graze and hunt, hence can be easily spotted on night game drives.
What are some of the other activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
The tourist activities in Queen Elizabeth National Park do not stop at night game drives. However, other activities can interest visitors in the park and these include the following.
Boat cruise
Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of these few protected areas in the country that is equipped with a variety of experiences, and boat cruises are not short of a stunning adventure. The park hosts the Kazinga Channel, which is a hotspot of aquatic activity. Kazinga channel hosts the largest population of hippos in the country, estimated to be 5,000 hippos.
The channel also harbors countless Nile crocodiles that can be spotted on a boat cruise experience. While on a boat cruise, visitors can also spot other animals like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, waterbucks, and other animals as they take a sip to quench their thirst.
Lion tracking
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a hotspot of lion activity because of the unique tree-climbing lions. Visitors from far and wide flock to the park for a chance to spot the tree-climbing lions, which cannot be found anywhere else in the country. Across East Africa, tree-climbing lions dwell in Queen Elizabeth National Park of Uganda and Lake Manyara National Park of Tanzania.
Birding
The park harbors approximately 600 bird species that dwell in the different ecological systems in the park. There are endemic resident bird species, which can be encountered any time of the year, and also the migratory birds that fly in from other areas. Skilled and experienced birding guides with knowledge of most of the birds in the park take you through this experience of birding.
Birding tours take place along the designated birding trails across the park. Notable bird species include the African mustached warbler, African emerald cuckoo, black coucal, yellow bill, and African fin foot, among others.
Chimpanzee tracking
Any sought-after safari adventure experience is in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The park offers a chimpanzee tracking experience at the Kyambura Gorge. You may wonder how a savannah park can inhabit primate species that dwell in forest vegetation. Well, the Valley of Apes, as it is often called, Kyambura Gorge, is a rainforest gorge stretching for 156 square kilometres.
It harbours chimpanzees that can be encountered on a chimpanzee tracking adventure in the gorge. Visitors are given an hour in the presence of the chimps after searching for them and locating them. Take pictures and record everlasting memories as they feed, play, rest, and groom their young.
What is the cost of a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Night game drives in the park cost varies depending on nationality and region of the visitor. These fees are distributed to facilitate conservation efforts and run the park programs. The night game drive costs include USD 30 for foreign non-residents, USD 20 for foreign residents, and UGX 50,000 for East African citizens. These costs are for each person who wishes to experience a night game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
