Experiential Game Drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park
The experiential game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the most exciting and adventurous activities for travelers to spot wildlife in large numbers. Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in western Uganda. It is one of the most visited parks by travelers on their Uganda safaris. The park is home to a variety of wildlife. Being the second largest park in Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is also crossed by the equator. This park was initially called the Kazinga National Park but in 1954 after the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the name of the park was changed.
Experiential game drives offer an amazing thrilling experience to travelers on their Uganda safari since they can track more wildlife than the usual game drive. During this activity, travelers go off the main tracks of the park for the game drive to track more wildlife. It mainly focuses on the lions in this park. It is also accompanied by an official who tracks the lions and also directs the travelers where to go to find the lions. Experiential game drive is mainly done in the northern sector of the park also known as the Kasenyi plains.
Why take an experiential game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Travelers on their Uganda safaris should engage in the experiential game drive since they have a 100% chance to see the lions. During this game drive, travelers spend less time in the wild in search of predators. Additionally, the activity helps you to track other wildlife predators like leopards which are hard to find in this park. The activity takes 1 to 3 hours of the day to see these predators in the park. This creates time for travelers to engage in the other activities in the park.
How much is an experiential game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
While in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, travelers have to acquire permits for the experiential game drive. Experiential game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park can be done both in the morning and the afternoon. Both periods allow travelers to explore the park at length and encounter several wildlife species. The experiential game drive permits cost USD 100 for foreign non-residents, USD 80 for foreign residents, and UGX 100,000 for East African residents. Book your Permit here. Please note that the above price is exclusive of other travel-related expenses like transport and accommodation.
Which other experiential activities can I do in Queen Elizabeth National Park other than the experiential game drive?
While in this park, there are other experiential activities that travelers usually engage in and they include;
Mongoose tracking
This experiential activity is carried out in the Mweya peninsular where over 400 banded mongooses. The tracking of these species is also another experiential activity that travelers on their safaris engage in. These banded mongoose species are usually habituated for tracking. A group of 4 people with a researcher is allowed to track this mongoose. There are over 12 habituated families of the Mongoose. The activity costs about 30 dollars for foreign nonresidents, 25 dollars for foreign residents, and 30,000 Ugandan shillings for East African citizens.
Hippo census
This activity is also experiential which is carried out on the Kazinga Channel and Lake George. This activity involves counting the hippos by head in the different areas in the park. Hippos in the park are among the large mammals living in water bodies of the park. The census is usually done by researchers. The hippo census permits cost about 100 dollars for foreign nonresidents, 80 dollars for foreign residents, and 100000 Ugandan shillings for East African residents.
Why are the experiential activities expensive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
The experiential activity is one of the activities in which travelers on their Uganda safari have a close encounter with the wildlife. The conservation efforts are high for the wildlife species so 70% of the permit costs are invested in the conservation and the rest is invested in the community and the revenues to the government. The prices are also meant to regulate the number of visitors per day. This is one way of ensuring sustainable tourism in the park.
Other safari activities done in Queen Elizabeth National Park
There are several other activities that travelers on their Uganda safaris can engage in the Queen Elizabeth National Park and they include;
Boat cruise
The boat cruise is another exciting activity that travelers on their Uganda safaris engage in on the Kazinga Channel, Mweya peninsular. Travelers use motorized boats to sail and during these boat cruises, travelers see different wildlife like elephants, hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, and many others.
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzee trekking is done at the Kyambura Gorge in the Queen Elizabeth National Park. This gorge hosts several chimpanzee species which travelers can track. Travelers are supposed to be fit enough for the chimpanzee trekking in this area since it involves some hiking and advent slopping. The chimpanzees in this area are habituated for them to be familiar with the human presence.
Birding
The park is home to over 600 savannah bird species which travelers on their Uganda safaris can engage in during the safari. Several bird species are usually tracked and this allows travelers on their birding safaris. Usually, the bird species that are usually seen in the park include; the Abyssinian ground hornbill, martial eagle, kingfisher, and many others.
Game drive
The game drive is one of the primary activities in the park where travelers use a 4×4 safari van with a pop-up to view the wildlife. This game drive is done in the designated routes of the park to view the wildlife. A game drive in this park can be done in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening. This game drive is done in the Ishasha sector and the Kasenyi plains.
What is the best time to do an experiential game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
Queen Elizabeth National Park is open for travelers for experiential game drives throughout the year. The best time is usually the dry season June to September and December to February. This is the best since the park is dry and clear for the game drive. More so, the vegetation is short which makes the viewing of the wildlife.
