Game drives in Uganda are one of the best ways to observe and appreciate the rich diversity of the beautiful wildlife in Uganda. Game drives are one of the most highlight activities that capture the attention of the tourists who come to visit Uganda on a safari within the savannah national parks in the country.
In Uganda, tourists can go for game drives at any time of the year. However, the best time to go for game drives is during the dry season between months of June to September and from December to February. This it is observed that during this period there are fewer rains, which gives tourists to sight, see several wild animals when they are moving around feeding on the savannah grasslands within the parks. More so these species are also spotted when drinking water along the water bodies.
Uganda is a rich blessed country with and therefore tourists on safaris who involve themselves in game drives, get opportunities to explore through many the many attractions within the country such as; physical features, lakes and rivers, many cultures, and wildlife species that range from mammal species, bird species, primate species, reptiles, and many others. More so, tourists will also have chances to be exposed to the best destinations available for game drive safaris in Uganda.
During these game drives, tourists get to learn about different characters and a way of lifestyles of all the animals in the wild for example; they watch how lions chase after the antelopes during their hunt, how they feed their young ones, how they eat and also observe the lions and leopards as they move on their prey, more so, they get to watch how several animals get killed without their notice by other predator animals within the National park.
Tourists also have great chances of capturing classic views of the national parks due to the fact that the grasses are short but during the rainy seasons, it is a bit challenging because tourists face a lot of difficulty during the game viewing since animals have a tendency of hiding away deep in the thick forests because of the heavy rains. Tourists usually use 4 by 4 wheel vehicles, which have pop-up roofs to enable them to capture clear views of the animals within the national parks.
Game drive safaris in Uganda are categorized into two groups and these are; self-game drives and guided game drives. And the difference between these two is that during the self-game drives, tourists explore through the wilderness in the national park while they are not accompanied by any park rangers or guides, whereas, during the guided game drives, tourists explore through the parks while they are under the supervision of the well trained and experienced park guides whose main responsibility is to ensure the safety of the animals and people. More so, guide tourists because these park guides and familiar with the best destinations to trace the wild animals and them also available to answer any questions in case any individual wants to understand about anything.
Game drives in Uganda are also conducted between different timings and this can be the morning game drives, afternoon game drives, or Evening game drives. More so, then game drives always start at 6:00 am in the morning, 2:00 pm in the afternoon, and 6:30 pm in the evening and they last for at least about 2 to 5 hours depending on the individual’s preferences and what they love to see while on the drives and tourists should note that it is good and safer to go the game drives activities in groups.
Morning game drives.
Morning game drives start very early at 6:00 am and normally end at 10:00 am. However, this is considered as the best time when all wild animals get out of their hiding places and it is the time when animals seem more attractive because they be active and it is the best timing for tourists to enjoy the views of the magnificent sunrises. During the morning drives, tourists get opportunities to look at the sighting predators such as; leopards, lions, and giraffes.
Afternoon game drives.
Afternoon game drives in Uganda always start at 2:00 pm when tourists are taking their lunch and during this period of time, tourists get a chance to sightsee many wild animals along the water bodies while they are drinking water due to the fact that the weather is always hot during the afternoon, they also get see many animals while they happen to be lying under the shades hiding away from the sun and therefore this is considered to be the best time to sightsee a number of wild animals as they always gather in one place.
Evening Game drives.
Evening game drives always begin at 6:00 pm this drive takes about 2 to 3 hours and during this time, tourists will able to view nocturnal animals like; leopards, lions, genets, bush babies, civets, Jackals, night jars, several cats, hippos, porcupines, and they also get to watch animals feeding their young ones as they enjoy the beautiful landscape.
Game drives are conducted in all the 10 national parks in Uganda. However, among these national parks, the best and commonly recommended destinations where tourists normally go for game drives include the following; Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, and Murchison Falls National Park. and each of these destinations offers visitors classic views of the wildlife species such as; leopards, elephants, giraffes, baboons, bush babies, wild dogs, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, rhinos, warthogs that live within the savannah grasslands and woodlands, montane and tropical rain forests, riverine within the national parks.
