Photo David Clode / UnsplashWhat it is
A night game drive opens a different park to the one you see by day. Setting out after sunset with a ranger and a spotlight, you look for the animals that wait out the heat — leopard on the move, genets and civets, white-tailed mongoose, bushbabies in the branches, and the eyeshine of nightjars on the track.
Night drives run where the parks permit them and always with an armed ranger, in Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley and Akagera among others. They are a quieter, more atmospheric counterpoint to the morning drive, and often the best chance at the nocturnal hunters.
What to expect
Spotlight and ranger
An after-dark drive with a trained ranger working a spotlight for eyeshine and movement.
Nocturnal specialists
Leopard, genet, civet, white-tailed mongoose, bushbaby and nightjars come into their own.
Where it is allowed
Offered in parks that permit night activity, such as Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley and Akagera.
Where to do it
Safaris that feature it
14 journeys include night game drives
6 Days Bwindi Gorilla Trekking
A six-day safari through southwestern Uganda and into Rwanda, combining mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi with a game drive and Kazinga Channel boat safari in Queen Elizabeth. It ends with a visit to Kigali's Genocide Memorial.
6-Day Uganda Wildlife & Gorilla Safari
A six-day Uganda safari across Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with game drives, the top of the falls, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
7-Day Uganda Amazing Safari
A seven-day Uganda safari through Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi national parks, with chimpanzee tracking, game drives, a Kazinga Channel boat cruise and mountain gorilla trekking.
7 Days Birding in Uganda
A seven-day birding safari through northern Uganda, taking in Entebbe, Murchison Falls National Park and Budongo Forest Reserve. Designed for keen birdwatchers looking to see a wide range of savannah and forest species.
10-Day Birding at the Source of the Nile
A ten-day birding journey through Uganda's wetlands, forests and savannahs, from the Entebbe shoreline to Murchison Falls National Park, with chances to see the shoebill and many other species.
11 Day Uganda Safari
An eleven-day Uganda safari covering Ziwa rhinos, Kibale chimpanzees, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi and Lake Mburo. It begins and ends at Entebbe with a stop at the Equator.
Good to know
- What might I see that I would not by day?
- Night drives favour the nocturnal animals — leopard, genets, civets, white-tailed mongoose, bushbabies and nightjars — that lie up during the heat of the day.
- Is it safe?
- Yes. Night drives are run with an armed park ranger and only in parks that license the activity, following the park's own rules on routes and timing.
Build night game drives into your safari
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