Game drives in Mweya peninsular : Game drives are among the activities to do around the Mweya peninsular which is located in Queen Elizabeth national park on the northern shore of the Kazinga channel.
The Mweya peninsular is found in Kasese district and is among the popular parts of Queen Elizabeth national park which is visited during safaris in search for different wildlife species found around the destination.
During game drives around Mweya peninsular, tourists can search for the wildlife species in the morning and also in the afternoon. There are different trails followed during the game drives which involve exploring the savannah plains and dense vegetation around the peninsular.
The different routes which are followed during game drives in the Mweya peninsular are found in different habitats of Queen Elizabeth national park such as the savannah grasslands, woodlands and wetlands by the shores of the Kazinga channel.
Depending on the preference of the tourists, game drives in Mweya peninsular can take about 4 hours or less. Some tourists engage in game drives to search for specific wildlife species at the destination while others enjoy seeing the various animals found around Queen Elizabeth national park.
Game drives in Mweya Peninsula offer tourists on safari in Queen Elizabeth national park an opportunity to explore the diverse ecosystems and encounter a wide variety of wildlife species around its savannah plains.
Some of the wildlife species which can be seen during the game drives in Mweya peninsular include elephants, buffalos, warthogs, leopards, hyenas as well as different antelope species such as waterbucks, topi, Uganda kobs among others.
Game drives in Mweya peninsular are done with guides and tourists can also explore the area as part of a self drive safari around Queen Elizabeth national park. However, guides are more knowledgeable about the destination which makes the wildlife viewing experience more rewarding.
There are different rules and regulations put in place to be followed during game drives in Mweya peninsular and they include not feeding animals, driving in designated routes around the national park, no hooting at the animals, driving within the speed limit in the national park among others. These rules help to protect the wildlife species found in Queen Elizabeth national park and also protect the environment from being destroyed by the safari vehicles.
The type of vehicles which are used during game drives in the Mweya peninsular are 4×4 safari vehicles which can be hired from tour operators. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) also has vehicles which can be used for game drives around the destination and using these vehicles is at a fee of 30 USD per person.
Park entrance fee for Queen Elizabeth national park is required for tourists to engage in game drives around the Mweya peninsular. This fee is 40 USD for foreign nonresidents, 30 USD for foreign residents and 20,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.
Children visiting the Mweya peninsular for game drives are charged entrance fee of 20 USD for foreign nonresidents, 10 USD for foreign residents and 5,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.
Other activities to do around Mweya peninsular include the following;
- Boat rides on Kazinga channel
The Mweya peninsular is also known for the amazing boat rides which can be done on the Kazinga channel at different times of day.
The Kazinga channel is formed where Lake Edward and Lake George meet and is also a good location to see wildlife species during boat rides. Some of the wildlife species which can be spotted by the water shores include elephants, buffalos, hippos as well as Nile crocodiles.
The duration of the boat tours on Kazinga channel is about 2 hours and during this activity, tourists get to learn about Queen Elizabeth national park from their guide while enjoying the boat ride and the views around the peninsular.
- Mongoose tracking
Another activity which is done around Mweya peninsular is mongoose tracking which takes about 3 hours. This activity is an experiential form of tourism carried out in Queen Elizabeth national park.
Mongoose tracking in the Mweya peninsular is done with guides and researchers and involves getting to know more about the behaviors of the mongoose. There are about 400 mongooses which can be seen around this area in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The cost of mongoose tracking in Mweya peninsular is 30 USD for foreign nonresidents, 25 USD for foreign residents and 30,000 Uganda shillings for East African citizens.
- Community tours
Community tours can also be done in the neighboring areas of the Mweya peninsular when visiting Queen Elizabeth national park.
During this activity, tourists can interact with the locals and get to know more about their way of life and their culture and also enjoy traditional dance performances among other community activities.
There are also various bird species which can be seen when exploring the Mweya peninsular during tours around Queen Elizabeth national park.
Some of the bird species found around Mweya peninsular include African Fish eagle, White-Tailed Lark, Swamp Flycatcher, Pygmy Kingfisher, Scarlet-Chested Sunbird, Swamp Nightjar, Grey-capped Warbler, Malachite Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Nubian Woodpecker, Swifts, Red capped Lark among others.
Best time for game drives in Mweya peninsular
Game drives in Mweya peninsular can be done anytime of the year although the best time for the activity is during the dry season from June to October and also around December, January and February when wildlife species can be easily spotted because of the thin vegetation and also around the water shores where they gather to drink.
Lodges around Mweya peninsular
Tourists visiting the Mweya peninsular can stay at lodges such as Mweya safari lodge, Mweya hostel among other luxury, midrange and budget lodges.
How to get to Mweya peninsular
The Mweya peninsular can be accessed by flight and also by driving. The route used to get to Mweya is the Kampala-Mbarara-Kasese route. Both public and private means of transport can be used to access the destination with dagiz travel in Uganda.
The airstrip which tourists visiting Mweya peninsular can use is the Mweya airstrip where scheduled and charter flights from Entebbe international airport are offered by domestic airlines such as Aerolink Uganda.
