A Boat cruise is one of the must-enjoy activities when you visit Queen Elizabeth National Park, and a safari to this destination without enjoying this exhilarating activity is incomplete and meaningless.
If you engage in this activity, you will agree that it is one of the best cruises you can ever enjoy during your Uganda safaris. Kazinga Channel is the narrow waterway of about 45 kilometers connecting Lake Edward in the West and Lake George in the East, within Queen Elizabeth National Park. This Park covers an area of 1978 square kilometers, making it the second largest Park in the country after Murchison Falls National Park that covers around 3893 square kilometers.
This strip of water offers unmatched opportunities for enjoying breathtaking views of abundant animal and plant species as well as the spectacular scenery of this Savannah National Park for tourists on Uganda tours. The banks of this Channel are a haven to herds of Hippos and highest concentration of Nile Crocodiles Uganda ever offered during a safari holiday. A Boat cruise here also offers views of the remarkable Mweya Peninsula with unbeaten opportunities of spotting more than 60 species of birds such as the shoebill storks, African skimmers, Pink-backed Pelicans, Jacana, Flamingos, Darters, great cormorants, Saddle billed storks, African fish eagles, African spoonbills, yellow billed storks, Black crakes, Kingfishers, great white pelicans, Open-billed storks, African skimmers as well as Grey crowned cranes relishing the aquatic environment of the Kazinga Channel, hence the reason it is always on the top of the list of must-visit destinations during Uganda wildlife and birding safaris.
What it Feels like, cruising on the Kazinga channel boat
This trip is the unobstructed access to the local people and wildlife in their daily setting that depicts the local nature and culture, in queen Elizabeth national park. From the time you board the boat, you will be in a different world, celebrating life in paradise. The views display different natural setting like you would see in the dream of a thick jungle. The rim of the channel is lined by the thicket, bushes and sometimes patches of wetland that is home to the colorful birds and the crawling gentle monitor lizards. Sometimes, the eye will shoot to one of the rare creatures such as the crocodile, the fish eagle or otter diving for a fish catch.
The freshwater of the Kazinga channel is such a precious natural gift to the wildlife of Queen Elizabeth national park, every day. The large trails that touch the edge of the channel open up the extended miles of the savannah plains on both sides of the channel. They are the daily trails for wildlife as they move from near and far seeking to cool off.
You won’t miss the shooting puffs like fountains, or floating snouts of the hippopotamus swimming in the waters of the channel. Kazinga channel is home to hundreds of schools of Hippopotamus. It has the hippo population estimated to be over 1000 in the 20 miles channel alone.
Every hour of the day, the different land animals such as elephants, buffalos, antelopes, waterbucks, and multitudes of birds take turns to deep for a fresh drink or a swim. The edges of the channel will commonly be spotted with wildlife. You will not miss the fun of seeing elephants charge to chase the small game from their water space.
The local communities have their space too. Despite the existence of hippos, crocodiles and other wildlife that could be dangerous, the local people are never deterred from swimming, fishing or collecting water for domestic use, off the shores of the channel. You will not miss the sceneries of the local wooden fishing boats, sometimes with energetic fishermen peddling their way to the fishing fields. This qualifies Kazinga channel as a life-giver for both people and wildlife, leave alone the green vegetation that is able to survive the scorching climate of queen Elizabeth national park and can still demonstrate the green belt along the edges of the channel.
From the time the boat cruise started on the Kazinga channel, decades of years ago, none of the travelers has ever regretted the decision to take the boat cruise. Making a decision to go on Kazinga channel boat cruise is your opportunity to explore wildlife closely in the most relaxed way, as you cruise east and west of the channel. Take a step today, contact us to arrange your turn of taking this experience during your next trip to queen Elizabeth national park.
See Incredible Wildlife from the Comfort of Your Boat
All living creatures need water, and as a result the Kazinga Channel is an oasis for the many fascinating species that inhabit the park. A boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel provides tourists with the chance to get a closer encounter with the other wildlife species that visit the River banks without fear for their lives and Safety such the Cape Buffaloes, African elephants, Monitor lizards, Uganda Kobs, Defassa waterbucks, common elands and Topis among others.
Taking this boat tour from Mweya to the mouth of Lake George gives visitors the chance to stand just a few meters from the hundreds of enormous hippos and buffaloes that spend their days cooling off in the water, while elephant families drink and bathe on the shoreline.
The experience of viewing wildlife in queen Elizabeth national park is like no other in Uganda. wildlife animals are very close and so easy to find. From time to time you see the guides on the boat tour pointing out at all sorts of wildlife along the edge of the channel, Even without lenses and binoculars. These guides don’t skip even the tiniest bird of this jungle. To them, the edge of Kazinga channel is a long line of animals cooling off in the greenery vegetation. This boat cruise is an opportunity for you to see queen Elizabeth wildlife through the eyes of the local expert guides
Wildlife: Kazinga channel is a wildlife hub. It is one of the key places where multitudes of wildlife meet for the same livelihood purpose; water. Throughout the day, all sorts of wildlife line up on the banks to celebrate nature on this fresh water channel. During this boat excursion, you will likely find the elephants, antelopes, crocodiles, monitor lizards, hippos, buffalo and many others. The bird population on the channel is very high. The bird list includes both the endemics and the migratory species during certain seasons. You wil have high chances of finding the Buttonquail, Papyrus Canary, martial eagle, African Skimmer, Black Bee-eater, White-winged Warbler, White-tailed Lark, Papyrus Gonolek, Corncrake, Pinkbacked Pelican and many others among the 600 species of this park
Landscape: The landscape is breathtaking. During the sunrise, the sunset or just taking the extended views of the channel with the backdrop of Rwenzori mountains or the rift valley escapement. You will definitely be witnessing a green paradise dotted with wildlife of all sorts on the channel!
Traditional fishing communities: It is a fishing hub; the channel supports a high fish population. This is partly due to the richness of the ecosystem with birds and other wildlife in and around the waters, that supports a large variety of aquatic life favorable for fish survival. The evergreen environment creates a good breeding ground for certain unique species of fish that is only found in this channel. A good number of communities live in the neighborhood of the channel and fishing is one of their key livelihoods. During the boat tour, you will meet the community members at work both on their canoes on the waters or on the shores getting their nets ready
The local guides are wonderful. They understand everything that crosses the eye, close and far. Being local experts, they will tell you how most of the features relate to the local life, demonstrating the relevance of wildlife and the native community.
Don’t miss an opportunity from exploring wildlife very closely. Let the locals show you their wildlife during the Kazinga channel boat excursion. You can contact us now to arrange your boat cruise for your next visit to queen Elizabeth national park.
Lots of Birds Await You
Visitors can hope to see an average of 60 bird species during the trip, from the saddle-billed storks with their colorful beaks to vivid malachite kingfishers and pairs of elegant fish eagles. Carrying a maximum of 40 passengers, the boats guarantee a seat with a view for everyone, while expert ranger guides narrate the creatures’ stories during the relaxing ride down the channel.
Practical Information
Launch trips leave at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm daily, and last two hours. The exhilarating boat cruise is scheduled and conducted in the morning and afternoon sessions with the former including at 9am and 11am while with the latter, it is conducted at 2pm and finally at 5pm lasting for 2-3 hours. The two operators of this adventurous and mind-blowing activity are Marasa Africa (also owns Mweya Safari Lodge) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Other places to enjoy a boat cruise during Uganda tours include Lake Victoria, Lake Mburo, along the Nile River in Murchison Falls National Park.
How to Arrange Kazinga channel boat activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Unlike in the past, the Kazinga channel boat cruise has become easier to arrange for all types of visitors. This has given everyone easy access an opportunity to explore the animal paradise of queen Elizabeth national park, on your trip to western Uganda.
From a long list of activity options, you will have the liberty to do a boat cruise with Mweya inside the park or with the community starting from Katunguru village. Both boat cruises are safe and well interpreted for you to get the background understanding of the park. The boats go on the same channel and show the same wildlife. The community guides are very knowledgeable of the animals after their life long experience of living with wildlife. It is until recently that they have decided to get involved in tourism as a livelihood. This give you and other travelers, an opportunity to tour with the resident expert guides as they tell you the past and present background of wildlife in this park and how they relate with them.
Never the less the boat cruise at Mweya is massive compared to the community boat it is spacious with an option for climbing to stand on the rooftop, enabling you to take a sweeping view of the entire landscape. This boat takes a larger number of people and requires a minimum of ten occupants to do the scheduled cruise at 11:00am and 3:00pm every day.
If you want to take the Mweya boat, you should be prepared to pay for a private car to bring you in the park and park entrance fees. All these extra fees are not applicable if you choosing to do a community boat cruise.
Are you staying for one or more nights or just visiting for one day in queen Elizabeth national park? We will be happy to arrange this boat cruise or any other services for you. The other services we can arrange re such as transport/ car hire, private guides and accommodation, all at no extra charges. Please note; it is also possible to do a boat cruise en-route queen Elizabeth national park as you head to Rwenzori, Bwindi or any other destinations north or south of the equator while in Uganda. Don’t worry about the timing. We only need a minimum of one day to be able to arrange everything to your interest. This is only possible with the community boat since it doesn’t have fixed time for the excursions. It will take off any time during the twelve hours of the day
The payment for the boat cruise can either be done at the elephant home lodge; Kikorongo or at the dock (subject to prior booking). The currency that are accepted are; Uganda shillings and US dollars. All payment has to be in cash as no credit card will be accepted. Upon payment, a receipt will be given and you will present this receipt at the dock before you join the boat cruise. You should ensure that you’re at the dock (where the boat cruise starts) 30 minutes before the trip starts.
With the above guidelines, you’re more than ready to explore the wildlife of queen Elizabeth national park on the Kazinga channel. Please contact us today if you need any further assistance. we will arrange any activity in this destination.
If you are not on an organised safari, bookings for the boat can be made through the Visitor Information Centre in Mweya (+256 782 387805) or the UWA headquarters in Kampala (+256 414 355000).
Bottom Line
Besides the Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts of other interesting places that offer sightings of exceptional wildlife species and birds. These sites include the Kasenyi Plains with several wildlife species such as Uganda Kobs and Lions, Mweya Peninsula, the Kyambura gorge to sight the only population of Chimpanzees in the Park, Ishasha sector with the extraordinary tree climbing lions, Lake George, Lake Kyoga to spot several migratory species, Lake Edward and Maramagambo Forest with its magnificent attractions such as red-tailed monkeys, the Bates pygmy antelopes, the two crater Lakes and Caves that offer shelter to large Bat colonies and snakes especially the pythons.