Queen Elizabeth National park boat cruise

Queen Elizabeth National park boat cruise : Queen Elizabeth National Park is a world famous wildlife sanctuary and the most visited destinations in Uganda, the park is the second largest of all national parks in Uganda.

Queen Elizabeth National Park covers an area of approximately 1,978 square kilometers with a variety of habitats ranging from rolling grasslands, tropical rainforest and moist acacia woodland and the extensive Maramagambo forest in the southeast.

Boat cruise is one of the thrilling safari activities to do in Queen Elizabeth National Park on a Uganda safari, boat cruises in this beautiful park is done on the impressive Kazinga Channel.

Kazinga Channel

The impressive Kazinga Channel is a 40 kilometers water long natural channel linking Lake Edward to Lake George, the Kazinga Channel splits Queen Elizabeth National Park into two unequal chucks of game viewing attractions. The larger south of the channel features the Ishasha Sector – known for its tree climbing lions and Kyambura Gorge – a valley of apes perfect for watching chimpanzees in wild. North of the Channel is much smaller featuring wildlife viewing game tracks, the North has Kasenyi, Katinguru, Katwe, Mweya, Kikorongo and the Kichwamba Escarpment.

Wildlife in the Kazinga Channel

The Kazinga Channel is a home to a variety of a wide range of animals including the biggest number of hippos in the whole of Africa recorded to be around 2,000 individuals. Hippos are the world’s third largest mammal and can be a size of a fully loaded land cruiser, they can be aggressive and they do not swim however they just bounce their bodies at the bottom of water. Hippos normally stay under water and you will spot them from the boat cruise, also they have sensitive skins and they stay underwater to stay away from the sun and they move at night to graze on land.

kazinga channel wildlife

Birdlife in the Kazinga Channel

The Kazinga Channel is a birder’s paradise hosting a huge population of bird species including Raptors, African Mourning Dove, Diederik Cuckoo, Squire-tailed Nightjar, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Swamp Nightjar, Blue-naped Mouse bird, Grey-Headed Kingfisher, Pygmy Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-capped Lark, Martins, Swallows, Swifts, Grey-capped Warbler, Swamp Flycatcher, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Red-chested Sunbird, Black-headed Gonolek, Lesser Masked Weaver, Slender-billed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver and Pin-tailed Whydah among others

Boat cruise on Kazinga channel

Boat cruise on Kazinga channel normally sets off every day at either 09: 00 am local time or at 02:00 pm in the afternoon, the boat cruise takes about 2 – 5 hours which is enough for you to enjoy and explore the endowments of Kazinga channel include the waters and the wildlife and birdlife long the shores of Kazinga Channel.

Boat cruises are conducted with professional guides on board who will give you all the necessary information about Queen Elizabeth National Park and the attraction you will spot along the ride. The professional guides will point out many wildlife which will make the experience more thrilling and memorable.

Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel offers great chances to take amazing pictures and this is facilitated by the slow movement of the boat just by the shores of the channel. You will also spot a variety of wildlife hosted by the Kazinga Channel including a huge population of hippos, and Nile crocodiles, herds of elephants and buffaloes along the banks of the channel and many water birds such as Martial Eagles, African spoonbills, Cormorants, African Skimmers, Pelicans, Papyrus Gonolek and the occasional Shoebill Stork.

On the afternoon boat ride on the Kazinga Channel, you will spot large herds of elephants, buffaloes and a number of buffaloes, waterbucks and Uganda kobs drinking water and bathing – cooling off from the scotching sunlight. You may also spot predators such as lions which like by staying in the water

Note: During the dry season, the Kazinga Channel becomes an oasis. As many waterholes dry up due to the scotching sun, the Kazinga Channel remains as one of the major sources of water and attract many animals which come to drink water and cool off as well.

The boat cruise on Kazinga channel is a great safari experience providing tourists with an opportunity to get close to wildlife in the comfort of a boat.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and Mweya Safari Lodge operate the 2 hour scheduled daily launch trips on Kazinga Channel, UWA launch trip leaves at 9:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm.

Best Time for a boat Cruise safari on the Kazinga Channel

The best time for boat cruise safari on the Kazinga Channel is during the dry seasons of June to August and December to February. During the dry and hot days, the dry puddles and heat forces the animals to congregate along the banks of Kazinga Channel to drink water and also cool off. Chances of seeing large herds of elephants during the dry season are high.

Where to stay

There are several camps and lodges in Queen Elizabeth National Park which will give you easy access to Kazinga Channel, these include