Boat safaris on Kazinga Channel Queen Elizabeth National Park
Boat safaris on Kazinga Channel Queen Elizabeth National Park : Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular wildlife safari destination in Uganda and the most loved by safari visitors, the park is loved because of its abundant wildlife and birdlife.
Queen Elizabeth National Park at a size of 1978 square kilometers was found in 1952 and named Kazinga National Park, 2 years later it was renamed to Queen Elizabeth National Park to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain.
Queen Elizabeth National Park boasts over 95 mammals including 4 of the big Five (lion, leopards, cape buffaloes and elephants), the highest population of hippos in Africa and Uganda as well.
Boat safaris in Queen Elizabeth National Park are one of the best way to explore this beautiful park and its endowment, boat safaris are done on Kazinga Channel one of the most impressive attractions in the park.
The Kazinga Channel
The Kazinga Channel is a wide 32-kilometre-long freshwater channel linking Lake Edward to Lake George, these two beautiful lakes are named after Queen Victoria’s son – King Edward VII and his own successor King George V.
Kazinga Channel is a great tourist attraction in Queen Elizabeth National Park and a great site for wildlife viewing, the channel is home to a wide range of animals and birds including the largest concentration of hippos in the world with around 2,000 and Nile crocodiles.
Boat Cruise Along the Kazinga Channel
Boat cruise on Kazinga Channel is one of the most memorable safari activity not to miss in Queen Elizabeth National Park, this amazing excursion is operated by two independent boat ride operators that is Uganda Wildlife Authority and Mweya Safari Lodge.
Boat safari on the channel are offered on a daily from morning to evening in different sessions of two hours.
Boat trips organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority leave daily at 09:00 am, 11:00 am, 01:00 pm, 03:00 pm and 05:00 pm.
Boat trips organized by Mweya Safari Lodge leave daily at 11:00 am, 02:00 pm and 04:15 pm. Also there are sunset boat cruise organized upon special requests from 07:00 pm and 09:00 pm
Afternoon boat cruises offer the most enjoyable boat safari, since it is always hot in the afternoon animals come to quench their thirst along the banks of the channel, also chances of seeing predators and nocturnal animals are high in late afternoon hours.
There are boat trips offered on The Katunguru Bridge Area and they are the best alternative for budget travelers, this boat trip runs on the Eastern side of the Kazinga Channel from Kasese to Rubirizi Districts. Your boat passes through the Kazinga Channel Bridge where you will many water birds in the papyrus swamp such as Papyrus Gonolek, pelicans among others. Katunguru is a major fishing village so you will see many fishermen preparing their nets.
On the cruise, you will enjoy many animals along the banks of the channel drinking water such as hippos, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, giant forest hogs, leopards, lions, Nile crocodiles, bushbucks among others.
The Kazinga Channel is one of the great birding spots in Queen Elizabeth National Park, while on the cruise you will see many water birds that flock by the sandy banks of the channel including the African Shoebill, African skimmers, Black bee-eaters, Black Crake, Crested Crane, Darters, Great and Long Tailed Cormorants, Great White and Pink-Backed Pelicans, Jacana, Marabou Stork, Open-Billed Stork, Pink-backed pelicans, Saddle Bill Stork and Yellow Billed Stork among others.
Where to stay while on a boat safari on Kazinga Channel – Queen Elizabeth National Park
There are several accommodation options where visitors stay during a boat safari on Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, these accommodation options range from budget, midrange and luxury.
These accommodations include
- Mweya Safari Lodge
- Jacana Lodge
- Mweya Hostels
- Park View Safari Lodge
- Elephant Hub
- Elephant plains among others
Getting There
Queen Elizabeth National Park is a popular and one of the most visited parks in Uganda located in the western region, the boat cruises on Kazinga Channel start at the Mweya Peninsula found 20 kilometers west of Kasese – Mbarara main road. To get to Kazinga Channel, the route between Mbarara and Kasese is used. This route goes through Katunguru gate.
Cost of Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
| Foreign Non – Resident (USD) | Foreign Resident (USD) | East African Citizen (UGX) |
| 30 | 25 | 30,000 |
- Boat trips by Mweya Safari Lodge cost between USD 30 to 50
- Boat trips from Katunguru Bridge Area – USD 50 for 2 people and addition of USD 25 for any additional person
When to Go For Boat Cruise on Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park
The best season of the year for a boat cruise on Kazinga is in the dry months of June to September and December to February.
The best time of the day is during the afternoon hours as many animals come at the banks of the channel to drink water such as buffaloes, elephants and many birds such as herons, pelicans among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a boat safari
By Road – there are two routes used to get to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Kampala the capital of Uganda, Kampala – Mbarara – Bushenyi – Ishaha then connect to the park or Kampala – Mityana – Mubende – Kyenjojo – Fort Portal – Kasese highway then connect to the park.
Queen Elizabeth National Park can also be accessed from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Kibale Forest National Park which are situated in the same safari circuit.
By Air – There are daily scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport to Kasese, Mweya and Kihihi Airstrips which serve the park. These domestic flights are offered by AeroLink Uganda and Bar Aviation, then connect to the park by vehicle.
