Boat cruise on Kazinga channel-Queen Elizabeth national park; Kazinga channel is a 32 kilometer water channel that connects lake Edward and Lake George in Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park in Uganda located in Kasese, Rukungiri, Kamwenge and Rubilizi districts. Queen Elizabeth national park is one of the most visited protected areas in Uganda and it’s famously known for harboring the tree climbing lions which are found in Ishasha sector, other animals like buffaloes, Uganda kobs, elephants, leopards, waterbucks, warthogs, topi, giant forest hogs, bushbucks and over 600 bird species.
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is done in two sessions that is the morning session which starts at 9:00am and the afternoon session which starts at 2:00pm and each session takes about 2 to 3 hours ride.
During the boat ride you will be led by an experienced park guide who will tell you about the history of the park, help you to spot water animals including Nile crocodiles, large concentrations of hippos, view animals like elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs among others which will be drinking water, view aquatic bird species like black bee-eater, grey crane, long tailed cormorant, marabou stork, saddle bill stork, African skimmer, yellow-billed stork among others. During the Cruising, you will also be able to view the fishermen along the shores who will be preparing their fishing gears for night fishing.
Cost of boat cruise on Kazinga channel
It costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 25 USD per person for foreign residents and 30,000 UGX per person for East African citizens. Cruising for the school group is 450,000 UGX per group.
Best time to go for boat cruise safari on Kazinga channel
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season abundant animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which helps you to view different wildlife species and take beautiful pictures.
Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth national park during your boat cruise safari on Kazinga channel
Queen Elizabeth national park has a number of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury where you can stay during your boat cruise safari on Kazinga channel including Buffalo safari lodge, Queen Elizabeth bush lodge, Irungu forest safari lodge, Savannah resort hotel, Marafiki safari lodge, Ishasha jungle lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Pumba safari cottages, Ishasha wilderness camp, Park view safari lodge, Kasenyi safari camp, Enganzi lodge, Elephant plains lodge, Simba safari camp, Elephant hub lodge, Queen Elizabeth safari camp Kyambura Gorge lodge, Lake Chibwera camp, Kyambura Tented camp, Mweya hostels and cottages, Katara lodge, Kingfisher lodge Kichwamba, Ishasha tented camp, Ihamba safari lodge, Ishasha Ntungwe River camp, Kitandara hippo hill lodge, Enjojo lodge, Engiri game lodge and campsite, Tembo safari lodge, Kazinga channel view resort among others.
How to get to Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via Masaka-Mbarara or Mubende-Fort Portal to the park headquarters which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.
You can also access Queen Elizabeth national park from Bwindi impenetrable national park through Ishasha sector which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.
Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book charter or scheduled flights by Bar aviation or Aero link Uganda from Entebbe international airport to Mweya or Kasese airstrips and then connect to Kazinga channel for the boat cruise.
Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park offers other amazing activities that visitors can engage in apart from Boat cruise including Game drives in Kasenyi plains where you will be able to view abundant wildlife species, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their habitat, nature walks where you will get up-close and personal with different animals, bird watching, community tours where you will interact with the local people in the community, lion tracking experience, Mongoose tracking among other.
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is an interesting activity in Queen Elizabeth national park that can be combined with gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris.
