Boat cruise on Kazinga channel; Kazinga channel is one of the major features in Queen Elizabeth national park which is the second largest national park in Uganda. Kazinga channel is a 40kilometer water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George. Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is done in two sessions that is the morning session which starts at around 9:00am to 11:00am and the afternoon session which starts at around 2:00pm to 5:00pm and each sessions takes about 2 to 3 hours. During the boat cruise, you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view other animals like waterbucks, elephants, buffaloes, warthogs among others which gather along the water banks to drink water, view different water birds like the African shoebill, black bee-eater, marabou stork, long tailed cormorant, saddle bill stork, African skimmer, yellow-billed stork, pink-backed pelicans, black crake, jacana, pied kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, papyrus gonolek among others. During the boat cruise, you will also be able to see the fishing villages where the fishermen will be preparing their fishing gears for night fishing. The boat cruise on Kazinga channel takes about 2 to 3 hours and 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 when using Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) boat.
Best time to go for boat cruise on Kazinga channel
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel can be done anytime of the year though the best time is during the dry season which is also known as the peak season in the months of June, July, august, September, December, January and February. During the dry season, there is less or little rainfall in the national park therefore a wide range of animals will gather around the channel to drink water which gives you an opportunity to view different animals and take beautiful pictures at a close range.
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 whereby you will drive from Kampala via Mubende, Fort Portal or Masaka, Mbarara and then to the Kazinga channel which takes about 7 to 8 hours’ drive.
You can also access Queen Elizabeth national park from Bwindi impenetrable national park via Ishasha sector to Kazinga channel which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.
Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mweya or Kasese airstrips and then connect to Kazinga channel. Domestic flights to Queen Elizabeth national park can be booked by your trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris.
Where to stay during your boat cruise safari in Queen Elizabeth national park
Queen Elizabeth national park has a wide range accommodation facilities which range from budget, midrange and luxury where you can stay during your boat cruise adventure on Kazinga channel including Elephant hab lodge, Kazinga channel view resort, Elephant plains lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Kingfisher lodge, Simba safari lodge, Kitandara hippo hill safari lodge, Mweya hostels, Katara lodge, Kyambura gorge lodge, Kasenyi safari camp, Enjojo lodge, Marafiki safari lodge, Queen Elizabeth bush lodge, Irungu forest safari lodge, Savannah resort hotel, Pumba safari cottages, Enganzi lodge, Park view safari lodge, Queen Elizabeth safari camp, Kyambura tented camp, Lake Chibwera camp, Ihamba safari lodge among others.
Apart from the boat cruise on Kazinga channel, Queen Elizabeth national park offers other interesting activities that you can engage in including game drives in Kasenyi plains and Ishasha sector where you will be able to explore the savannah plains in a 4WD comfortable safari vehicle and enjoy views of animals like the tree climbing lions, buffaloes, elephants, bird watching where you will be able to view variety of bird species, nature walks where you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend one hour with the chimpanzees in their natural environment, lion tracking experience where you will be able to view lions and leopards at a close range, community tours where you will be able to interact with the local people who live in the neighboring villages among others.
Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is an amazing activity that can be combined with gorilla trekking in Bwindi impenetrable national park. For more information, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various safari packages.
