Boat cruise on Kazinga channel

Boat cruise on Kazinga channel ; Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest national park in Uganda located in western region in four districts namely Rubirizi, Kasese, Kamwenge and Rukungiri districts. The national park is a home of over 95 mammals including the famous tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector and other animals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos, warthogs, leopards, hyenas, giant forest hogs, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and over 600 bird species.

Boat cruise is one of the interesting activities carried out on Kazinga channel a 40 kilometer long water channel that connects Lake Edward and Lake George in Queen Elizabeth national park. Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is done in schedules that is the morning schedule which starts at around 9:00 am and the afternoon schedule which starts at around 2:00pm and each boat trip takes about 2 to 3 hours during the boat cruise on Kazinga channel, you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view animals like elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks along the shores and variety of water birds including saddle bill stork, long tailed cormorant, black crake, pink-backed pelican, open-billed stork, marabou stork, African skimmer, black-bee eater, papyrus gonolek, malachite kingfisher, African shoebill, pied kingfisher, martial eagle, common ringed plover among others. During the boat cruise on Kazinga channel, you will also be able to see the fishermen along the shores in the fishing villages who will be preparing their fishing gears for night fishing.

Best time to go for boat cruise on Kazinga channel

This activity can be done anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, January and February because during this period abundant animals gather around the Kazinga channel to drink water and cool off which gives you an opportunity to view different animals and take beautiful pictures.

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.

Other activities in Queen Elizabeth national park

Apart from boat cruise on Kazinga channel, Queen Elizabeth national park offers other activities that you can engage in including game drives in Kasenyi sector or Ishasha sector where you will be able to view the tree climbing lions, elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, lion tracking experience, bird watching, mongoose tracking, guided nature walks in Maramagambo forest, community tours and chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura gorge where you will be able to spend one hour with the chimpanzees

Where to stay in Queen Elizabeth national park during your safari

There are a number of accommodation facilities in Queen Elizabeth national park where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury including Kazinga channel view resort, Marafiki safari lodge, Elephant plains lodge, Elephant hab lodge, Irungu forest safari lodge, Parkview safari lodge, Buffalo safari lodge, Queen Elizabeth bush lodge, Pumba safari lodge, Mweya safari lodge, Kasenyi safari camp, Enganzi lodge, Simba safari camp, Mweya hostel, Kyambura Gorge lodge, Katara lodge, King fisher lodge Kichwamba, Ihamba safari lodge, Kitandara hippo hill lodge, Queen Elizabeth safari lodge, Enjojo lodge 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 whereby visitors will drive from Kampala via Masaka, Mbarara or Mubende Fort Portal to the park headquarters which takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive.

Queen Elizabeth national park can also be accessed by air transport means where visitors will book scheduled or charter domestic flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Kasese or Mweya airstrips and then connect to the park headquarters by road.

Boat cruise on Kazinga channel is an exciting activity in Queen Elizabeth national park that can be combined with other interesting activities like game drives, lion tracking experience, chimpanzee trekking, community tours, bird watching in Queen Elizabeth national park, golden monkey trekking, mountain climbing, Batwa cultural trail and gorilla trekking in Mgahinga gorilla national park to make your safari memorable.