Boat cruise safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park: This is one of the most visited national parks in Uganda located in the south west of Uganda in districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri. It’s the second largest national park in Uganda and is a habitant of many wildlife including 96 mammal species i.e. leopards, lions, hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, Uganda kob, antelopes, bushbucks, warthogs, giant forest hog and primates such as olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, black and white colobus as well as over 600 bird species among which include pied king fisher, African fish eagle, squaccon heron, wattled plover and open billed stork among others

Launch cruise safaris in Queen Elizabeth national park is done on Kazinga channel which is 40 km long connecting Lake George to Lake Edward.  Boat cruise in the park is done by Mweya safari lodge and Uganda wildlife authority and it’s done in two sessions. The morning session starts at 9am and the evening session at 2pm on the landing site near Mweya safari lodge.

During the boat cruise at Kazinga channel you will be able to see animals meters away i.e. elephants, warthogs, antelopes, buffaloes drinking water along the shores. Kazinga channel is one of the best birding destinations in Uganda and it has birds such as long tailed cormorant, open billed stork, black crake, pied kingfisher, yellow billed stork, African jacana, pink backed pelican, swamp flycatcher, grey capped lark, slender tailed night jar, red capped lark, African mourning dove among others. You will as well see the local fishing villages around kazinga channel

Cost Of The Boat Cruise Safaris  In Queen Elizabeth National Park

There are two sessions of the boat cruise trips in queen Elizabeth national park the morning session and the evening session although most visitors go for the afternoon session because they usually do a game drive at around Kasenyi plains. The boat cruise at Kazinga channel costs USD 30 for foreign nonresidents and foreign residents of Uganda while east African citizens pay 30,000 ug shs. And it lasts for 2 hours

Best Time For Boat Cruise Safaris In Queen Elizabeth National Park

The boat cruise in Queen Elizabeth national park can be done any time of the year though the best period is during dry season from June to September and from December to February. In this period there is less rainfall making Kazinga channel an oasis for animals and they gather around to cool off their bodies and to drink water giving you an opportunity to view animals at a close range i.e. elephants, hippos, waterbucks, buffaloes, lions and warthogs among others.

Visitors who want to engage in the boat cruise at kazinga channel should carry equipment such as camera and extra batteries to record moments and take photos of animals, a pair of binoculars to view birds from a distance and a hat to protect you from direct sunshine

Apart from boat cruise, the park offers other interesting activities which visitors can engage including game drive, lion research tracking experience, birding, community village tours,  chimpanzee trekking and nature walk.