Boat cruise is one of the unique exhilarating activities to do during your safari visit in Uganda, Uganda is gifted with several rivers and lakes occupying 20% of Uganda’s landmass. Some of the rivers in Uganda include River Nile the longest river in the world, River Sezibwa, River Katonga, River Kagera and lakes include Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake Edward, Lake George, Lake Mburo, Lake Bunyonyi among others.
Boat cruise is a thrilling and breathtaking experience for touring and enjoying the waters of Uganda, sightings of various wildlife and bird species living on the banks of the water bodies and the swamps.
WHERE TO DO BOAT CRUISE IN UGANDA
Source of the Nile and Lake Victoria boat cruise
The source of the Nile is among the top rated sites and a major tourist attraction, the source of the Nile is where River Nile the longest river in the world marks its beginning on its journey of 4000 miles to the Mediterranean Sea. The source of the Nile is located in Jinja about 1.5 hours from Kampala the capital of Uganda via Mabira forest.
Boat cruise on the source of the Nile is done in a motorized boat, the boat cruise takes you where the river waters start separating from the lake waters. This spot is marked with a sign post which is perfect for pictures on the slab, the boat cruise offers amazing scenery of the Nile curving through sections, gardens along the Nile and local fishermen carrying on with their fishing expeditions.
Boat trips on Lake Victoria also takes visitors to different islands like the Ngamba Island for chimpanzee trekking, and Ssese islands for relaxation. Boat trips on the Nile in Jinja are mainly for water lovers for activities like white water rafting, Kayaking, Tubing, Bungee jumping and sunset and sunrise boat cruises. These activities can only be explored while on the Nile River in Jinja.
Murchison falls national park Nile boat cruise
Murchison Falls national park is one of the sites in Uganda to do boat cruises. Murchison Falls national park is located in north western Uganda in Masindi and lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift valley. The park is Uganda’s largest national park covering an area of 3,840 square kilometers. The park was later named after Murchison Falls the world’s most powerful falls. The Falls are formed as the Nile forces its way through a narrow gorge of 8 meters before plunging with a thunderous roar into the Devil’s cauldron.
Boat cruise in Murchison Falls national park is done at the bottom of Murchison Falls, this activity also referred to as launch cruise starts from the Paraa dock sailing towards. A boat trip to the bottom of the Murchison Falls offer magnificent views of the Murchison falls from a few meters away and various wildlife and birds, animals to lookout for including schools of hippos and crocodiles in the waters, herds of elephants, warthogs, oribis along the banks of the river and water birds such as shoe bills, long toed plover, grey headed-kingfisher, African darter among others.
During the boat cruise, visitors also get to learn a lot about River Nile and the park itself. The most interesting boat cruise schedule is the afternoon boat cruise that takes you the bottom of the Nile River because in the afternoons, most land animals come to drink from the River, animals like the Elephants, Buffaloes, and Antelopes can be seen at the bank shores of the River while on the bottom of the falls. Then also the water animals like the hippos and crocodiles are common on this boat cruise. Hippos can be seen resting and playing in the water and along the shores of the River.
Boat cruise in Murchison Falls national park are also done on the Albert delta, the boat cruise also starts from the Paraa dock at the North bank sailing down to the stream where River Nile splits up forming numerous floating islands of papyrus. Boat cruise in Murchison Falls national park last for about 3 hours and are offered as daily and private boat cruises.
Boat cruise on the Kazinga channel of Queen Elizabeth national park
Kazinga Channel is one of the remarkable tourist attractions of Queen Elizabeth national park located in the western Uganda about 420 kilometers from Kampala the capital of Uganda, Kazinga channel is a 32 kilometers long natural channel connecting Lake George to the East and Lake Edward to the west. The Kazinga channel attracts a variety of wildlife such as the world’s biggest population of hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, herds of elephants, cape buffaloes, waterbucks and several water birds such as the rare shoe bill, martial eagles, cormorants, African skimmers, pelicans, papyrus Gonolek among others.
For many visitors to Uganda, the Kazinga channel boat cruise is the highlight of a wildlife safari in Uganda. The Kazinga channel is the best place in Africa with the highest concentration of Hippos. While on a boat cruise along the Kazinga channel, you will catch up with sights of various animals, birds and reptiles on the shores. For example, the Crocodiles can be spotted along the shore along with numerous hippos. Thus, the boat cruise is a lot of fun, and gives tourists the chance to take photographs of the scenery, the animals they sight, and of themselves in the middle of such beauty.
There is no morning scheduled boat cruises however, you can take a private boat. Boat cruise at Kazinga channel set off at 2:00 pm on a daily lasting for about 2-3 hours exploring the nature and enjoying sights of various animals and birds. Boat cruise is offered in park owned boats and private boats operated by different safari lodges.
Boat trip on Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi is one of the most beautiful lakes on the African continent and the second deepest lake on the continent, the lake has a width of about 7 kilometers and a length of 25 kilometers. Lake Bunyonyi is located in the south western Uganda, the lake gets its name from a local slag meaning the land of many small birds. Lake Bunyonyi is loved for its magical bilharzia free water, no hippos and over 29 islands scattered in the lake, each of these islands has an amazing history behind and your guide is very much welcome to explain it to you during the boat cruise.
Boat cruise in Lake Bunyonyi are done in a dugout canoe, during the experience you get a chance to discover the lakes, visit the islands in the lake where you will get to spot various species of birds and be explained the history of the islands such as punishment island among others. A boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi takes you to over the 29 highlights scattered on Lake Bunyonyi and you will get the opportunity to encounter with the local people living on the island , clear views of the landscape, terraced hills, community homesteads and also you will spot a number of bird species around the area such as the Grey crowned crane, Cardinal wood pecker, white tailed blue Monardo just to mention a few.
Lake Mburo boat cruise
Lake Mburo is another perfect destination to do boat cruise in Uganda, Lake Mburo is one of the 14 lakes found in Lake Mburo national park the smallest savannah national park in Uganda and the only national park situated close to Kampala the capital of Uganda. Lake Mburo national park is located in western Uganda in Kiruhura, the park covers an area of 260 kilometers.
Lake Mburo national park is the only park in Uganda to have a whole lake found within its boundaries making it a perfect destination for boat cruise in Uganda, boat cruise in is a very rewarding experience offering tourist a chance to explore the lake and spot various animals and birds. Boat cruises in Lake Mburo national park are done in motor boats varying in size depending on the number of tourists, this activity is offered in three sessions that is morning, mid-morning and evening boat cruises. Each session takes between 2-3 hours.
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo national park is a great opportunity to see numerous animals such as hippos, crocodiles, topis, impalas and birds such as black bellied bustard, Caruthers cisticola, blue napped moosebird, yellow throated long claw among others.
Lake Mutanda in Kisoro
Lake Mutanda is yet another interesting lake in Uganda offering exciting boat cruise experiences for tourists. Just like Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mutanda also offers boat cruises in dugout canoes. The boat trip on Lake Mutanda is best done in the morning hours when the waters are still calm and easier to navigate. While on the boat cruise, you enjoy the beautiful views of the islands, Virunga mountain ranges, birding watching experiences. The lake also offers opportunities for visitors interested in fishing practices. The local people residing near the lake use the lake for transportation.
Taking a boat cruise in any of the above destinations comes at a cost of about US $30 person. Boat cruises can be done anytime of the year however, the best in best to do the boat cruises in Uganda is in the dry seasons when the waters are relatively calm without the effect of the heavy rains.
