Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise Review – Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda

Inside Queen Elizabeth National Park lies the Kazinga Channel, a waterway that connects Lake George to Lake Edward. Embarking on a boat cruise along the Kazinga Channel is an extraordinary adventure that offers breathtaking views, abundant wildlife encounters, and an opportunity to witness the vibrant ecosystems that thrive within this natural paradise. In this blog post, I’ll review my experience doing a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel and I’ll give you my honest opinion, as well as let you know if it is worth it? Join me!

Where is the Kazinga Channel?

The Kazinga Channel is part of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, which is a popular safari destination in this East African country and is included on many safari packages that also include gorilla trekking in Bwidni, which is what we did.

What kinds of wildlife will you see on a Kazinga Channel boat cruise?

The Kazinga Channel is home to about 2000 hippos, so you’re sure to see them lounging around in the water on your tour. There are also elephant herds, cape buffalo, nile crocodiles, lizards and more.

For avid birdwatchers, the Kazinga Channel offers an unparalleled opportunity to spot a diverse range of bird species. With over 600 recorded bird species in Queen Elizabeth National Park, including several endemic and migratory species, it’s no wonder that this area has become a haven for bird enthusiasts. Some specific species you’ll likely encounter are the African Fish Eagle and the Hamerkop.

Details about doing a Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise

A boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel last two hours and are typically conducted in the afternoon hours. Ours left at 2pm and we returned at 4pm.

Typically, these tours are per-arranged by your safari tour operator, and included in the price of your safari. Although I’m sure you could book it independently, though it’s not common.

Otherwise, as of 2025, the boat cruises are reasonably priced at $30 per person.

What type of camera to use on a Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise?

First off, the boat does not go very fast, so you won’t get wet; there’s no need to worry about damaging your equipment and you don’t need a dry bag.

The pictures on this post were taken using a Sony A7IV and Sony A7III, using 100-400mm and 200-600mm with a 1.4x teleconverter. So, you will want the biggest zoom you can get.

So when you see these close-up photos on this post, remember that I wasn’t really that close – I’m using a giant zoom lens!

Our Experience on the Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise in Uganda

Oof. So I didn’t want to do this boat cruise. At this point in our trip, we were nearly 3 weeks in and my sister and I were balls deep in safari – we were tired of it. We went way too hard on the safaris – prior to Uganda, we had already spent 13 days of safari in Kenya and Tanzania. The last leg of our trip was gorilla trekking in Uganda, and I included the Queen Elizabeth National Park on our safari package because I was obsessed with seeing tree climbing lions (and we didn’t even see any in Queen Elizabeth. We did see them in Serengeti though).

So we were burnt out. Earlier that morning, we did an early game drive, which we just weren’t feeling it – we hardly saw any wildlife (it was a lot of impalas), the lions we saw were wearing tracking collars and to add it all up, I wasn’t feeling the best – I had a headache, which I normally don’t get. After the game drive, we went back to our lodge, took a quick nap, ate lunch and then we were off again to do this goddamn boat cruise. I was NOT in a good mood.

But we got to the boat launch area and to our delight, there were other tourists here! Earlier in the day, on our game drive, we saw only a handful of other tourists on game drives and it made us a little uncomfortable. Unlike our experiences in Kenya and Tanzania, there were very few safari vans on the game drives in the park – it was so odd and unsettling. We wanted other people around and there just wasn’t anyone there.

So we were happy to see that other tourists — including almost everyone else we saw on our morning game drive – was lined up, ready to head into the boat. We had a few minutes to use the restrooms and get settled before hopping on.

There are a few different types of boats here – we saw a very large, double-decker boat and a much smaller, one-deck boat. I’m not sure if there is any difference in the type of tour you get — we were on the smaller boat and I noticed that the bigger boat went to the exact same places we did and returned to the dock at the same time. Regardless of what boat you get, all are equipped with safety gear such as lifejackets.

We got into the boat, our guides introduced themselves and we were off. I have to say that this was one of the best highlights of our entire East Africa safari trip! This boat ride was a ton of fun. It was so relaxing going the game drive from the water, vs. being chucked around on extremely bumpy roads looking for elephants.

Our main guide was top notch – he was very informative and entertaining and spoke excellent English, and I believe he is from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the governing body of Queen Elizabeth National Park. We got to see cape buffalo going for a swim, tons of hippo pods, a huge herd of elephants drinking from the water, nile crocodiles, weird looking lizards – it was so much fun.

The hippo pods seemed to be everywhere. I think of all the lakes we have back at home (I live in Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes) and try to imagine boating around our lakes and running into a pod of hippos – yikes! I’m scared shitless if I come across a harmless water bug!

And birds – tons of cool looking birds! I can’t begin to name all of the types of birds we saw – let’s just say that if you’re into birdwatching even just a little, you will love this cruise.

No, you will not find one of those mysterious shoebill storks here. (Yeah, we were a bit bummed about that!)

You’ll also notice a small fishing village on shore, where locals gear up their boat and head into the channel – and beyond – to catch fish.

Final Thoughts – Boat Cruise on the Kazinga Channel – Queen Elizabeth National Park

My sister and I absolutely loved this — yes, even after being ‘safari’d out’. A game drive from the water is such a wonderful, relaxing and different experience than what you get in a Land Cruiser or safari mini van. If your safari tour operator offers this excursion, make sure you do it because it’s a ton of fun. Even for us, as we were getting a little ‘long in the tooth’ when it comes to safari.

Have you been on a Kazinga Channel boat cruise? Let me know in the comments!