Boat Cruise in Uganda : Boat cruise safaris in Uganda are amazing for tourists who can explore the pearl of Africa. There are a number of safari destinations in Uganda where tourists can embark on a boat cruise and these include Lake Victoria, Lake Mburo, Lake Mutanda in kisoro district, Lake Bunyonyi in kabale, Nile River in Murchison falls national park and kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park. Tourists can embark on a boat cruise in Uganda and can spot aquatic animals such as crocodiles and hippos, various bird species and amazing physical features such as terraced hills and lush vegetation.
WHERE TO GO FOR A BOAT CRUISE SAFARI IN UGANDA
BOAT CRUISE ON LAKE VICTORIA
Boat cruises on Lake Victoria are common and tourists on their safari tend not to miss out on this. Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water lake on the continent and in the entire world and it’s shared by three East African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Tourists get a chance to explore some islands on the lake such as Ngamba Island where you can see chimpanzees and ssese islands.
Tourists can decide to go for sunset boat cruise which are conducted at 4pm or 5pm. You can get to chill and unwind on a boat cruise as you sip a cold beer or cocktail as you watch the sunset on the horizon.
MURCHISON FALLS BOAT CRUISE
The national park is located in the northern part of Uganda in masindi district and it’s the largest and oldest national park. The national park offers two boat cruise options either upstream to the bottom of the falls or down stream to Victoria Nile delta. The Murchison falls boat cruise takes place in the morning at 9am while the evening/sunset boat cruises take place at exactly 2pm every day. The boat cruise downstream to the bottom of the falls is the most amazing one with the highlight of the boat cruise being the Murchison falls. The boat cruise usually takes 3 hours and it can be combined with a hike to the top of Murchison falls.
Tourists can take a boat cruise upstream to the Nile Delta have a chance to explore animals such as hippos, Nile crocodiles, giraffes, buffalos and elephants among others. The boat cruise takes 4 to 5 hours and tourists can get the chance to see a number of various bird species such as Goliath heron, Abyssinian ground hornbill, African quail finch, giant kingfishers, shoebill stork and red-throated bee-eater among others.
KAZINGA CHANNEL BOAT CRUISE
Boat cruise on the kazinga channel are conducted in Queen Elizabeth national park and it’s the second largest national park in Uganda as well as the oldest national park. The channel is located in the western rift valley connects two lakes in the park and these are Lake Edward and Lake George. The channel attracts a number of wildlife animals and birds thus making it an ideal place to spot wildlife species and birds. A boat cruise safari on kazinga channel begins at 9am every morning and at 2pm in the afternoon.
While on the boat cruise, tourists can spot animals such as crocodiles, monitor lizards, hippos, antelopes, elephants, waterbucks and buffalos among others. Birds such as grey-headed kingfisher, pied kingfisher, grey-capped warbler, pin-tailed whydah and malachite among others.
LAKE MBURO BOAT CRUISE
Tourists coming to Uganda can have a boat cruise on Lake Mburo. The lake is strategically found in Lake Mburo national park in western Uganda although it’s known to be the smallest national park in the country. Boat cruises on Lake Mburo happen on a daily basis every morning at 9am and every afternoon at exactly 2pm. The boat cruise session takes 2 to 3hours and these begin from Rwonyo. While on a boat cruise on Lake Mburo, tourists get to view a number of wildlife species such as hippos, buffalos, antelopes and bird species such as king fishers, black crake pelicans, cormorants, herons and shoe bill stork among others.
BOAT CRUISE ON LAKE BUNYONYI
Lake Bunyonyi is found in southwestern Uganda and it’s the deepest lake in the country and second deepest on the African continent after Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania. The lake is found in kabala district and boat trips on the lake are amazing. Tourists get a chance to explore the beautiful surroundings around the lake such as the beautiful terraced hills of kabale, amazing islands and birds.
Some of the interesting islands that tourists can get to explore on a boat cruise on Lake Bunyonyi include the punishment island where women who got pregnant out of wedlock would be abandoned and left to die in isolation. Another island is Akacuraniko Island where locals believed it turns upside down. The lake has a total of 29 islands which are scattered in different areas across the lake. While on a boat cruise tourists can spot a number of birds such as pied crow, egrets, levillant cuckoo, African harrier hawk and fish eagles among others.
LAKE MUTANDA BOAT CRUISE
Lake Mutanda in kisoro district in south western Uganda offers tourists a unique boat cruise experience. A boat cruise on Lake Mutanda can be combined with a gorilla trekking safari in Mgahinga gorilla national park or Bwindi impenetrable national park. Tourists who wish to explore the lake and it’s a breath-taking surroundings can take a boat ride in a traditionally dugout canoe. Boat rides on the lake takes place early in the morning when the water is calm and easy to navigate on a traditional canoe.
While on the boat cruise, you will enjoy listening to birds whistle in the trees and learn more about the Bufumbira and Batwa cultures as you listen to the folk songs and tales being narrated to you by the local guides. Tourists can also take part in fishing activities on the lake using traditional fishing methods and also get to visit local schools within the neighboring communities.
