What to Expect on Kazinga Channel Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
What to Expect on Kazinga Channel Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a frequent question asked by travellers which is one of Uganda’s most popular tourist destinations. A natural waterway connecting Lake Edward and Lake George, the Kazinga Channel is a 32-kilometer (20 miles) long. This channel originates from the northern part of the Rwenzori mountains, feeds Lake George, a tiny lake, and then flows through the Kazinga channel to fill Lake Edward. The channel has the highest concentration of hippos in the world, making Queen Elizabeth National Park one of the famous tourist destinations. Many park species are drawn to the channel, particularly in the dry season when the park receives little to no rainfall and has sparse vegetation. Animals tend to remain throughout the dry season.
Due to the abundance of vegetation and food in the marshes, the Kazinga channel also draws a sizable population of bird species. The majority of these birds are aquatic, and you can view them when taking a boat ride or going on a nature walk along the channel. The shoebill stork, African spoonbills, lesser masked weaver, red-capped lark, long-tailed cormorant, black-headed gonolek, red-chested sunbird, grey-capped warbler, swamp flycatcher, and martins are some of the water birds that can be found at Kazinga Channel.
In addition to birds, Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kazinga Channel is home to a variety of animal species. During the boat ride and nature walks, crocodiles and hippos can be observed in the water. Other creatures can be spotted grazing or drinking water along the channel.
The dry season is ideal to see wildlife species like Elephants, buffalo, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys, jackals, topis, waterbucks, Uganda kobs, sitatungas, warthogs, and many more are among the wildlife that may be spotted near the Kazinga Channel.
Activities include:
Boat cruises
The boat trips on Kazinga channel are one of the primary activities that draw visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Uganda Wildlife Authority, Mweya Safari Lodge, and then private persons arrange the boat tours on the channel for exciting and memorable adventures. The boat tours do take place twice a day, either after lunch at 2:00 pm or in the middle of the morning at 11:00 am.
Tourists assemble at the starting location for boat trips, after which they present their permits to determine their eligibility for the activity. After boarding the boat, the guests are briefed by the guide on the activity’s rules and regulations as well as several facts about the Kazinga Channel.
Tourists can wander about this 32-kilometer body of water and see the various natural attractions on and in the surrounding areas during the 2 to 3-hour boat trips. The channel houses the world’s largest population of hippos that may not be found any where else. It offers sightings of hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards, frogs, and several fish species.
A variety of birds, including the African Fish Eagle, African skimmer, black crake, martial eagle, pied kingfisher, Shoebill, Yellow-billed stork, Saddle-billed Stork, malachite kingfisher, and others. All these species can be seen during the boat tour. Since the waterway provides fresh foliage and water, visitors cannot miss out on several park creatures, particularly during the dry season.
Birding- What to Expect on Kazinga Channel Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
With more than 600 bird species found in various parts of the park, Queen Elizabeth National Park is an excellent destination for birding. One of the top sites for birding in Queen Elizabeth National Park is the Kazinga Channel. During the boat tour and nature walk activities, you may witness several bird species that seek refuge in this area.
Some of the birds to see on Kazinga Channel include Long-tailed Cormorant, raptors, Pygmy Kingfisher, black-headed gonolek, Slender-billed weaver, squire-tailed nightjar, Grey-headed kingfisher, slender-tailed nightjar, blue-naped mouse bird, swamp nightjar, African spoonbills, lesser masked weaver, red-chested sunbird, swamp flycatcher, grey-capped warbler, swallows, martins, swifts, rec-capped lark, Shoebill, among others.
How to access the Kazinga channel
The Kazinga Channel is located within Queen Elizabeth National Park and is accessible by both air and road transportation. One of the easiest ways to access the Kazinga channel is by using a flight that takes approximately 1:15 minutes. From Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airfield, there are flights to Mweya Airstrip, which is a short distance from the Kazinga Channel.
Visitors can also drive from Entebbe town or Kampala to Queen Elizabeth National Park via Masaka-Mbarara and Bushenyi to Rubirizi, and then Kasese, alternatively from Kampala via Mubende, Kyenjojo, Fort Portal, and Kasese. More still, travellers can also drive from Bwindi’s Buhoma area to Kasese via Kihihi and Kanungu.
Accommodation – What to Expect on Kazinga Channel Safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park
With several lodges nearby, you shouldn’t worry about where you will stay before or after seeing Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Kazinga Channel. Depending on your budget, you can choose from a variety of accommodation facilities ranging from high-end, mid-range and affordable options. These include Buffalo Safari Lodge, Kyambura Tented Lodge, Mwea Safari Lodge, Acacia Wilderness Camp, Jacana Lodge, Elephant Hub, Hippo Hill Camp, Ishasha Bandas, Simba Safari Lodge, Kingfisher Camp, Queen Elizabeth Safari Camp, and Ihamba Safari Lodge, among others.
