In western Uganda, on the rift valley floor joining lakes, Edward and George is the 915-meter, 36-kilometer Kazinga Channel—a wildlife magnet for animals protected within Queen Elizabeth National Park known to host the highest concentration of hippos worldwide. Kazinga Channel is a key feature of the park and a popular tourist attraction.

Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park

The epitome of any safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park is a boat launch on Kazinga Channel. This is where visitors can view pods of hippos at close range, spot over 60 waterbird species, and marvel at the notorious sunbathing Nile crocodiles, elephants, and a large number of animals that come to the channel for a drink.

Kazinga channel splits the park’s tourist attractions into two unequal tourist circuits. The more extensive south of the channel features the wildlife-rich Ishasha sector—known for its tree-climbing lions, Maramagambo Forest, Kyambura Gorge—a chimp tracking attraction, and Katunguru villages. 

The smaller north of the channel features the most rewarding wildlife viewing sectors like Kasenyi, Katwe, Katunguru, Mweya, Kikorongo, and the Kichamba Escarpment. 

Linking the two sides is a 50 km stretch of surfaces Kasese-Ishaka Road that runs between Kikorongo in the north and the Kalinzu project in the south, crossing the Kazinga Channel at Katunguru Bridge. Almost all camps and lodges serving the northern section lie alongside this road, with a few exceptions linking off the main road up to 20 km, which means tourists can drive to Kazinga Channel from any camp within one hour.

FROM $1,100 per person

4 Day Gorillas and Golden Monkey Safari

The gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and then head to Mgahinga National Park to meet the beautiful golden monkey.

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FROM $1175 per person

5 Day Gorillas & Wildlife Viewing Safari

Track the habituated gorilla in Bwindi and take a classic game drive safari in Queen Elizabeth N. Park

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From $1235 per person

5 Day Uganda Gorillas and Game Safari From Kigali

This trip gives you a chance to visit queen Elizabeth National Park for game viewing and later track gorillas in bwindi forest.

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The Kazinga Channel Boat Launch

The 2-hour boat launch on Kazinga Channel is the most popular activity in Queen Elizabeth. The boat trip sets off from the jetty below Mweya Safari Lodge northeast of Lake Edward and stretches the 35-km channel to Lake Gorge.

The boat launch is a great excursion giving an excellent opportunity to get close to wildlife in the boat’s comfort. Tourists can easily see hippo pods, elephants, buffalo, Uganda kob, and waterbuck. Unexpectedly, the giant forest hog, leopard, and lion can frequently be spotted. A keen eye can spot the huge monitor lizards in the riverine shrub and the crocodile lounging in the afternoon heat.

Kazinga Channel is great for viewing water birds, which swarm the shores like the pink-backed pelicans, yellow-billed stork, plovers, pink-backed pelicans, and white bullied cormorants often flock the sandbanks near the channel mouth. 

Uganda Wildlife Authority and Mweya Safari Lodge operate the two boat launches on the channel, with UWA charging $30 pp and Mweya a little less but with more comfortable boats.

UWA boat trips on Kazinga Channel leave daily at 0900, 1100, 1300, 1500, and 1700, while the Mweya boats leave at 1100, 1400, and 1615 and also at 0700 and 0900 by special request.

If you get on the 1400 and 1500 departures, you’re more likely to yield good elephant sighting, particularly during the dry, hot days when the hot sun pushes towards the Kazinga Channel to drink and bath. The odds of seeing predators are also high during the dry heat.

From $1720, per person

5 Day low season Uganda gorilla and chimp safari

Comprises of gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale Forest National Park

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FROM $1560 per person

5 Day Gorillas & Rafting The White Nile

Explore the source of the mighty Nile river and later hike into Bwindi to track the elusive mountain gorilla..

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From $1500 per person

5 Day off season gorilla and chimp safari

Your five-day tour allows you to explore the two distinct primate species that Uganda offers to the world in its tropical rainforests.

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Getting There

A drive from Kampala via the 309 km smoothly surfaces road takes 6-8 hours, passing through Masaka, Marara, and Bushenyi cities. Alternatively, you can take the 400 km Mubende-Fort Portal-Kasese road, which takes about the same time to drive. The latter fits well with chimpanzee trekking safaris in Kibale National Park near Fort Portal city.

Preferably, you can cut the journey time with a regional scheduled flight between Entebbe International Airport to Kasese Airstrip, which takes about 1.5 hours, and drive 40 km (30 mins) to Kazinga Channel. 

Kazinga Safari Options

Kazinga Channel is a must for any safari visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park. There are great accommodation options in the north and southern sectors of the park, especially along the Mabara-Kasese highway. 

Queen Elizabeth National Park usually features on Uganda gorilla safari itineraries from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park via Ishasha Sector, where visitors can view the impressive tree-climbing lions. Most of these trips continue north to Kibale National Park for the chimpanzee tracking experience, and a few of them will fly south to the larger Murchison Falls National Park.

Adventure travelers will spend a few nights in Queen Elizabeth National Park, visit Kazinga Channel, and head west to Rwenzori Mountain National Park for a mountain climbing challenge.

We operate customized safaris to Queen Elizabeth National Park, and almost all our trips will include a boat launch on Kazinga Channel. Send an email to our dedicated travel consultants to help you craft a custom safari in Uganda that suits your preferences. We’ll give you all the latest details on exploring this incredible wildlife heaven, taking care of all the ground handling for your journey.