Water tours in Uganda : Uganda is a landlocked country not surrounded by any seas and oceans but is blessed with various inland water bodies. 20% of Uganda’s land mass is occupied by water as lakes, rivers and swamps. One of the biggest lakes in the world, Lake Victoria and the world’s longest river, River Nile have their home in Uganda. Other noticable lakes include Lakes Albert, Edward, George, Mburo, Kyoga, Bunyonyi and Wamala.the Rivers include River Kagera which is shared between Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, River Sezibwa, River Katonga and River Rwizi. There are very many other small lakes and rivers in the country.
With all these famous and big water bodies in a country, water tourism is a great source of revenue in the country. Thousands of tourists come to Uganda each year to participate in various water activities that take place especially on the Kazinga channel that joins lake Edward and Lake George, the source of the Nile, Lake Victoria and Murchison falls. Famous water activities include boat rides and cruises and water sports like rafting and tubing.
Boat rides and cruises
Boat rides are done on most of the rivers and lakes and they provide a great water tour. While on a boat ride, tourists get an opportunity to see various animals and if it’s done in the evening, the sunset is a major highlight. The most common boat cruises and rides are done on Lake Victoria, River Nile and the Kazinga channel.
On River Nile, the boat ride is done mainly in Murchison Falls National game park, the largest game park in Uganda and at the source in Jinja. At Murchison, the ride brings you close to the magnificent Murchison falls giving you spectacular views and more to it, you can decide to do a 30-minute trek to the top of the falls after your ride!
Found in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the two-hour boat ride at the Kazinga channel is an opportune moment to see various birds, mammals and many other animal species. As the animals come to the water edge, you can take pictures to create beautiful memories.
Water sports
Uganda is not just a great place to enjoy the calm boat rides but is a place to enjoy extreme sports on the waters. If you’re adventurous enough for the extremes, it is time to travel to Jinja, the adrenaline capital of East Africa to enjoy any of the water sports available. All these sports do not need any experience or background in them in order to participate but only a heart of adventure as there are trainers available to give you a few lessons.
Water tours in Uganda : Kayaking
This is a gentle water experience but builds a significant level of adrenaline as you go over a few rapids on the river that are very easy to master. It is done on the white waters of the River Nile for a full day and you can pair it with a history lesson about the discovery of the source of the Nile.
Water tours in Uganda : Water Tubing
As the name suggests, water tubing involves an inflated tube. In this sport, you will float on the Nile River while sitting on an inflated inner tube. There are basically three types of water tubing done on the Nile; Flat or lazy water tubing which is suitable for relaxing, white water tubing and Extreme tubing which will raise your adrenaline levels on the river Rapids.
Water tours in Uganda : Water Rafting
If you’re really extreme, this is the adventure for you. Rafting involves navigating very rough waters on an inflatable raft. A raft can carry six to eight people and this water sport on the Nile can be combined with a horse riding and quad biking adventure all at $840 per person.
