Boat Launch Safari
Overview
A launch is an open boat. It is a larger ships carried on a sailing vessel powered by oars. These boat launches usually carry different tourists along different water bodies while viewing the spectacular wild life and aquatic life.
East Africa provides the best experience for those who desire to put their safaris on the next level. It is not enough to just stand by the shores of many different bodies like rivers and lakes. A number of eye catching views and magnificent features are captured on such cruises therefore get onto that boat and capture a life beyond the shoreline.
There are quite a few countries in east Africa that offer such an exclusive and luxury safari which are; Uganda and Rwanda.
Uganda
Boat safaris in Uganda offer different fascinating opportunities and unique experience for the visitors. These are offered depending on the place where the tourist wishes to explore. Therefore, for those who want the thrill of travelling on water for about 2-5 hours, watching different landscapes, natural features, spotting different wildlife and bird species along the shores, get to book your safari with Pamoja tour and travel company. Visitors interested in the boat launch safaris can visit places like Lake Victoria, Murchison falls national park, kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park, lake bunyonyi and Lake Mutanda.
Murchison falls national park
This spreads through the shores of Lake Albert and river Nile up to karuma falls and is considered to be one of the strongest waterfalls. This offers two boat cruises that is to say; a boat trip to the bottom and up stream of the falls. Downstream is that going to the Victoria Nile delta stretching up to the shores of Albert while the boat cruise up stream is up to the bottom of the falls. These offer great bird species, animals like water ducks, giraffes, Uganda cobs, crocodiles etc.
while on this cruise, the boat launch ends at the devils cauldron and tourists get down from the boats to hike up to the stunning waterfalls and mountains hence giving the tourists another chance to take part in other activities.
Kazinga channel boat safaris
This is one of the best for those who want to encounter the beauty of nature with different natural features and animals. Additionally, this offers some of the highest concentrations of hippopotamus, elephants, herds, buffalos and antelopes.
Boat cruises on Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria being the largest lake in Uganda and one of the fresh water bodies in the world with its source originating from river Nile. Here tourists get to travel to different islands like Ngamba Island, Ssese islands, Bugala, Buvuma, Koome, and others which offers visitors an opportunity to view the tremendous sunset, chimpanzees, different bird species, animals like monitors, crocodiles, hippopotamus etc. Lake Victoria also provides sports activities like fishing, horse riding, community tours etc.
Lake Bunyonyi
This is in the western part of Uganda in Kabale and it is the second deepest lake after Lake Tanganyika. More to that, it is the most beautiful and safest place in Uganda to take the boat cruise. Note that Lake Bunyonyi does not harbor hippopotamus or crocodiles. Lake Bunyonyi has about 29 islands all over the different areas of the lake with an island that is believed to have turned upside down (Akakuranika Island)
Rwanda
Boat Launch Safari , Rwanda, the beautiful land with plenty of hills offers its best boat launching safaris along Akagera Lake in the Akagera national park. Akagera boat trips here allow you to explore the best of Rwanda’s wild and physical features. Likewise along Lake Ihema, Rwanda provides different wild game drives just from the cruise and you can also increase the world life count while you launch.
A number of animals and aquatic life awaits for the visitors like the crocodiles, buffaloes, hippopotamus, fish eagles, egrets, hammerkops and the prehistoric shoebill. This is also the best way to have a memorable cruise of about 2-3 hours where you experience the best of Rwanda’s wild.
Spend some time observing some of Rwanda’s endemic species. For instance;
- king fishers
- hawk
- malachite
- ibis
- jacanas
Enjoy different activities like fishing, bird watching on the boat launch safaris as well.
When to go for a boat launching safari
These safaris have no specific time or days because they go on throughout the year. However the best time for these safaris is during the dry season where there is little or no rainfall hereby giving a tourist a chance to view the wild and explore the waters without limitations or threats. Months of June, July, august, January and February give you the best season to go boat launching.
Costs
Uganda
The prices for these safaris do not depend on the number of people however the capacity of passengers per trip is only 40-45passengers. The safari its self, costs a bit more money according to the tour company however there are fixed prices for the boat cruises. Foreign residents and foreign nonresidents pay is 30 USD whereas the price for east African residents is 30.000 UGS for the boat cruise. However for the case of lake Mburo, the foreigners both the residents and nonresidents is 15USD while for the east African residents is 15.000 UGS for the boat cruise.
Rwanda
Rwanda prices depend on the safari a tourist is planning to take. This may be an executive safari, private tours or group tours. Booking is definitely cheaper and easier with Pamoja tour and travel company. Get a chance to receive what meets your interest. Rwandan boat cruises carry a maximum of 11 people where every person gets to pay 40USD for group boat cruises. Private tours cost up to 180USD to rent the whole boat and the person here gets to book it in advance. You can also cruise within Akagera Park along Ihema and explore two wonders at a go.
Threats in boat cruising
Some lakes are too deep and others have unforgiving aquatic creatures of the water. For instance, crocodiles can threaten the life of the tourists.
Water hyacinth on some lakes like Lake Ihema is in abundance. This creates a high threat on the bio-diversity of the region and the people cruising themselves.
