A boating safari provides you with a unique, tranquil and complementary way to appreciate the varied wildlife in East Africa.
Adding a boating safari to your expedition can be a thrilling, tranquil and complementary activity to the vehicle safaris offered during an Asilia safari. These water excursions allow you to take a deep breath and inhale the fresh and clean air while looking out for the ever-present crocodiles. Grunting hippos provide a unique soundtrack to the experience, asserting their dominance across the water. Much like a game drive, our boating safaris are offered in small groups accompanied by an expert guide.

Where to go on a Boating Safari

A boating safari is an unforgettable way to explore the diverse wildlife and stunning scenery on a Tanzania safari from a different perspective. You can glide along rivers, lakes, and wetlands and see animals such as hippo, crocodile, elephant, buffalo, birds and beyond.

If you are interested in a boating safari, you should mention this adventure to our expert safari planners. Depending on your preferences, budget, and travel season, they will help curate the best boating safari itinerary.

A boating safari is available in Tanzania’s vast Nyerere National Park on the Rufiji River, a massive maze of wildlife-infused lakes and waterways. As the dry season approaches its peak, boating can become difficult due to low water levels in September and October.

In the far south of neighbouring Ruaha National Park, Usangu Expedition Camp offers boating safaris through the waterways and tributaries of the Great Ruaha River. Birding is excellent throughout this region with a variety of resident and migratory wetland species, and elephant and antelope are frequently seen on the shore.

Staying in Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake, offers exciting and romantic boating trips. The evergreen vegetation on the island is lush and supports an incredible variety of birdlife. Along the shoreline, scan the treetops for the African fish eagle, marvel at hundreds of weavers building intricate and delicate nests, and keep an eye on the shallow waters for the spotted-necked otter. Forest elephant can occasionally be seen, emerging from the forest to drink and bathe.

Alternatively, Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda offers the chance to explore its waterways, including the 32-kilometre Kazinga Channel, which links Lake Edward and Lake George. This natural wildlife corridor is best experienced on a boat safari, where you can glide past pods of hippos with just their nostrils above the water, watch buffalo cooling off along the shores, and see elephants coming to drink. The channel’s vibrant banks are alive with waterbirds, creating a captivating scene of life at the water’s edge.