Lake Victoria Boat Cruise | A Great Way to Spend Time In Entebbe

Imagine a day spent on the world’s largest tropical lake enjoying stunning views, sipping on a cold beer and snacking away while also learning about the rich history of Entebbe town and Lake Victoria. The sunset cruise on Lake Victoria offers you all this and so much more while on your Uganda safari. Lake Victoria is one of Uganda’s top attractions and is the chief reservoir of the Nile River. Being the world’s largest fresh water lake, Lake Victoria is not only a touristic attraction but provides the locals with fresh waters for fishing and drinking. The shores of Lake Victoria are usually busy with landing and fishing sites that are usually busy and active with locals either selling fish, landing after a good day’s catch and buying fish.

Lake Victoria is the ninth largest continental lake in the world and is shared by 3 countries Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The lake is locally known in Luganda local dialect as “Nnalubaale” however it was renamed in 1858 after Queen Victoria by John Hanning Speke the British explorer. The lake has an area of 26,828 square miles while the lake’s basin covers 92, 240 square miles making its surface area very large. Lake Victoria hosts more than 200 species of fish with tilapia being the most sought after specie economically. Lake Victoria has a number of small islands but the most visited are the 62 islands of the Sese archipelago with stunning beauty and a distinctive off beaten aura.

Sunset Boat Cruise on Lake Victoria

The Sunset cruise is a great expedition that takes you on a journey to explore Lake Victoria and bask in its beauty. The main highlight of the boat cruise is watching the sunset on Africa’s largest tropical lake.

Your experience typically begins with pick up from your hotel and transferred to Protea Hotel by Marriott Entebbe which is the starting point for the excursion. Protea Hotel Entebbe is one of the best luxury hotels in Uganda with green gardens and a stunning view of Lake Victoria so even before you get on the boat you are already treated to beautiful views of the lake. For the keen bird watcher you will even spot some water birds while at the hotel.

The sunset cruise then begins with briefing from the site guides about the safety measures while on board and what to expect. The briefing session ends with wearing life jackets with the help of the site guide to ensure they are properly strapped. You then begin your excursion, there is so much to see and look forward too even as you begin the sunset cruise. The sound of the waves hitting the shores of the lake calls for an opportunity to capture the sounds of the water on video and also take some photos.

The Sunset boat cruise then begins at 5:00pm and the sun is usually out giving a beautiful back drop of clear blue skies and warm golden sunlight. While on board the guide takes you through the history of Entebbe town and geographical information about Lake Victoria. During the briefing the guide tells you about the things to expect to see like the floating island, the Equator, and some water bird species.

While on board snacks and drinks are available and so much to choose from plantain chips, skewers, cold beers, soda, water Uganda waragi a famous Ugandan gin brand and wine is available so the assistant guide can pour you a glass. Enjoy the beauty and cool breeze from the lake whilst you capture some memorable moments and photos while on board.

As you go on with the cruise you come across a small floating island made of rocky outcrop and green vegetation. This could truly be one of the highlights of your boat cruise on Lake Victoria as its beauty is like a scene out of a movie. The floating island surrounded by water and has no presence of human life however bird species mostly great white egrets can be seen flying back and forth as they go about their day. While here the guide stops for some time so that you can have time to watch and capture some beautiful photos.

The sunset boat cruise then continues as you take in the beauty of Uganda’s largest lake as you look forward to getting to the equator where you also stop over for some minutes and then continue with the boat excursion. After leaving the Equator you start to head back to the mainland, by this time the weather starts to change from late afternoon to early evening and the sun begins to set.

Uganda is well known for its good weather and watching the sunset while on a boat cruise on Lake Victoria is the ultimate Uganda safari experience. The golden sun sets with a beautiful reflection that bounces off on the lake, it’s truly a magical experience. Visitors can even capture great postcard photos while on board.

The Sunset cruise comes to an end after watching the sunset on Lake Victoria as you are transferred back to Protea Hotel Entebbe the original starting point.

The Sunset Boat cruise in Uganda is worth adding to your travel itinerary as it is a great way to end your safari in Uganda after gorilla trekking, chimpanzee trekking or wildlife safari in Uganda. The Sunset Boat cruise is also a perfect short day tour option if you are in Entebbe and have a few days to spare, it’s a great way to experience Uganda’s largest fresh water body.

For more on the Lake Victoria Sunset Boat Cruise in Uganda,check out the video below ;