The Kazinga Channel

Thirty-two kilometres of water joining Lake George to Lake Edward, and one of the densest gatherings of hippo and birdlife on the continent. Best seen slowly, from a boat.

The channel is a natural corridor between two lakes, and everything in the park comes to it. Hippo sit in pods a few metres off the bow; buffalo and elephant come down to drink in the late afternoon; the banks are lined with pelicans, kingfishers and skimmers.

The afternoon launch is the one to take. The light softens, the animals move to the water, and you are looking at them from below rather than down from a vehicle — a completely different photograph.