Murchison Falls National Park.

Murchison Falls National Park is the longest-standing and largest safari destination in Uganda. In 1926, it was initially designated a game reserve, while in 1952 it was promoted to a national park. Together with the whole protected areas network of Uganda, UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) is a body entrusted with the park’s management, which extends over an area of 3893 km2. One of the major attractions to Murchison Falls National Park is the spectacular waterfall and its force. The river squeezes through a narrow 7-meter gorge and then drops 43 meters, thus visitors are not only given the captivating sight but also the sweet sound of the fall during their safari. Murchison Falls National Park is situated in the northwestern region of Uganda, quite close to Masindi town.

Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is one of the few places in the world where locals can experience all the big 5 animals but a single game drive to Murchison Falls National Park and short visit to Ziwa rhino sanctuary to see white rhinos makes it even possible without traveling across the border. The National Park covers the region between the wonderful Murchison Water falls, Rabongo forest, Lake Albert, River Nile, Buligi game track, and Kaniyo Pabidi, stretching the park to Budongo Forest and others.

Attractions in Murchison falls national park.

Animal species.

More than 76 different species of animals inhabit Murchison Falls National Park, and it is their natural home. The park is a combination of savannah and forest (Budongo) hence very rich in animal diversity. In fact, the park is one of the only two places in Uganda, other than Queen Elizabeth National Park, where you can spot the “big four” which are lions, buffalos, elephants, and leopards out of the “big five”. The large mammals besides the big four which can be seen in the park are giraffes, Ugandan Kobs, warthogs, crocodiles, and hippos. During your game drive safari, you can as well have the chance to spot other mammals such as giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks, hartebeests, oribs, waterbucks, warthogs, hyenas, and many more.

Bird species.

Birdwatchers will be astounded by Murchison Falls National Park which harbors 450 species of birds that include water birds, migratory birds, forest birds, and species exclusive to the Albertine Rift. Below is a list of some birds you may spot in the park, Shoebill stork, Africana jacana, Black-billed barbet, Silverbird, Squacco heron, Giant Kingfisher, King Fisher, Hornbill, the Turaco, Denham’s bustard, Goliath heron, Piapiac, Weaver Bird, Fly Catcher, Bee Eater, Malachite kingfisher, Palm-nut vulture, Swamp flycatcher, Crown Crane, and many more.

Primates.

Among the numerous primate species that can be found in Murchison Falls National Park are chimpanzees that mostly reside in the forest parts of the park like Budongo forest, Kaniyo Pabidi forest and Rabongo forest. Along with the chimpanzees, baboons which are typically found along the road are a hilarious attraction in the park as they wait for tourists to throw some food. There are also Patas monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and blue monkeys that collectively make Murchison Falls National Park the ideal safari destination for primate lovers. Except for Patas monkeys which prefer savanna, the rest of the primates mentioned above live in the forested areas.

Things to do in Murchison Falls National Park.

Game drive in Murchison falls national park.

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest park in Uganda. It has the best game drive safaris spread all over the park, where you can spot the most fascinating animal species. The most efficient locations for game viewing safaris in Murchison falls national park are; The southern part also called the core of Murchison falls national park where visitors get the chance to encounter diverse wild animals such as a large number of Uganda Kobs, Lions, as well as giraffes that were brought into the park in 2016. Another highly recommended spot for game viewing in Murchison falls national park is Buligi Peninsula where huge herds of Elephants, Buffaloes, and other herbivores can be seen peacefully grazing and at times fetching water from the river while the lion as the king of the jungle is watching his next prey from a distance.

Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park.

Murchison falls national park offers two boat cruises one going upstream and the other downstream. Many tourists on a Uganda safari to Murchison love taking a boat cruise upstream to the base of the waterfalls. This is a thrilling and exciting walk safari activity. Along the shores, during a boat cruise, you even get to see different kinds of animals such as elephants, buffalo, and many bird species. The upstream boat cruise is done twice a day, one in the morning at 9 a.m. and the other in the afternoon at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the downstream boat cruise takes visitors to the Albert delta, where they have an excellent chance of spotting a shoebill stork, a very impressive bird for bird lovers.

Hiking top of the falls in Murchison falls national park.

Hiking to the top of the falls is the most physically demanding walk safari activity done in Murchison falling which takes the visitors from the foot of the water fall to the top of a 45 minutes uphill walk. Although the hike to the top is exhausting, it rewards the hikers with a great walk safari experience as they get a view of the whole park and hear the sound of the waterfall. For the top of the falls hike, you must be in good physical shape and health.

Bird watching in Murchison falls national park.

Bird watching safaris in Murchison falls national park offer the visitors a great experience with colorful birds appearing everywhere during game drives, guided nature walks, boat cruise safaris within the park. However, tourists can also go for a dedicated bird watching safari to see various birds in different areas of the park including places near rivers, lakes, and forests among others. Birds like Cuckoos, ducks, Malachite kit, winged stork, secretary birds, Black-headed gonolek, Black-headed lapwing, Blue-headed coucal, Denham’s bustard, Eastern grey plantain-eater, Black-billed barbet, Giant kingfisher Goliath heron and several other birds are frequently spotted. Yet, it is the moment of interacting with the extremely rare shoebill stork that really excites the birder. They are along the Albert delta and can be spotted only during the dry season when the water levels are low.

Nature walks in Murchison falls national park.

Murchison Falls Park offers an assortment of well-marked walking trails through which the visitors can see great variety of primates, mammals and bird species. Besides seeing nature, these walks are a great way of having a close forest experience as they largely occur within the forest referred as the forest walks at Kaniyo pabidi, and Rabongo forests along with the armed rangers guides for protection against wild mammals.

Cultural encounters in Murchison falls national park.

The cultural tours in Murchison falls park give the opportunity to the visitors to meet local community members within the villages that are close to the park like Mubako Village where the visitors get to know the Mubako cultural group which is famous for its exhilarating cultural performance. There is also a remarkable encounter with the Boomu Women’s group that can be found in Kihanguzi village. They united and set up their group with the intention to get rid of poverty and even to educate their children. Continue with the cultural tour with the visit to the local schools, churches, hospitals, and donate to some kids.

Sport fishing in Murchison falls national park.

Sport fishing is one of the most interesting safari activities to be done in Murchison Falls National Park. Fishermen are taken to well-marked spots where they have the chance of catching fish such as Nile perch, Tilapia, Tiger fish, among others. Anglers can decide whether to do this sport fishing for half a day, a full day, or even more days depending on their preference.

Where to stay in Murchison falls national park.

There are several lodges both inside the park and outside the park where tourists can stay while on a safari to Murchison falls national park. The said accommodations are in different categories of Luxury, Midrange and budget and they are designed to meet the needs and desires of every traveler. Among such lodges include Budongo Eco lodge & Bomu Women’s group Bandas, Chobe safari lodge, Geo lodges shoebill campsite, Sambiya River lodge, Para safari lodge, Chilli Rest Camp and many more.

Best time to visit Murchison Falls National Park

The best time to visit Murchison Falls Park is during the dry season from December to February and from June to September. This is true for all national parks in Uganda (known as the Pearl of Africa) because the trails are mostly dry during that time, making it easier to see many animals since there is less vegetation to obscure them.