Murchison Falls National Park is the largest and most visited national park in Uganda’s north western region. The park was established in 1952, making it one of the earliest national parks.
Murchison Falls, chimpanzees, and the “big five” are the most popular attractions in the national park, which contains savannah vegetation and riverine forest. In addition to the primates such as chimpanzees, 76 species of mammals such as lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, Oribis, Uganda kob, hartebeests, and antelopes, and approximately 451 species of birds such as the Gray-crowned crane (Uganda’s national bird), Giant Kingfisher, Giant Heron, Shoebill stork, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill As a result of poaching and the ceaseless guerrilla conflicts of the 1970s and early 1980s in Uganda, the park was home to rhinos by 1983.
Top Safari Activities in Murchison Falls National Park
- Game excursions
Game drives in Murchison falls national park afford visitors the chance to tour the park and observe numerous wildlife species. Game drives are conducted in 4WD safari vehicles, which are categorized into three categories.
Morning game excursions that occur early in the morning following breakfast. The most rewarding game excursions are those that take place in the morning, when animals are at their most active. During the morning game drive, visitors should keep an eye out for animals such as elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda kobs, warthogs, Jacksons hartebeest, bushbucks, and oribi, among others, grazing in the savannah plains; view big cats such as lions and leopards looking for a morning hunt; and view various bird species, among others.
The afternoon game drive, which is conducted after lunch, is not as rewarding as the morning game drive because the big cats will be hiding from the hot sun, making it difficult to identify them.
Night game drives in Murchison falls national park begin after dinner, accompanied by park rangers and visitors. During the night game drive, visitors will be able to see nocturnal animals such as lions, hyenas, civets, genets, bush babies, night jars, leopards, porcupines, grazers such as hippos, elephants, and waterbucks, as well as appreciate the beautiful landscape under the stars, among other things.
- Boat Cruise
In Murchison falls national park, a boat cruise is among the fascinating activities available. There are two boat cruises, the upstream trip to the base of the falls and the downstream cruise to the Victoria Nile delta, which stretches along the shores of Lake Albert. The boat cruise to the base of the falls consists of two sessions: the morning session, which begins around 9:00 am, and the afternoon session, which begins around 2:00 pm; each session lasts between two and three hours. The Nile delta boat cruise is also conducted in distinct segments, with each session lasting between four and five hours. Both boat cruises depart from Paraa jetty landing site and provide the opportunity to view Murchison falls, beautiful scenery, large herds of hippos in the water, crocodiles sunning on the banks, elephants, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs drinking water along the shores, and aquatic bird species such as the prehistoric shoebill stork, African jacana, saddle bellied stork, open billed stor
- Bird watching
More than 450 bird species have been recorded in Murchison Falls National Park, including migratory birds, endemic birds of the Albertine Rift, savannah birds, and aquatic birds. Bird species can be observed during game drives, nature treks, and boat cruises to the base of the falls and along the Victoria Nile delta in Murchison Falls National Park. During Uganda bird watching visitors should look out for different bird species like giant kingfisher, shoebill stork, black headed lapwing, yellow fronted tinkerbird, black billed barbet, long tales nightjar, veracious dove, long toed plover, Abyssinian ground hornbill, yellow billed stork, grey crowned crane, pied kingfisher, weaver birds, silver bird, martial eagle, yellow fronted tinkerbird among others.
- Chimpanzee trekking
Budongo forest, the largest mahogany forest in East Africa, is where chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park is conducted. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest begins with a briefing from the park aides on the rules, regulations, and expectations. Following the briefing, visitors are divided into groups of six and assigned a chimpanzee family to trek with. Depending on where the chimpanzees slept the previous night, trekking of chimpanzees in Budongo forest takes between 30 minutes and four hours. During trekking, visitors can observe other primate species, birds, butterflies, and various plant and tree species, among others. Once the chimpanzees are located, visitors will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat, observing their behaviors and habits, taking pictures and videos, and observing them play, feed, breastfeed, hunt, and fight.
- Nature walks/ hiking
Visitors have the opportunity to explore the park on foot with an experienced park guide and armed game ranger during this fascinating activity in Murchison falls national park. The majority of the park’s nature treks take place in Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo forest, where visitors can get up close and personal with wildlife species such as mammals, primates such as chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and a variety of bird species, among others.
After the boat cruise to the bottom of the falls, the hike up to the top of the falls is another fascinating walk in Murchison Falls National Park. Depending on speed and physical fitness, the trek to the top of the falls takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour. During the hike, visitors can enjoy spectacular views of the scenery, listen to the crashing of the water, and watch the Nile squeeze through a 7-meter gorge, among other things.
Best time to visit Murchison falls national park
The ideal time to visit Murchison Falls National Park is in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January, and February, during the dry season, when there is less rainfall and access roads are more accessible.
Getting to Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park is located in the northern region of Uganda and is accessible by road from Kampala via Masindi to the park’s headquarters, which takes approximately five to six hours in a safari vehicle.
Murchison falls national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will arrange scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Pakuba, Chobe or Bugungu airstrips and then drive to the park headquarters or lodge.
Where to stay in Murchison falls national park
During your expedition, you can select from a variety of lodging options available in Murchison Falls National Park. The accommodations range from affordable to luxurious and include, among others, Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Tilenga Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Parkside Safari Lodge, Heritage Safari Lodge, Fort Murchison Lodge, Murchison Backpackers, Murchison River Lodge, and Bar Lyec Safari Lodge.
Murchison falls national park is a must visit Safari destination in Uganda that can be combined with Queen Elizabeth national park for exceptional and unforgettable memories.