Explore Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park is located in northern Uganda and is the country’s largest national park, encompassing an area of over 4000 kilometers squared. Savannah grasslands, riverine woods, timber, and marshes define the park. Murchison Falls National Park was designated as a national park in 1952 after being gazetted in 1926. The primary tourist attraction of Murchison Falls National Park is Murchison Falls, which gives the park its name and is also known as “the Devil’s Cauldron.” It’s an excellent location for Uganda safaris and trips.

Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest and one of its oldest parks, located in the Albertine Rift districts of Masindi, Buliisa, Nwoya, and Kiryadongo. The park is notable for being home to four of the big five creatures, which include the elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard. Even if the park does not have enough rhinos to accommodate all five animals, travelers on their way to Murchison Falls National Park can stop by the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is a safe haven for the country’s endangered Rhinos.

Murchison Falls National Park provides the greatest adventure tours to its visitors because of the variety of tourist attractions and activities that may suit their various wants and wishes while on their Uganda national parks trip. The park is home to 76 animal species and 400 bird species, making it an ideal location for wildlife enthusiasts. However, it is not just a destination for travelers interested in animal viewing, but also for adventure tourists who may participate in a range of outdoor recreational activities.

How to get to Murchison Falls National Park

Depending on their budget, tourists on a Murchison Falls National area trip will enter the area through air or road conveyance. Tourists traveling by car from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, will take up to 4 hours to reach the park.

Tourists can access the park by booking flights from Entebbe airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Pakuba airfield, which is closest to the park. They can also land at Chobe or Bugundu, all of which can lead to easy access of the park in an hour and a few minutes, which is faster than road transport.

Tourists can enter the park through many gates located in different sections of the park, such as the Chobe gate in the park’s northern sector and the Kichumbanyobo gate near Masindi town in the park’s southern sector. Tangi gate is located in the Paara district, and in order to enter the gate, travellers must first cross the Nile on the ferry.

The Wankar gate, located 10 kilometers off the main route, and the Mubako gate along the Kampala-Pakwach route, however tourists will be able to reach the park by crossing the River Nile via the Karuma falls bridge. Even before you enter the park, there are numerous eye-catching attractions such as the Nile River, aquatic birds that may be spotted along the river banks, and many more.

Attractions in Murchison Falls National Park

The park will provide guests on their Murchison Falls National Park trip with an unforgettable experience while seeing the various regions and participating in the park’s many activities. The following are the places and activities that they may participate in to make their Uganda travels memorable:

Wildlife: The park is made up of various vegetation zones and cover that attract various animal species. For example, it is made up of swamp vegetation along Lake Kyoga, woodland, and savannah, all of which support wildlife. Among the different animal species that can be seen are hippopotamuses, Rothschild’s giraffes, warthogs, Cape buffalo, Uganda Kob, Jackson’s-hartebeest, elephants, and many more.

The park is also home to over 400 bird species, providing birders with a diverse range of bird species to observe and study in their natural habitats, including the shoe bill, grey Crowned Crested Crane, Giant King Fisher, Goliath Heron, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Nightjars Marabou stork, and many more.

Game drives: Tourists can see a variety of animals by participating in game drives, which are organized in the morning, evening, and night. All of them provide the best experience because tourists can see a variety of animal species. Night game drives, on the other hand, allow tourists to see nocturnal animals like lions while they hunt for prey at night, which is quite different from other game drives because many animals come out of hiding in the area.

Bird watching: The park is a popular site for bird watchers because to the various bird species (over 400) that can be seen while on Uganda National Parks excursions in Murchison Falls National Park. Water birds such as the African fish eagle, Giant kingfisher, yellow-billed stork, huge cormorant, and many others may be observed. The Budongo woodland is home to a variety of bird species.

The Murchison Falls: The Murchison Falls, also known as the Kabalega Falls, are located within the park and give rise to the park’s name. The falls provide travelers with a wonderful perspective as they make their way down a tight ravine, generating furious falls that can be viewed presenting the greatest unique vistas. The falls are notable for their location between two lakes, Albert and Kyoga, both of which provide breathtaking vistas.

White water rafting: Adventure tourists will have the opportunity to go white water rafting on Murchison Falls, and because the falls offer rough waters and fast-moving waters, they are ideal for the activity, which involves tourists using an inflatable raft to navigate the White Nile in Murchison Falls National Park, which is another interesting activity to do while in the park.

 

Wildlife viewing: Tourists on their Murchison falls trip may observe a variety of wildlife along the banks of the river Nile, such as crocodiles sunning, buffalos, elephants’ waterbucks, and other creatures quenching their thirst from the waters along the banks.

Water Bodies: The park will pique the interest of travelers embarking on a Uganda national parks trip because it is home to a variety of water features, including Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and the Victoria Nile River, all of which can be viewed after the park is visited. The park provides a variety of activities while on the various water bodies, as mentioned below.

Boat cruises :

There are two types of boat cruises or launch trips available in the park: the upstream boat cruise, which takes place at the bottom of the waterfalls, which are the most powerful in the country and in the area, and the downstream boat cruise/launch trip to the Victoria Nile delta, which stretches along the shores of Lake Albert. All of the launch trips/boat excursions depart from Paara Jetty at 2:00 p.m. and last only three hours.

Tourists will be able to see a variety of animal species such as hippopotami, elephants, waterbucks, buffaloes, Kobs, Giraffes, and bird species such as the shoe bill, saddle-billed stork, Goliath Heron, and many more on their Murchison Falls National Park tour, which provides breathtaking views and satisfying experiences.

Hiking: Nature walks in the park are beneficial for a tourist on their Murchison falls national park trip because of the many sights that can be viewed after they are done, and this will guarantee that the tourist is able to become fulfilled while on their Uganda national parks tour. Guided nature walks in the park are the most enjoyable since a tourist may obtain thorough information on the areas visited and the things viewed. The park treks last one to two hours and take them through the Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo woods, where they may witness various animal and bird species.

Short walks can also be carried out from Sambiya River Lodge or Mubako junction all of which offer amazing experiences.

ACTIVITIES IN MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK

Other sights that travelers may view while on their Murchison Falls National Park trip that are not located within the park but can be visited while on the tour include:

The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary was established in 2005 to prevent the extinction of white rhinos in Uganda, which were killed in Kidepo and Murchison Falls National Park during the northern Uganda war, leaving only 6 rhinos in the country. However, thanks to the efforts of the Rhino Fund Uganda, the numbers have increased from 6 to 12 in 2015, and the number of rhinos is now 22 and growing.

The sanctuary not only has Rhinos as the animal species but also other 40 animal species including the antelopes, crocodiles, monkeys, hippopotami and many more and also bird species which attract birders.

Rhino tracking: Tourists are able to see the rhinos closer at a distance of 6 metres which is safe enough for them while they see the different rhinos, their feeding patterns and so on. During rhino tracking, tourists can take photos of rhinos in their natural habitats, and once tourists visit the Sanctuary and Murchison Falls National Park, they can see all five of the big five animals, which are elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, and buffalo.

Birding: Although rhino tracking is more popular, the sanctuary has a lot of bird species that might fascinate birders, such as Abdim’s stork, Blue spotted dove, Abyssinian ground hornbill, booted eagle, wide billed roller, and many others.

Nature walks: Nature hikes may be taken through the sanctuary, where visitors can witness a variety of animal species, including the Oribi, reedbucks, bushbucks, duikers, and others.

Budongo Forest Reserve: Murchison Falls National Park is 47 kilometers from Budongo woodland and can be reached in approximately 30 minutes. The woodland is the largest Mahogany Forest in East Africa. The forest is home to a number of animal species that might entice visitors on their Murchison Falls National Park trip. The forest is home to a variety of bird species as well as chimps, lions, and buffalos, which have drawn travelers on their tours.

Chimpanzee trekking: Budongo forest has over 500 chimps that can be trekked; the activity involves tourists going into the chimps’ natural habitats to understand their patterns of living, such as feeding patterns, how they coexist with one another, how they coexist with the forests, and so on, which is quite rewarding once completed.

Birding: The forest is home to a variety of bird species, some of which may be seen nesting in the trees. Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s Spinetail (rare), Pygmy Crakes, Kingfishers, White-spotted Flufftail, Ituri Batis, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Brown Twinspot, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Crowned Eagle are among the species.

ACCOMMODATION IN MURCHISON FALL NATIONAL PARK

Tourists on their Murchison Falls National Park tour will have the opportunity to choose from various classes of accommodation based on their budget. Each of the accommodation facilities that are chosen, regardless of their class, is capable of ensuring visitor satisfaction with top-notch services such as bar services, dining services, and 24 hour room services that enable quality service delivery.

Budget Accommodation

Murchison backpackers

Saltek forest cottages

Mama Washindi lodge

Grassroots cottages and tours

 

Mid-range Accommodation

Pakuba Safari Lodge

Budongo eco-lodge

Sambiya River Lodge

Fort Murchison Lodge

Luxury accommodation

Paraa Safari Lodge

Chobe Safari Lodge

Nile safari lodge

Baker’s lodge

Tourists on their Murchison Falls National Park tour will have the opportunity to experience nature’s best when it comes to visiting National Parks that will offer magnificent views of the popular Murchison Falls, a number of animals including four of the big five, and many more as part of their Uganda tour.