Murchison Falls National Park was named after Roderick Murchison who was the president of Royal Geographical society. This highest visited park was established in 1952 after the colonial government had established National Parks Act of Uganda after early inhabitants of the area were evacuated due to sleeping sickness.
Murchison Falls National Park is thrilling with an enormous number of big 4 animals like 15000 elephants, over 26500 buffaloes and so much more.
Uniqueness of the park
The most powerful waterfalls on planet earth cannot be sighted anywhere else except from this park. Murchison falls squeezes through a gap of 7m width sending off a heavy sound that is perceived as thunderous.
It is one of the few national parks where visitors can do night game drives. Game drives are usually a must-do for visitors while in this park but night game drives offer a chance to spot nocturnal animals that may not otherwise be spotted during day.
Murchison Falls National Park is the only national park where hot air balloon safaris happen. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful skies of Murchison falls national park as it is the only national parks where the adventure can be done.
Attractions in Murchison Falls National Park.
- Murchison falls
Murchison Falls National Park has been named after these thunderous waterfalls which is known as the most powerful in the world with water oozing out through a narrow rock crevice of 7m and falls through a height of 40 meters to a water pool of 50 m radius. Most of the tourists enjoy accommodation that is close to the waterfall to enjoy the deafening sound that is produced by waterfall especially during the quite hours like in the night.
- Victoria Nile
The source of this River is in Jinja but visitors can get sight of it from a variety of places since it’s the longest Africa has ever had. This river flows and feeds the greatest water fall of the waterfall the world claims, Murchison falls. The surroundings of the river are beautified by giant crocodiles that enjoy resting on the sand banks, elephants and other animals that make trips to the waters to shower and drink water. Tourists get to enjoy a boat trip over these waters from Paraa to either bottom of the falls or delta point.
- Buligi game area
The best game viewing spots in Murchison Falls National Park are found in this region. This area offers awe-inspiring views as it’s situated the Victoria Nile and the Albert Nile with scenic views stolen from the western rift valley. game driving is usually conducted both in the morning and afternoon.
- Birds
All over the park, tourists spot small creatures fly high in the sky aimlessly and with over the 450 birds in the park, tourists cannot miss on eyeing birds like African Quail-Finch, elegant grey crowned cranes, blue-headed coucal, white browed sparrow weaver, squacco heron, silver bird and other belles that can be sighted along the Nile corridor, Paraa, River Nile among other areas.
- Wildlife
Murchison Falls National Park is an entanglement of woodlands, savannah, wetlands and tropical forests that offer a shelter for a variety of life in the park that includes over 76 mammals that include hippos, warthogs, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, hartebeests and elephants.
- Primates
Over 800 chimpanzees enjoy skipping and playing around in huge trees together with other primates that include olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, white and black colobus monkeys that can be spotted in Budongo forest, Kaniyo Pabidi among other areas in the park.
- Budongo forest
This forest is part of Murchison Falls conservation area together with Kaniyo-Pabidi forest. Budongo forest is filled with natural supplements like butterflies with over 287 species of them, 460 different tree species and others that include primates.
- Paraa
Tourists who enjoy the huge water hippopotamus wide their mouth openly run for this spot while they are in the park. Paraa means home of hippos locally and while at this site, a visitor might think that all the hippos are packed in this one place since they have a crazy concentration.
Activities in Murchison Falls National Park.
- Game drives
Tourists get to overlook the beauty of the park while resting their bodies at the back of their seats in their vehicles. As early as 6:am, tourists get to enjoy two full hours of pondering at the animals while they come of their nests to hustle the day down. An early game drives gets tourists sight at animals like elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, lions, birds, warthogs and more animals.
Murchison Falls National Park also offers an exquisite nocturnal game drive. While in the park in the dark shades that are brought by the night, tourists get to sight on predators and the company of the flash lights expresses silhouettes of animals grazing and nocturnal animals like leopards, hyenas, lions while in the park.
- Visit top of the Murchison falls
A visit to the wild and yet interesting powerful waterfall through an adventurous hike or drive over the shaking grounds due to vigorous water pressures. With just a fee of just $10 per person, visitors get to enjoy the 45 minutes of galloping over the hilly area to get rewarding bird’s eyes views.
- Hot air balloon safaris
This is a new and highly sought-after activity in the park. It is the only park where this activity is done in Uganda. Visitors get to enjoy surveying the entire park in the sky as they compete with birds.
- Sport fishing
Visitors interested in this activity shouldn’t miss obtaining fishing permits at $50 per day and should come ready with their fishing equipment and get ready to catch a variety of fish species like Tilapia, Nile perch, cat fish, tiger fish, mud fish among other.
- Chimpanzee trekking
Budongo forest blossoms with a variety of primates that enjoy jumping on trees with over 800 chimpanzees. Furthermore, visitors get to enjoy the company of other primates like olive baboons, white and black colobus monkeys among others.
- Birding
Whether on a hike, nature walk, air balloon or boat cruise, tourists get to sport different bird species flying high. Murchison Falls National Park has a variety of areas where the birds can be spotted like the Budongo forest, along River Nile among others.
How to get to the park?
One can access the park by air through either scheduled flights or charter domestic flights from Entebbe International airport or Kajjansi airfield to one of the airstrips close to the park. These include Chobe, Pakuba or Bugungu. It usually takes an hour for visitors to reach the park from the airport and this is highly recommended for those who do not prefer traveling long distances.
Alternatively, visitors can bear with long journey of about 5- 6 hours’ drive from the airport or Kampala to the park through Masindi and enjoy the wondrous scenery along the way. Travelers can either use private means of transport or public transport to the park and the markets along the roadside, beautiful scenery all leave visitors in awe.
When to visit the park?
Visitors are warmly welcome to the park throughout the year but for a memorable safari, one should endeavor visiting during the dry season of June to September and December to February since they offer more lively experience than wet seasons.
