Uganda’s most thrilling adventure destination, Murchison Falls National Park offers a longest tourist activities done on a safari in Uganda. The park is the largest national park and protected area in the country. And arguably known to have the world’s most powerful waterfalls the massive Murchison Falls.
Statistically, Murchison receives the largest number of visitors compared to the rest of the parks in the country.
The park is a center for pleasure, relaxing, it’s great reflection for honeymooners, family and company retreats are clearly possible and interesting.
Murchison Falls National Park is very accommodative to all travelers both for backpackers (budget) and classic luxury travelers. Expectation for those traveling for a safari adventure to Murchison is having a sight of the big five games, watching the world’s most powerful waterfalls, tracking the chimpanzee, wildlife viewing and watching, community engagements among so many others.
Geographical Nature of Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls geographically is located in edge of northern Uganda separating northern Uganda, Northwestern Uganda and Northwestern Uganda. So, the park is easily accessed from Hioma, Kampala, Gulu, and Gulu cities. The location of Murchison makes it the most easily to access national park. The conservation area covers districts of Masindi, Pakwach, Kiryandongo, Nwoya, and Bulisa districts.
Murchison Falls National Park besides being the biggest national park, is also the largest protected area. Various game reserves were considered to make the greatest Murchison Falls Conservation Area including; Bugungu Forest, Karuma Reserve, and Budongo Reserve forming the 3,893 km2 areal coverage.
The Park is bisected by the running Victoria Nile which forms the Northern and Southern sections of the park. The Northern section of the park is the most thrilling for adventure, this is because of its nature of having an open golden grass savannah dotted with acacias and palm trees. The northern section hosts the largest concentration of wildlife, and the southern section features forests, thickets and savannah woodland which does not support habitation of many wildlife as compared to the northern section.
The parks feature the dramatic scenic Murchison Falls which is the iconic feature, The Victoria Nile River which forms the fuming and thunderous Murchison Falls. The falls are formed as hug waters force into a narrow gorge of 7m wide and falls into a depth of 45m. The Victoria Nile continues after the falls, and flows to Lake Albert forming one of the great Albetine Delta where the Victoria Nile meets Lake Albert to form the Albertine Nile.
History Murchison Falls National Park
In 1862, Uganda received the first Europeans John Speke and James Grant visited and investigate Murchison Falls National Park. However, later Samuel and Florence Baker made a comprehensive investigation where they named the falls Murchison Falls in honor of geologist Roderick Murchison, who was the president of the Royal Geographical Society at the time.
Due to sleeping sickness brought on by tsetse flies, residents in an area of around 13,000 km2 were forced to flee between 1907 and 1912. The Bunyoro Game Reserve was established south of the Nile in 1910. That region essentially equates to the portion of the MFNP that is located in the Buliisa, Masindi, and Kiryandongo districts. The present-day Nwoya District was added to the limits in 1928, to the north of the river.
The National Parks Act of Uganda was established by the British government in 1952. The park experienced an animal overpopulation in the 1960s, which led to the culling of elephants and hippos in order to control the high herbivore population. However, a tremendous amount of animal life was lost during the great civil wars.
Expectation in Murchison Falls Nation Park
The reason of visiting Murchison Falls National Park is drawn by expectation on what to find nd indeed there are many to expect whenever one thinks of Murchison. There are numbers of wildlife species which call this rush golden savannahs, forests, thickets dotted woodland their home. Among expectations include; the recorded 76 mammal species, some of which are members of the Big Five (elephants, lions, leopards, and buffalos). A trip to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Murchison Falls National Park rewards you with a view of the big five in the wild. The Jackson’s hartebeest, chimpanzees, and giraffes are just a few of the numerous mammals present, along with one of the greatest populations of hippos and Nile crocodiles. The park is home to over 450 different bird species, including shoebill storks, herons, and many others.
Will visit the world’s most powerful waterfalls besides animals, take a boat ride to the bottom of the falls, and watch various amazing landscapes including cliffs, visiting local communities among so many others. The roads leading through the park are the clearest road which paved through the park, and the driving tracks still don’t show any aspects of car getting stuck.
Accessing Murchison Falls National Park
Northern Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park is only reachable by plane or by road. Aero Link and Bar Aviation both offer scheduled and chartered flight programs; they both operate domestic flights. There are two public airstrips in the park: Bugungu in the south and Pakuba in the north. Chobe also has a unique private airfield for private flights.
The park’s three main entrances are located in different locations along the road: Bugungu from Bulisa, Kichumbanyobo from Masindi, and Tangi from Pakwach. The Kichumbanyobo gate from Masindi is the quickest route while traveling from Kampala and takes roughly 5 hours to complete.
Things to Do at Murchison Falls National Park
Wild Game Drives
The MFNP is Uganda’s best wildlife viewing reward, as you discover as you sit piping over the pop-up of your 4×4 safari tailored vehicle. A safari in Africa wouldn’t be complete without this wildlife drive through the MFNP savannah, Uganda’s best wildlife viewing location. On your safari to Murchison, you can expect to see the big five in addition to the Ziwa rhino sanctuary. A hub for larger creatures like elephants, buffaloes, hippos, lions, leopards, giraffes, and other antelope species, among many others, may be found through the rapid opening of the golden grassland that is sprinkled with acacia trees. The game drive continues along the northern section of Pakuba trails to the delta point, where you can simply anticipate the greatest animal viewing of the entire trip.
While grazing in a wide-open meadow, numerous wild animals are spotted. The optimum times to go on game drives are early in the morning when the animals are making their way to their feeding areas and late at night when they are heading back to their sleeping areas. Expect to see breathtaking landscapes on a game drive, including grassland dotted with acacia and palm trees, mammals, birds, valleys, and numerous other interactions.
Boat Launch
A boat launch along the Victoria Nile is one of the amazing wild cruises on the Pearl of Africa. The launch begins at Para and proceeds to the base of the most potent waterfalls in the entire globe. The boat trip takes about 3 hours and travels about 17 kilometers. Along the way, there are better sights along the banks of the Nile, including herds of hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, and giraffes, as well as a variety of birds, including herons, cormorants, ducks, bee-eaters, fish eagles, kingfishers, and, in rare instances, shoebills.
Top of the Falls Hike
Right at the top of the falls is where the hiking trail begins; descend a slope to return. For those who are interested, birding can occasionally be combined with the hiking experience. In the midst of the huge Murchison’s roars, the slope descends almost all the way to the base of the falls, which is an incredible experience. Gifts with a variety of activities, such as camping, picnicking, and walking safaris, are offered at the top of the falls.
Sport Fishing
Sports fishing is a special arrangement done along the flowing Victoria Nile. Sport fishing at MFNP is about catch and release; the main catch includes nile perch and tigerfish. A Nile perch can weigh up to 50kg. At the slow-flowing section of the falls extending to the delta are the points that are more convenient for fishing. Normally, the number of people allowed to do sport fishing is regulated by the different designated sports, and this requires those interested in this activity to make an earlier booking.
Chimpanzee tracking
Many chimpanzees are housed in the Budongo Forest Reserve’s southern stretch. Even though they might not be totally acclimated, the chimpanzees in this area have a higher possibility of discovering the apes. The tracking begins at Budongo Eco Lodge, which is open at eight in the morning. Depending on where the tracked family is located, the tracking may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. When confronted, trackers have an hour of experience being among chimpanzees. Because they travel great distances in search of food during the dry season, it can be challenging to see and follow chimpanzees. It’s not always possible to locate and follow the chimpanzees at Budongo.
Where to say at Murchison
Being a thriller of adventure in Uganda, there are a variety of adventurous spots set for visitors. Accommodations at Murchison range from luxury to mid-range to budget.
Luxury Lodges include; Nile Safari Camp, Chobe Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge and Entikko Safari Lodge
Mid-range lodges; Pakuba Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Fort Murchison, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge and Twiga Safari Lodge.
Budget Lodges and campsites; Red Chili campsite, Boom Women’s Center, Hornbills Bush Lodge, Parkside Safari Lodge, Murchison Giraffe Camp, UWA Public Campsite and hostels, Murchison Backpackers, and many more.
