Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is one of the best game parks to visit while in Uganda with Africa Holiday safaris. The park is located in the Murchison Conservation Area where we also find the Bugungu and Karuma wildlife reserves.

The park is endowed with several attractions including over 76 mammal species with four members of the big five, the lion, the leopards, the elephants, and the Buffaloes. Other species include bushbucks, Uganda kob, waterbucks and warthogs, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, hyenas etc. Along the shores of the nile and within the waters you will see lots of hippos and crocodiles among other resident creatures. There also several primates in the Murchison falls national park including babaoons and several monkey species.

Murchison Falls National Park sits on the shore of Lake Albert, in northwest Uganda. It’s known for Murchison Falls, where the Victoria Nile River surges through a narrow gap over a massive drop. Park wildlife includes elephants and hippos, and there are chimpanzees in the Kaniyo Pabidi mahogany forest. The Lake Albert Delta is home to rare shoebill storks. There are game fish in the cascades of Karuma Falls.

WHAT TO DO IN Murchison Falls National Park

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Game drives

This can be done either in the morning or evening around the Buligi game tracks on the Northern bank with a ranger guide. Explore the length of around 120-170km driving through the savannah grasslands, woodland, acacia and riverine vegetation viewing different animals for example: the elephant, lion, herds of buffaloes, jackals, Uganda kob and so many others as well as different bird species. The evening game drives will help you spot leopards at dusk. The idea of moving with a game ranger is that they know different hideouts for different animals.

Cultural Encounters

Experience the culture and the lifestyle of the local luos. Relax in the evening as you watch the energetic dancers from Mubako perform. The Boomu women’s group offer accommodation, a craft shop and village tours where you will see the local Luo lifestyle and their daily activities in the rural communities. The village is a cluster of traditional thatched huts, where villagers gather to escape the midday sun under the shade of a large tree. At dusk, the local cultural groups perform at campfire of local lodge, accompanied by the beautiful sound of the “adungu” which is an instrument made of cowhide and twine and the harmonies of different sizes. There are few economic opportunities in this region and the climate makes farming hard, but with the money generated through tourism, the community can buy produce from local markets, pay school fees and other.

Bird Watching

For the bird watchers, they should involve in both game drives and launch trips to encounter different birdlife including savannah forest birds, water birds and Albertine Rift endemics. The boat cruise at the Nile Lake Albert Delta will give one an opportunity to experience different bird species at the banks including the rare shoe bill. Forest walks are also very rewarding to the bird watchers.

Hiking and Nature Walks

Nature walks in in this park are taken at the vast landscapes and varied scenery of Murchison Falls National Park and the surrounding Conservation Area. Walking through Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo Forests provide sightings of many primates and birds. Sight the rare shoebill in the guided swamp walks. Visitors who enjoy rigorous exercise may disembark from the walks for the 45 minutes to 1 hour climb to the top of the fall and there after the tourists can walk back to the boat.