Murchison Falls National Park is a unique tour destination covering a land area of about 3,840 km2. Murchison Falls National Park is divided into the northern and southern sectors by the Nile River. This is where the most powerful waterfalls, the Murchison Falls is situated. The park gets its name from this natural wonder. Murchison Falls National Park forms a conservation area with Budongo Forest, and Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves.
Murchison Falls National Park is located in the northwest of Uganda. The park lies in the western Rift Valley, on geographical coordinates Latitude 2o 14’ 60.00” N and Longitude31o 47’ 59.99” E. It spreads inland from the Lake Albert shores. The park extends into the districts of Nwoya, Buliisa, Masindi and Kiryandongo. Murchison Falls National Park is around 380 km from Kampala city in the northwest along the Kampala-Gulu highway.
History of Murchison Falls National Park?
The first recorded European explorers to visit this destination were John Speke and James Grant in 1862. However, it was between 1863 to 1864 when meticulous exploration was done with Sir Samuel Baker and his wife Florence. Samuel Baker named the waterfalls, Murchison. This was after a geologist and then president of the Royal geographical Society called Roderick Murchison.
In 1910, the area south of the Nile River (present day Kiryandongo, Masindi and Buliisa) became Bunyoro Game Reserve. During this time the indigenous population were being evacuated due to sleeping sickness spread by tsetse flies. This was between 1907 to 1912. By 1928 it was first gazetted as the Bunyoro and Gulu Game Reserve. It was extended to include areas of present day Nwoya district. Then, in 1952, it officially became a national park.
The Nile River (Victoria Nile) served as the set location for the classic 1951 film, ‘The African Queen’ starring Humphrey Bogart. Murchison Falls National Park is now the largest and among the oldest of Uganda’s protected areas. It is managed under the Uganda Wildlife Authority. In 2005, Murchison Falls National Park became a Lion Conservation Unit. It is the biggest host of 4 of the Big Five mammals of Africa i.e. lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard.
Attractions in Murchison Falls National Park?
There are plenty of interesting things you can see in Murchison Falls National Park when on a safari. These include
Wildlife
This entire Murchison Falls has over 76 mammal species and over 451 bird species. The reptile and amphibian species are 51 species each. Mammals in Murchison Falls National Park include the leopard, lion, elephant, giraffe, hartebeest, oribi, warthog, hippo, olive baboon and buffalo etc. Bird species include shoebill, Denham’ bustard, Malachite kingfisher, Senegal thick knee, Abyssinian ground hornbill and grey crowned crane etc.
Murchison Falls
Through a narrow gauge (6 meters wide) in the park, the Victoria Falls forces its way and plunges about 45 meters downwards (Devil’s Cauldron). This is the Murchison Falls, which is the world’s most powerful. The water at the bottom, in the rift valley floor, then calmly makes its way into the Lake Albert. This is the main attraction here and you can also have a top of the falls walk to flex your muscles.
Savannah landscape
The northern sector of Murchison Falls National Park is comprised of savannah grasses, Borassus palms, riverine woodland and acacia tree species. The southern sector is comprised largely of bushes and forests. These important habitats offer beautiful backgrounds for activities like photography. The northern sector offers favorable views of spotting numerous wildlife species interact with each other.
River Nile-Lake Albert Delta
The part of the Nile River that crosses Murchison Falls National Park is the Victoria Falls measuring around 115 km from east to west. The Nile-Lake Albert Delta is a Ramsar Site where the Victoria Nile pours into the Lake Albert. This lowland is significant for housing numerous bird species including the shoebill, thus an excellent birding hotspot. The delta is endowed with a number of tributaries and islands.
Other attractions to see in Murchison Falls National Park are Budongo Forest, Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and Karuma Falls.
Activities to do in Murchison Falls National Park?
Game drive
This is a guided tour along a game track. This is mainly done in the Buligi Peninsula. A game drive offers you an opportunity to see innumerable wild animals. These are elephants, buffaloes, leopards, bushbucks oribis, hartebeests, warthogs and Rothchild’s giraffes. You can also see numerous birds like the piacpiacs, hooded vultures and pied kingfisher etc.
Birding excursion
This is a guided tour you can enjoy while on a safari in Murchison Falls National Park. Birding tours can be done during game drives, boat cruises and forest walks in Budongo Forest etc. Birds you will most likely encounter include secretary bird, black-headed lapwing, African jacana, swamp flycatcher and Goliath heron etc.
Boat cruise
This is a tour activity done on a motor boat along the Victoria Nile. This tour can also take you to the bottom of the Murchison Falls. The trip also offers the benefit of spotting plenty of aquatic life. Animals to see include crocodiles, hippos, elephants, waterbucks. Birds to see include African fish eagle and grey crowned crane etc.
Other activities to experience in Murchison Falls National Park include sport fishing, hot air ballooning, top of the falls walk, nature walk, forest walk and chimpanzee trekking at Kaniyo Pabidi.
How to get there?
You can get to Murchison Falls National Park in 2 ways. You could either use road transport or go by flight. You can start your journey from either Kampala or Entebbe. From Kampala, the road trip is mainly along the Kampala-Gulu highway through Masindi district. This is a 380 km long scenic drive. This trip will take around 5 to 6 hours on our 4-wheel safari vehicle. We offer the best car hire services that will feel your journey with insight and fun-filled moments.
The option of using air transport requires you to use a chartered flight departing from Entebbe International Airport. This arrives at either Pakuba Airstrip or Chobe Airstrip. This is a 1-hour flight offered by AeroLink. The flight offers aerial views of various Ugandan physical features. You can book your flight in advance through a licenced tour operator like us. We also drop you at the airport as well as pick you when you arrive in the park.
When to visit Murchison Falls National Park?
First of all, Murchison Falls National Park is open for visitation all year round. So, you can plan to explore this biodiversity hotspot on any day of the year. The dry season, however has the perfect factors for you to comfortably explore Murchison Falls National Park. During this season, rainfall is low, humidity is low, vegetation is less dense, game tracks are dry and passable. This is because the weather patterns are largely warm and dry.
The dry season occurs twice in a year. There is an extended dry season running from June to August. The other one is from December to February. However, for birdwatching tours, November to April is the best period. This is because the rains that fall during this time offer reliable water sources to increase sheltering spots, food and water for numerous bird species. This is an opportunity to see both migratory and local bird species.