Murchison Falls National Park Conservation Area is the largest protected area in Uganda, 5.025kms, including Murchison Falls National Park, Karuma Wildlife Reserve and in the south, and Budongo Forest Reserve. The altitude range is from 619m at the delta on Lake Albert to 1.292 m at Rabongo hill. The area is traversed by the Victoria Nile, which connects Lake Kyoga with Lake Albert.
Murchison falls national park is the oldest and largest national park in Uganda. The national park derives its name from the magnificent falls located at the heart of the park. At Murchison Falls, the Nile squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and plunges with a thunderous roar into “devils cauldron” creating a trademark rainbow that is seen all year through.
John Speke and James Grant first discovered this falls back in 1862 but a year later they were thoroughly explored by the Bakers (1963-4). Although it was discovered in 1862, it was officially established in 1952 and is now managed by the Uganda wildlife authority.
Murchison national park is situated in northwestern Uganda approximately 283km by road west of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Therefore it takes about 4 to 5 hours to get to the ideal destination also known as Murchison falls national park.
Alternatively, one can opt for a faster and convenient means of transport, which is by air. The flights take off from Kajjansi or Entebbe airport and land at Pakuba, Bugungu and Chobe airstrips, as preferred by the tourist.
Brief History of the Park
I would like to enlighten you more about Murchison falls national park, Murchison falls national park has been visited by notable individuals such as Winston Churchill who is credited for having done activities such as boat cruise, hiking as well as cycling along the Nile corridor which attracted many more foreigners to the park. In addition, two movies have been shot in the vicinity of Murchison falls Nile river along lake Albert, these include the African queen and Humphrey Bogart.
This is enough evidence to confirm that the scenery at Murchison falls national park is indeed breathtaking. Other vital visitors include Edward the 7th in 1930, Queen’s mother in 1959 and the British royals.
Best Time to Visit Murchison Fallls National Park
Murchison falls national park is an interesting and exciting park with many activities to choose from. Visiting this park will leave you reminiscing about the breathtaking and marvelous experience. The most favorable time to visit the park is during the dry season, which is from December to February as well as June and July.
Although the heat and humidity are rather overwhelming, the safari experience is worth it because the chances of seeing all the animals in the park are high since they frequent the riverbank and it is also not a breeding season for insects such as mosquitoes and tsetse flies. Regardless of the season, the experience is breathtaking because even in the wet season, the scenery is beautiful.
Attractions in Murchison Falls National Park
For the carnivore lovers, Murchison falls national park is a conservation unit for lions as well as leopards and if you are lucky. The park is flourishing with a variety of animals such as the African elephant that may even come to your lodge, buffaloes, the Rothschild giraffes, hippopotamuses, the Nile crocodiles, hartebeests, waterbucks, the Ugandan kob, warthogs and all the different types of antelopes.
The park is also the home of 450 species of birds that are commonly seen in the park, from aquatic birds such as the giant kingfisher to land birds such as weaver birds and sandpipers. Murchison falls national park is the ideal destination to find almost all the animals you desire to see.
There are a variety of vegetation types but woodland and forest patches, as well as low savannah grasslands making the animals visible to the tourists, dominate the park.
The entertainment and park activities will definitely leave you agog. The park has a variety of activities such as early morning and late-night game drives through the animals’ territories giving you the opportunity to see the animals in their natural habitat.
Additionally, you are given the chance to hike to the top of the falls as you feel the cool and refreshing water drops from the falls. There are also nature walks through the parks accompanied by a trusted ranger and an amazing bird watching experience.
To experience the falls at their best and see aquatic animals, there are different boat trips and cruises that give you the experience you deserve. If you’d like to enjoy the park from an aerial view, there are also hot air balloon services at Paraa lodge.
If you love to live life on the edge or play it safe, Murchison falls national park will definitely give you a worthwhile experience. Not to forget, there is a chimpanzee tracking activity for the primate lovers
Murchison Falls National Park is named after the marvelous falls on the river at a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley Escarpment, then it is transformed into a froth of thunderous white water, with no comparison to any other site in East Africa. The vegetation is characterized by savannah, riverine forest and woodland.
Species in Murchison Falls National Park:
There are 76 mammal species, including giraffes, elephants, lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, oribi, and jackals. The list of birds counts 450 species.
Activities in Murchison Falls National Park:
Launch trip from Paraa along the river Nile up to the Murchison Falls (17 km); a hike to “top of the falls”, to see closer from the top the spectacular Murchison Falls; Game drives North of river Nile and at Lake Albert Delta (Buligi, Albert and Queen’s tracks); Sportfishing (Nile Perch and tiger fish), on the river Nile above and below the Fall;. “Chimpanzee trekking” and bird watching in Budongo Forest and Kanyiyo Pabidi Forest Reserve.
Accommodations in the Park
Accommodation at Murchison falls national park makes you feel at home. These include Pakuba safari lodge, Paraa safari lodge, Chobe safari lodge, Kabalega wilderness lodge, Sambiya River Lodge, Murchison falls bamboo village, Twiga safari lodge, Baker’s lodge, Murchison River lodge, Fort Murchison, Red chili rest camp, Murchinson tree house, Nile safari lodge, Heritage safari lodge and Budongo eco-lodge. These lodges will guarantee your comfort and happiness while visiting Murchinson falls national park in northwestern Uganda.