Murchison Falls National Park
Explore Murchison Falls National Park | All You Need To Know
One of the most popular national parks in Uganda therefore one of the most visited by safari tourists and it is regarded as the biggest national park in Uganda having a size of 3,893 square kilometers. Initially, It was called Kabalega national park and later its name was changed to Murchison falls national park. It is also referred to as the giraffe paradise in Uganda.
Murchison falls national park is found in northern Uganda , northwest of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda covering a number of districts in Uganda such as nwoya, masindi, kiryandongo and busiya. It is found on the northernmost reaches of the albertine rift valley
Murchison falls is approximately, 305 kilometers , north of Kampala and that is approximately a three hour drive by road via Kampala-Masindi highway Other people also opt to take a flight directly from Entebbe international airport to the park.
The park is a home to an array of wild life including; lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, antelopes, and birds of over 450 species have been recorded in the park
Like earlier said, each national park provides a different thrill of experience to the visitors and with this guideline, let’s take you through Murchison falls in greater details so as to have great and joyous adventure.
Wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park
The park is regarded as a notable haven for diverse wildlife, it boasts four of big 5 wildlife in Africa. These include; Lions, leopards, elephants and buffaloes. The only big 5 member missing in Murchison falls national park are the rhinos. However, the Rhinos can be spotted at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola District as you head to Murchison falls national park.
It is also a home to a large population of primates like chimpanzees, baboons, and a variety of species of monkeys, as well as big populations of hippos and crocodiles along the Nile River.
Notable wildlife;
Big Five Apart From Rhinos
These are the lions, leoprads, elephants and the buffaloes. The rhions are spotted at ziwa rhino sanctuary which has the largest population of rhinos in Africa.
Primates
Murchison falls National Park has a variety of primates that call it a habitat. These are; chimpanzees which are over 600 in the kaniyo pabidi and budongo forests, olive baboons, blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys.
Antelopes
Uganda kobs, jacksons hartebeests, bushbucks, waterbucks, oribis, and common duikers
Other mammals
other mammals in the park include; rothschilds girrafes, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs and sighting of hyenas occasionally
Birds
with over 451 bird species, murchison falls national park becomes one of the best places in uganda where you can spot birds from. Some birds found here include; rare shoebill stork, goliath herons, kingfishers
Activities Done in Murchison Falls National Park
Visiting the top of the falls
The popular activity Murchison is known for is visiting the top of the falls
Actually most people visit Murchison falls national park to visit the falls where the park got its name from. The magnificent falls form where the river squeezes through a gorge which makes a way to Egypt.
Chimpanzee tracking
just like queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park is also known for the activity of chimpanzee tracking which is really a great experience
Chimpanzee tracking in Murchison falls national park takes place in Budongo forest which is regarded as a home to a large chimpanzees in the park which is located in the parks southern sector, near masindi town.
Before tracking, the visitors obtain chimpanzee tracking permits that are obtained from the Uganda wildlife authority, after that you are required to hire a trained and experienced guide who will accompany you while doing the chimpanzee tracking.
Before the activity starts, you have to first attend a briefing session at the budongo forest headquarters where you’ll be briefed about the chimpanzee tracking process, guidelines dos and the don’ts.
The cost of the tracking varies depending on the tour operator and the services that they offer. Ideally, you are expected to pay around $ 150-$200 per season.
Game Drives
this is also an interesting way to explore the park and spot the different animals or wild life in the park. Here are some of the animals you might see on a game drive while in Murchison falls national park; lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, rhinos, Uganda kobs, or ibis, gazelles, warthogs, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles baboons, monkeys etc.
Game drives take place early in the morning and a tourist is able to see and appreciate the variety of wildlife in the park. At Nyamsika cliffs is where one can enjoy a picnic, view elephants and other wild life. The best season for doing a game drive is during the dry season when animals surround the water bodies.
Bird Watching
a variety of the different bird species in the park are seen between Paraa rest camp and ferry crossing. These include spotted mourning thrush, vitelline masked weaver, silver bird, bluff bellied warbler, blue napped mouse bird, chestnut crowned sparrow, green winged ptyilia, and black headed batis. This is the best site for the localized white rumped seed eater.
The best time for bird watching in Murchison falls national park is during the dry season, from December to February and June to august. This time the roads are not muddy and making it easy to see all the bird species
Nature Walks
these also offer a unique and enjoyable way to experience a great safari tour by seeing the stunning natural beauty and the numerous wild life. Nature walks in the park are done in areas such as; top of the falls trail- a 1-2 hour walk to the top of the falls offering beautiful view, kaniyo pabidi forest walk- this is about 2-3 hours walk giving one opportunities to spot birds, primates and another forest wildlife creatures, Nile river bank walk- a 1-2 hour walk offering stunning views of the river so as to see hippos, crocodiles and birds
Other activities carried by safari visitors while in Murchison national park are as follows; sport fishing, hot air balloon white safari.
Victoria Nile boat cruise
the boat cruise is approximately 2-3 hours and is operated on a daily basis. The boat cruise is $30 for nonresident visitors and UGX 30,000 for Ugandans.
The boat has two shifts, i.e. the morning and the afternoon
Best Time to Visit Murchison Falls National Park
Ideally, when intending to visit Uganda and particularly the great Murchison falls, the best time would be during the dry seasons. That is to say, from June to September and the period of December to February.
During these periods, the wildlife usually congregate around sources of water which makes them to easily be spotted. Secondly, during these dry periods, its easy to game drives since the tracks are dry and easy to navigate.
Accommodation in Murchison falls National Park
worry not about where you are going to stay when you visit queen Elizabeth national park, this is one of the most asked question by people.
Murchison falls offers a vast range of accommodation to suits various client budgets. The accommodation is classified into luxury lodges, midrange lodges and the budget friendly lodges.
Luxury lodges; Paraa safari lodge- a five star lodge with the most comfortable rooms with stunning view, Chobe safari lodge- one of the five star lodges, bakers lodge- luxury rooms with good views
Mid-range lodges such as; Murchison falls national park lodge, red Chilli rest camp, Zambia river lodge and budget friendly lodge such as; Murchison falls national park campsite, red chilli rest campsite, UWA Bandas. Other options include Pakuba safari lodge, Nile safari lodge, Twiga safari lodge
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