Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park
Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park; Murchison falls national park is the largest and one of the most visited protected area in Uganda located in north-western region. Murchison falls national park is a home of the big five mammals including lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos at rhino sanctuary, other animals like waterbucks, oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, warthogs, giraffes, hippos, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons and over 450 bird species.
Boat cruise is one of the most popular activities in the Park that you shouldn’t miss during the safari. Murchison falls national park offers two types of launch cruise that is boat ride to the bottom of the falls and the Nile delta boat cruise.
Boat cruise to the bottom of the falls is done in sessions that is the morning session which starts at 9:00am, the afternoon session which starts at around 2:00pm and the evening/sunset session which starts at around 5:00pm and each session takes about 2 to 3 hours ride. During the boat cruise, you will be able to view hippos in water, Nile crocodiles basking on the shores, view elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks among others drinking water along the shores, view water birds like cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles, hornbills, bee-eaters among others.
Nile delta boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park starts early in the morning at around 9:00am from the starting point at Paraa jet and it takes about 4 to 5 hours ride on Victoria Nile and during the boat ride, you will be able to enjoy great views of the beautiful scenery, animals, views of different bird species like the prehistoric shoebill stork, open billed stork, papyrus gonolek, African fish eagle among others.
Cost of boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
Boat cruise to the bottom of the falls in Murchison Falls National Park costs 30 USD per person for foreign non residents, 25 USD per person for foreign residents and 30,000 UGX per person for East African citizens while school children in a group are charged 15,000 UGX per person. Launch cruise trip in Murchison Falls National Park takes approximately 2 to 3 hours and takes a maximum of 45 people. Minimum boat charge of 4 persons is 120 USD for foreign non residents and 120,000 UGX for East African citizens.
Best time for boat cruise in Murchison falls national park
Boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park can be done anytime throughout the year though the best period is during the dry season in the months of June, July, august, September, December, January and February because during this period there is less rainfall in the park and many animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives travellers an opportunity to view abundant species and take beautiful pictures.
Other activities in Murchison falls national park
Apart from the boat cruise, Murchison Falls National Park has other interesting activities that you can engage in during the safari including game drives where you will be able to view different animals, sport fishing where you will be able to catch different fish types such as tilapia, top of the falls drive, night game drives where you will be able to view nocturnal animals, bird watching where you will be able to spot variety of bird species including the elusive shoebill stork, guided nature walks where you will get up-close and personal with wildlife species, chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest where you will be able to spend time with the chimpanzees among others.
Where to stay in Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park has several accommodation facilities where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from budget, midrange and luxury including Murchison River Lodge, Fort Murchison Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Murchison Falls Bamboo Village, Sambiya River Lodge, Parkside Safari Lodge, Tilenga Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Geo Lodges Shoebill Camp Site, Yebo Safari Camp, Uganda Wildlife Authority Campsite, Chobe Safari Lodge, Boomu Women’s Group Bandas, Budongo Eco lodge, Ikorom Safari Lodge, Hornbill Bush Camp, Murchison Bush Camp, Murchison Tree House, Heritage Safari Lodge, Bwana Tembo Safari Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge, Bar Lyec Safari Lodge among others.
How to get to Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park is located in the northern part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala/ Entebbe via Masindi to the park headquarters which takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive.
The park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter domestic flights with Aerolink Uganda or Bar Aviation from Entebbe international airport to Pakuba, Bugungu or Chobe airstrips and then connect to the park headquarters by road.
You can as well access Murchison falls national park from Kibale forest national park which takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive.
Boat cruise is an amazing activity in the park that can be combined with other activities in Kibale forest national park for example chimpanzee trekking, chimpanzee habituation experience, day/night guided forest walk, bird watching, Bigodi swamp walk, children’s activities among others. For more information about boat cruise in Murchison falls national park, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for various Uganda safari packages.
