Top things to do in Murchison falls national park
Top things to do in Murchison falls national park; Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s largest protected area located in northwestern park of Uganda in Bulisa, Kiryadongo and Nwoya districts. The national park was gazetted in 1952 which makes it one of Uganda’s first national parks and it covers a total area of 3,840 square kilometers which is comprised of savannah vegetation, riverine woodland, forest patches and acacia trees which act as habitat for wildlife species. Murchison falls national park is a home of 76 mammal species including the big four of the big five mammals which are the lions, elephants, buffaloes and leopards, other animals like waterbucks, Uganda kobs, Oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, hippos, Nile crocodiles, primates like chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons and over 451 bird species including black headed gonolek, Abyssinian ground hornbill, malachite kingfisher among others. There are a number of interesting activities in Murchison falls national park which you can engage in during your safari including,
Top things to do in Murchison falls national park
Game drives in Murchison falls national park
Game drive is the major activity in Murchison falls national park where tourists get a chance to explore the park in a comfortable 4 WD pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide. Game drives in the park can either be done very early in the morning so as to view animals when they are most active or in the evening where you will be able to view animals going back to their resting areas. During the game drive which takes about 4 to 5 hours, you will follow different game tracks like Buligi trasck, Victoria track, Albert track among others where you will be rewarded with great views of animals like buffaloes, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kobs, oribi, giraffes, warthogs, waterbucks, elephants, bushbucks, view predators like lions, leopards, hyenas, jackals among others if you are lucky, view different bird species among others.
Murchison falls national park also offers night game drives where tourists will be able to explore the park at night with an armed park ranger and spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals. During the night game drive which starts at around 8:00pm after dinner, you will be able to view nocturnal animals like civet, lions, leopards, genets, porcupines, hyenas, night jar, bush babies, hippos, enjoy the beautiful landscape under the stars among others.
Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park
Boat cruise is another interesting activity that you shouldn’t miss during your safari in Murchison falls National Park. There are two boat cruise activities in the park that is boat cruise to the bottom of the Murchison falls along the Victoria Nile which takes about 2 to 3 hours and Nile delta boat cruise which takes about 4 to 5 hours. Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park starts at Paraa jetty landing site and it gives you an opportunity to view large herds of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view other animals like elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, view water birds like open billed stork, papyrus gonolek, goliath heron, malachite kingfisher, red throated bee-eater, saddle billed stork, African jacana, papyrus gonolek among others.
Bird watching in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is a home of more than 451 recorded bird species including Albertine rift endemic birds, savannah birds, water birds among others which make it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. There are variety of bird species in Murchison falls national park that can be spotted during the game drives, boat cruise, nature walk including the prehistoric shoebill stork, giant kingfisher, yellow billed stork, black headed lapwing, yellow fronted tinkerbird, black billed barbet, long tailed nightjar, veracious dove, long toed plover, Abyssinian ground hornbill, martial eagle, swamp flycatcher, red throated bee-eater, giant heron, African jacana, secretary bird, red winged grey warbler, saddle billed stork, Senegal thick knee, Denhams bustard, silver bird, grey crowned crested crane, blue headed coucal, malachite kingfisher, standard winged nightjar among others.
Nature walk/ hiking in Murchison falls national park
Nature walk is an exciting activity in Murchison falls national park where tourists get an opportunity to get out of the safari vehicle and explore the park on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and armed park ranger. There are various hiking/ nature walk trails in Murchison falls national park which pass though Kaniyo Pabidi forest, Rabongo forest, Albert delta area, top of the falls among others. During the guided nature walk, you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species like elephants, warthogs, primates like blue monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, view different bird species, enjoy the cool breeze, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, take beautiful pictures among others.
Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park
Chimpanzee trekking is an adventurous activity where tourists will move on foot into the forest in search of the habituated chimpanzees and once found spend one hour with them in their habitat. Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park is done in Budongo forest and the activity starts very early in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters. After the briefing you will start trekking in the jungle with a trained park guide who is well conversant with chimpanzee trekking trails. Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the chimpanzees because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, different plant species, birds among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their behaviors, habits, watch them feed, breastfeed, hunt, fight, play, rest, groom young ones among others.
Best time to visit Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best period is during the dry season which is also known as the peak season in the months of June, July, august, September, December, January and February. During the dry season the park receives less rainfall therefore vegetation will be thin which allows you to view different wildlife species clearly and also most of the animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives you an opportunity to view abundant wildlife species.
Murchison falls national park can also be visited during the rainy season in the months of March to May and November because that’s the best period for bird watching where you will be able to view migratory bird species.
How to get to Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is located in northwestern part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala or Entebbe via Masindi to Murchison falls national park through one of the gates such as Chobe, Wankar, Tangi, Kichumbanyobo or Bugungu gate which takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive.
Murchison falls national park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book charter or scheduled flights with Aerolink Uganda from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Chobe, Pakuba or Bugungu airfields and then connect to the lodge or park headquarters by road.
Where to stay during your safari in Murchison falls national park
There are a wide range of accommodation facilities in Murchison falls national park where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange, budget and campsites including Nile Safari lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Fort Murchison Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Bwana Tembo Safari Camp, Heritage Safari Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Masindi Hotel, Parkside Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Budongo Eco Lodge, Bar Lyec Safari Lodge, Boomu women’s group Bandas, UWA Bandas, Kalalo Cottages, Global Village Guest house, Yebo Safari Camp, Sambiya River Lodge among others.
For lifetime memories you can combine your safari at Murchison falls national park with chimpanzee trekking in Kibale forest national park. For more information, do not hesitate to contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website for affordable safari packages.
