Murchison Falls National Park
What YAS members think
Highlights
- Big four, no rhinos, but Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is en route back to Entebbe and Kampala
- Trekking inside Kaniyo Pabidi forest to track chimpanzee and other primates
- River rides
- Bird watching
- Shoebill stork
About Murchison Falls National Park
Also known as Kabarega falls; Murchison Falls National Park is the largest park in Uganda. The National park is managed by Ugandan Wildlife Authority. The park covers an area of 3,840 km² (1,480 mi²). Together with Karuma Wildlife Reserve and the Bugungu Wildlife Reserve that are adjacent to it, Murchison Falls National Park form the Murchison Falls Conservation Area that has an area of 5,308 km² (2,049 mi²).
The park lies in north western Uganda stretching from Lake Albert shores spreading inland around the Victoria Nile. The park wildlife is improving tremendously from the poaching menace it faced during the era of Dictator Idi Amin.
Wildlife of Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls National Park is home to four of the big five that include elephants, buffalos, leopards and lions. Also in the park are wild animals such as hippopotamus, giraffes, crocodiles, antelope, Uganda Kob, hartebeest, oribi, amongst other wildlife. The park has an amazing variety of water birds that include shoe-bill stork.
The park offers an astounding experience from its activities such as trekking into the forest to get a good track of the chimpanzees and other primates in the Uganda’s biggest mahogany forest. Also there are great bird watching sites and an amazing waterfall view.
When is the best time to visit Murchison Falls?
The best season to visit the Murchison National park is from December to February, as the weather tends to be drier and the animals easier to spot. he months of June through August also sees drier conditions and lower temperatures. These months are considered peak time for tracking gorillas. January to March is the best time for bird watching.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest conservation area in Uganda. It covers an area of over 3,840km. The park derives its name from the famous waterfall, the Murchison Falls on the Victoria Nile. A boat trip to the base of the falls is always the highlight of your tour to this park. On the boat trip expect to see many animals like hippos, crocodiles and elephants by the river bank and of course lots of water birds. The falls make a stunning sight, seeing the Nile squeeze through a narrow gap before dropping down 42 meters below, with a thunderous roar is simply magical. On a day we were there, we saw a rainbow!! Can a place be more beautiful? Game drives here are also very exciting as animals are easy to spot. Elephants, buffalos and giraffes are very common. Lion sightings here are occasional but they are there. We also spotted the elusive leopard (lucky us!), warthogs and lots of antelopes like Uganda kob, Jacksons hartebeest and waterbucks. The park is also home to hundreds (451) of birds species like the shoebill, Abyssinian ground hornbill, secretary birds, black bellied bustards, and a lot more. Murchison Falls National Park offers the best game viewing safari!!
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I had a great safari experience in Murchison Falls National Park. The park offers an abundance of wildlife species in birds, mammals, reptiles, vegetation cover and so much more. Sighting three prides of lions and the leopardess with her cub in a single day was an astonishing feeling. Coming across several families of elephants with young ones was incredible. The vastness of the park is amazing because there is no crowding of tourist vehicles and tourists. The Murchison Falls is incredibly spectacular and is indeed the world's most powerful waterfall. The park also has a variety of decent lodging facilities situated all across the park which makes it easy to decide where to stay depending on which activities one intends to undertake. Visiting Murchison Falls Park is worth every bit of it and I would love to visit the park again.
Murchison Falls National Park is truly a remarkable destination. The breathtaking scenery, with the powerful waterfall and the Nile River, creates a mesmerizing experience. The wildlife sightings are incredible too, with elephants, lions, and giraffes roaming freely in their natural habitat. The game drives and boat safaris allow you to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures. Overall, my visit to Murchison Falls National Park was an unforgettable adventure filled with awe-inspiring moments. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking an authentic African safari experience.
It's a must that you take a hike to the top of the falls for the beautiful scenic views. The power and massive quantity of water flow is incredible and mind blowing.
United States
I can't stop explain my self to my friends about this safari experience in this park we got great close ups of African savannah elephants, buffalos, hyenas, most of the antelopes like the bush backs, aerobes, Ugandan kobs, water backs and the Jacksons hartebeest, lions, giraffes, the hippos, and nile crocodiles to the bottom of the Murchison falls during the boat cruise this trip was worth it and very memorable can't wait to visit Uganda another time such beautiful country.
Our first stop on safari was at Ziwa rhino sanctuary, where a big percentage of wildlife encounter is rhinos are being reintroduced to Uganda. Here we headed out on foot for a walking safari to get a look at the rhinos and also we had birding within the sanctuary. We then continued through the savanna assorted with acacia and shrubs and transfer to the Giraffe Paradise: Murchison Falls National Park. We started by visiting the top of the falls. This is a magnificent classic highlight where you explore dash of water at close range through a narrow perspective.
Murchison Falls is a great feature in the national park with boat cruise to the bottom of the falls and hikes to the top only to see the magnificent falls.
Had a three days stay in the park and the wildlife was amazing. It was my first time to see a lion in the wild. Now I offer safaris to Uganda and it is the most amazing park you would wish to visit. What to do in the park Photography, Murchison falls, game drives, boat cruise to bottom of the falls and to the delta, bird watching, nature walks, sport fishing, hiking.
Murchison Falls National Park is one of Africa's remarkable safari destinations, it offers complete safari experiences to travelers such as wildlife viewing/ game viewing, adventure for those that make it to the top of the roaring water falls. I love the top of the falls, it is an "epic moment of greatness" while here. The wildlife is superb, watching the hyenas hunt, the Rothschild giraffes pacing away majestically into the acacia trees, African elephants drinking from the Nile.....is a great experience. The Launch cruise along the NILE all the way to the bottom of the falls is all great. What an encounter!, My Easter holiday well spent.
Germany
Our 2-day visit to Murchison Falls National park transformed our lives and honestly makes me wanna go back and make another visit again and again. The beautiful scenery and impressive wildlife in the park, the hike to the top of the falls is yet another great activity you wanna try. The park visit was much greater than we expected.
Murchison Falls the biggest national park in Uganda. It is locally refereed to a Kabalega National Park. It can be visited throughout the year for activities like game drives, boat cruise on River Nile, hiking to the top of the falls, community visits among others. The park is strategically located not far away from other tourist destinations such as Budongo Forest and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where chimp and white rhino trekking can be done, respectively.
Getting to Murchison Falls from Entebbe or Kampala
If you are landing at Uganda's international airport in Entebbe and looking to drive to Murchison Falls, you are looking at about five hours of driving time under normal conditions. Those who do opt to drive often combine a the trip with a visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is about an hour outside of the park.
For those on a tighter time budget, there are direct flights to Pakuba (Murchison Falls) from Entebbe that currently fly three times per week. A more expensive option is to do a charter flight, which allows you to fly any day you wish, but is also more expensive.
The following airlines travel to Murchison Falls National Park
AeroLink Uganda Limited is a domestic airline offering both scheduled and charter flights into Uganda's national parks. From its base at Entebbe International Airport, AeroLink using its Cessna Grand Caravans, offers daily flights into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Kihihi and Kisoro airstrips), Queen Elizabeth National Park (Kasese and Mweya airstrips), Murchison Falls (Bugungu, Pakuba and Chobe airstrips), Semuliki National Park (Semliki airstrip) and Kidepo Valley National Park (Apoka airstrip). Effective 1st June 2019, in partnership with its sister company Airkenya Express Limited, Aerolink commenced scheduled flights from Entebbe International Airport to the famous Maasai Mara in Kenya via Kisumu International Airport for Immigration. AeroLink Uganda is affiliated to Airkenya Express in Kenya and Regional Air Services in Tanzania. Visit website
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Regional services within Kenya. At Airkenya safety and security are of paramount importance. As one of Africas leading aviation companies Airkenya aspires to reach new heights of service delivery. At Airkenya our diverse operations are looked into with eagle eyes. Our aircraft are thoroughly inspected by highly trained engineers to ensure our passengers enjoy consistently smooth safe flights. Our excellent maintenance facilities have been approved by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority in accordance with international airworthiness safety standards. This together with our dedicated ground team has secured Airkenya an impressive track record for safety. Visit website
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Based in Kampala, operates scheduled and charter services across eastern and central Africa. Eagle Air is a Private Ltd Company specialising in the provision of Charter and Schedule Air services both within Uganda and around the East & Central Africa Region. Eagle Air was incorporated as an air operator in June 1994. Visit website
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Precision Air is a publicly-listed Tanzanian airline and a leader in providing scheduled flight services to over 10 destinations within and outside Tanzania from its main hub Dar es Salaam. The company operates on the principle that quick, comfortable and reliable service is the best way to serve its customers. Through its customer-focused approach, many have become part of the Precision Air family. Precision Air started with its headquarters in Arusha - the midpoint between the Cape and Cairo, which is the entry point to many of Tanzania's world-renowned landmarks and national parks. The headquarters of Precision Air are now Dar es Salaam, the business complex of the country, which is home to a vast size of traffic travelling within and outside Tanzania. Visit website
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