Murchison Falls National Park originally known as Kabalega National Park is Uganda’s largest national park located on the top of the Albertine Rift Valley. It was established in 1952 accommodating over 76 mammals and a recorded number of 451 bird species are found in this destination. The park is composed of 3 reserves that make up the Murchison Falls conservation area. These include Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, Karuma Wildlife Reserve, and Murchison Falls. The park is divided by the famous and longest river in the world the River Nile which at great height makes the falls. This makes the park guilty of hosting the strongest waterfalls in the world.
Murchison Falls National Park lies about 305 kilometers away from Kampala the capital city of Uganda. It lies in the western stretch of the country and it is where you can meet the African Big 5 animals, lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and rhinos which can be traced in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. The park is attached to Budongo forest where you can combine wildlife viewing in Murchison Falls National Park with chimpanzee trekking. You can also combine these activities with birding in Kaniyo Pabidi forests where you find permanent bird residents. Murchison Falls National Park is surrounded by districts of Masindi, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, and Nwoya districts.
Activities in Murchison Falls National Park
Game drives in Murchison Falls National Park
Like other national parks, Murchison Falls National is home to over 76 mammals and over 451 bird species which make a complete package for travelers to spend time while they watch these animals. Game drives in Murchison Falls National Park can be in the morning for one to encounter diurnals for example lions, Roth’s child giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, kobs, bushbacks warthogs among others. One can also do an evening game drive to encounter nocturnal animals for example leopards, and hippopotamuses and it becomes more enjoyable while with a ranger guide who takes you to the animal trails and explains animal behaviors.
Launch cruise in Murchison Falls National Park
Boat cruise in Murchison Falls National Park is one of the best activities that one can ever engage in. The park is so unique that it has 2 boat cruises for example the boat cruise to the bottom of the falls and the launch cruise to the delta. A boat cruise to the delta is so fascinating in that it will take you to the gentle waters of the Nile after it has lost energy in the pull. A boat cruise to the delta is where you will meet the rare shoe bill and this cruise is also known as the sundowner trip.
It is more enjoyable in the evening as it gives magical views of sunset. A boat cruise to the bottom of the falls gives an extraordinary experience where you have to sail through a school of hippopotamuses. Expect to meet aquatic birdlife for example goliath heron, yellow-footed kingfisher, African fish eagle, saddle-bellied stork, and African jacana among other birds.
Birding in Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is home to over 451 bird species including the Albertine rift endemics, those that live in water (aquatic birds), and savanna birds. Birding in Murchison Falls National Park can be done in the morning and the afternoons. Most of the birds you should expect during the game drives in the morning are Abyssinian ground hornbills, veracious doves, and long-toed plovers, among other bird species, and in the afternoon on the riverside trails expect to encounter aquatic birdlife for example shoe bill storks, pied kingfishers to mention but a few.
Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National Park
Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National Park takes place in Budongo forest East Africa’s largest mahogany forest. Chimpanzee trekking will always start with a briefing about chimpanzee trekking etiquette. Tracking chimpanzees in their natural habitats is one of the most fascinating activities you can reward yourself. You will be divided into a group of about 6 people after briefing, you are allocated a chimpanzee family to track. Meeting these primates will take you about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where they will have spent a night from. After you have met the chimpanzees, you will spend an hour with them as they feed, play, and groom their young and also enjoy birds as they chirp in the tree brunches.
Guided nature walks in Murchison Falls National Park.
Guided nature walks in Murchison Falls National Park are more done in the morning with an armed ranger guide. The experienced guide will lead you to Kaniyo Pabidi forest and Rabongo forests to have a close encounter with animals such as monkeys, baboons, birds, tree species, and beautiful sceneries. A guided nature walk in Murchison Falls National Park will expose you to the top of the falls where you will have a beautiful overlook of the strongest waterfalls. The thunderous sound that water produces also rejuvenates the love for nature making it hard for you ever to forget such a feeling.
