Top 5 things to do in Murchison falls national park
Top 5 things to do in Murchison falls national park; Murchison falls national park is the largest national park located in northwestern part of Uganda in Bulisa, Kiryandongo and Nwoya districts. The national park covers a total area of 3,893 square kilometers and it harbors 76 mammal species including buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, giraffes, oribi, warthogs, lions, leopards, hyenas, side striped jackal, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, baboons and over 450 bird species.
Top 5 things to do in Murchison falls national park
- Game drives in Murchison falls national park
Game drive is one of the major activities in Murchison falls national park where you will be able to explore the park in a comfortable pop up safari vehicle with a driver guide who is well conversant with different game tracks. Game drives in Murchison falls national park can either be done early in the morning when the animals are more active and in the evening when the animals are going back to their hiding areas. During the game drives, you will follow different game tracks such as Buligi, Victoria and albert where you will be able to spot animals like buffaloes, waterbucks, elephants, giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, warthogs, view predators like lions, leopards, jackals, hyenas among others.
- Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park offers two boat cruise activities that is boat cruise upstream to the bottom of the falls and boat cruise downstream to the Victoria Nile Delta stretching to the shore of Lake Albert. During the boat cruise which can either be done in the morning or in the afternoon, you will be able to view large concentrations of hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, warthogs among others drinking water along the shores, view aquatic bird species like bee-eaters, hornbills, cormorants, kingfishers, fish eagles among others.
- Bird watching in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is a home of 450 recorded bird species including water birds, forest birds, savannah birds and migratory birds which makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. Bird species in Murchison falls national park can be seen during the game drive, boat cruise and nature walk including the prehistoric shoebill stork, long toed plover, African darter, grey headed kingfisher, black headed lapwing, veracious dove, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black billed barbet, martial eagle, yellow fronted tinker bird, silver bird, malachite kingfisher, pied kingfisher, grey crowned crane, standard winged nightjar, Senegal thick knee, red winged grey warbler, red throated bee-eater, African jacana, swamp flycatcher, blue headed coucal, saddle billed stork, white browed sparrow weaver, squacco heron, speckle fronted weaver, palm nut vulture, goliath heron, black headed lapwing among others.
- Nature walks in Murchison falls national park
Nature walk is an exciting activity in Murchison falls national park where you will be able to explore the park on foot with the company of an experienced park guide and armed park ranger to protect you from any danger. Nature walk in Murchison falls national park is best done early in the morning or in the evening following different trails in Kaniyo Pabidi forest, Rabongo forest and albert delta area. During the guided nature walk, you will enjoy great views of the beautiful scenery, get up-close and personal with different animals, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, enjoy the cool breeze, view different bird species in trees, colorful butterflies among others.
- Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park
Chimpanzee trekking is an adventurous activity in Murchison falls national park which involves moving into the forest in search of habituated chimpanzees and once found spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park is done in Budongo forest and it starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules and regulations to follow during trekking. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest with a park guide who is conversant with different chimpanzee trekking trails in the forest. Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park takes about 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located 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 bird species, plant and tree species among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you an opportunity to learn about their habits, behaviors, watch them carry out their daily activities, take photos and record the incredible moments to show people back home after the Uganda safari.
Best time to visit Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season, there is less rainfall in the park therefore hiking and chimpanzee trekking trails will be passable and vegetation will be thin which helps you to view animals clearly.
Murchison falls national park can also be visited in the wet/ rainy season during the months of March to May and November because that’s the best time for bird watching where you will be able to view colorful and migratory bird species.
Where to stay in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park has a wide range of accommodation facilities where you can stay during your safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange, budget and campsite including Paraa Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Fort Murchison Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Amuka Safari Lodge, Bwana Tembo Safari Camp, Heritage Safari Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge, Parkside Safari Lodge, New Court View Hotel, Masindi Hotel, Twiga Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Bar Lyec Safari Lodge, Boomu women’s Group Bandas, Budongo Eco Lodge, Kalalo Cottage Inn, Global Village Guest House, Yebo Safari Camp, Uganda Wildlife Campsite among others.
How to get to Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is located in northwestern part of Uganda and can be accessed by air transport means whereby you will book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Pakuba, Chobe and Bugungu airstrips.
Murchison falls national park can also be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from kampala via Masindi to the park headquarters which takes about 5 to 6 hours’ drive in a 4WD safari vehicle.
Murchison falls national offers other activities like sport fishing, hot air balloon experience, cultural tours among others.
