Queen Elizabeth Or Murchison Falls? Which One is Better?
Queen Elizabeth Or Murchison Falls National Park? Which Park is Better for a Wildlife Safari?
Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks are Uganda’s most popular savannah parks. Many tourists all year round go to see all manners of wildlife in these two national parks.
Both national parks have a long and rich history. They also offer incredibly authentic opportunities for seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. In both parks, you can go on game drives and see animals from your safari vehicle. Additionally, you can go on boat cruises to see big herds of hippos, buffaloes, and hundreds of bird species.
In this article, we shall try to give you all the contrasting points that can help you choose which of the 2 national parks is suitable for you. Ideally, you should visit both, and we promise it won’t be redundant. If you have to choose one, we hope this article can offer some clarification.
Why Queen Elizabeth National Park
From its name, you can guess who Queen Elizabeth National Park is named after – Queen Elizabeth of England. The park’s history goes even further to include many members of the Royal families of the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is popular for wildlife viewing safaris for people who want to see elephants, hippos, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hippos, antelopes, and chimpanzees among others. You can enjoy all these under the backdrop of the snow-capped Rwenzori mountains.
The Mweya peninsular, the Kazinga channel, and the Ishasha sector are very popular spots in the park for viewing animals. Ishasha is extremely special for its tree-climbing lions which you can not see anywhere else in Uganda. They are quite the sight.
Kazinga Channel Boat Cruise
Why Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest and oldest wildlife-protected area. The park is split into 2 almost equal parts by the river Nile on which the Murchison Falls are found as the river squeezes through a 7-meter gap to create one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world.
Murchison Falls National Park is very popular because of its abundant wildlife. The wildlife attracts both local Ugandans and international visitors from all around the world. Guests to Murchison Falls see animals such as lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, and many more. You can therefore see the big 5 animals say leopards, lions, buffalos, elephants, and rhinos when you combine it with Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
You can see animals on wildlife game drives in the park. You also see them on the popular boat cruise on the Nile where you will see many animals and birds on the banks.
Boat cruise to the Bottom of the falls
Queen Elizabeth vs Murchison Falls- Major Comparisons
If you were going to pick one of these 2 national Parks, here are some of the points you should consider – depending on what your interests and goals are.
Birds
Queen Elizabeth National Park is blessed with more than 600 different bird species which is much more than Murchison Falls. For avid birders who want to check more birds off their lists, Queen Elizabeth is the easy choice.
Murchison Falls does however provide better chances of catching the elusive shoebill stork. Uganda has just over 1,000 different bird species, and being able to have around 60% of them in one area makes QENP the best birding destination in Uganda.
Wildlife
As the most popular savannah park in Uganda, both Queen and Murchison are great for authentic wildlife viewing experiences. Most animals are present in both parks.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has tree-climbing lions in Ishasha while Murchison Falls National Park has giraffes. You may have to choose between tree-climbing lions and giraffes, or both.
Boat cruise
Both Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks have great wildlife viewing opportunities on the boat cruises on the Kazinga channel and River Nile – respectively.
The boat cruise of the Kazinga channel moves from Lake George to Lake Edward (both named after British royalty as well). The highest concentration of hippos in the world is at the Kazinga Channel. The boat cruise on the Nile Delta goes from Murchison Falls towards Lake Albert. The boat cruise to the bottom of the falls takes you to see where the river Nile re-expands after forcing itself into a 7-meter gorge.
Both boat cruises are safe and great for seeing animals and birds.
Accommodation
Both national parks have a well-developed accommodation infrastructure. Therefore, you will have plenty of choices when it comes to hotels and lodges. Whether you want a campsite, budget lodge, or a luxury establishment you will have many options.
Transport
Queen Elizabeth National Park is around 370 kilometers west of Kampala. It thus takes a 5-6-hour drive to reach it. On the other hand, Murchison Falls National Park is around 307 kilometers from Kampala. You thus drive for around 4-5 hours.
Both parks have airfields and domestic flights can be arranged from Kampala / Entebbe or any other national park around Uganda.
Nearby Attractions
Queen Elizabeth is located close to more attractions than Murchison. From Queen Elizabeth, one can easily connect to Bwindi, Mgahinga, Kibale, Semuliki, and Lake Mburo National Parks. Murchison Falls is close to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Budongo Forest.
If you want the wildlife of both parks but with additional parks, Queen Elizabeth offers more options. However, if you want to walk with Rhinos or see the Big 5, Murchison Falls is better. It is close to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary – the only place you can see rhinos in Uganda in the wild.
For someone who is interested in seeing mountain gorillas in Bwindi as well as some wildlife, going to Queen Elizabeth National Park is the obvious choice.
Final Thoughts
In the end, whether it is Queen Elizabeth or Murchison Falls National Park comes down to preferences. Whether it is the allure of the Nile or the deep history of the Kazinga channel both Queen and Murchison protect great ecosystems that are bound to make any visit memorable.
We now hope you are leaning toward one of the parks after reading this article. Ideally, both national parks should be visited and compared on an individual basis. More than anything, we believe that experiences in both national parks complement each other.
