What Is Murchison Falls National Park Famous For
What Is Murchison Falls National Park Famous For
Here is What Murchison Falls National Park is famous for; Murchison Falls National Park offers exclusively unique wildlife habitats and an impressive over 450 bird species that any ornithologist would love to see. Murchison Fall National Park is the gem in Uganda’s crown of tourism destinations.
Winston Churchill during his visit to Murchison Falls National Park prompted him to describe it as a kew garden and zoo of unlimited scale and indeed this description is apt for the park.
The mighty River Nile that suddenly channels through a 6-meter wide gorge and plunges 43 meters to a 43-meter-high cliff to continue with the course is the highlight of Murchison Falls National Park. This untamed park has a variety of habitats that give home to a range of wildlife species including lions, elephants, herds of buffaloes, giraffes, hartebeests, hyenas, oribi to mention but a few.
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Highlight Of Activities In Murchison Falls National Park
- Game drives
- Launch Trip
- Hike To the Top Of the Falls
- Chimpanzee trekking
- Birding
- Sport Fishing
Game drives In Murchison Falls National Park
Game viewing in Murchison Falls is more rewarding early morning or late afternoon as animals retire to their night hangouts. Large mammals like elephants, buffaloes, lions, and others may come into full view during the game drives. Driving through the game-rich Buligi grassland to the shores of the Albert Nile may give you a chance to see animals like giraffes, waterbucks, hartebeests, bushbucks, oribi the list is endless.
On the way to Murchison Falls, a break to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary offers big support to the Rhino rehabilitation program. The 1980s civil wars in Uganda saw the departure of the last Rhinos in the country plus poaching for barbaric reasons as locals believe that the Rhino horn cures some illnesses.
A Launch Trip to Murchison Falls
The magic of the River Nile on a launch trip to Murchison Falls is exceptional. Sailing on the River Nile to catch the view and listen to the mighty power of Murchison Falls which is the most epic part of the River Nile course is unmatched.
Several riverine birds grace the marshy shores and spotting thirsty animals quenching thirst from the banks is unavoidable. You may get to see elephants, herds of buffaloes, giraffes, lions, hyenas, waterbucks bushbucks, hartebeests, and so many others.
River Nile is the lifeblood of Murchison Falls National Park and having a launch on it brings out many views that you would miss while on land.
Several birds nest in the plateau that overlooks Victoria Nile and you may get to see them departing or arriving home while on the launch. When you look at the vegetation closer to the banks, more birds love spending the day close to the River Nile. Some of the birds you may get to see include Black-Headed Gonolek, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Black-Headed Batis, Yellow-throated Leaf Love, and Grey-capped Warbler to mention but a few.
Watch out for huge Nile crocodiles, especially at their restaurant where they love to bask like logs to catch prey, schools hippos hide like rocks embedded in water.
As you close up to the falls, the boat turbulence changes and you can hear thunderous sounds as River Nile furiously bursts out of the 6-meter-wide bend to form a cloudy appearance. The Nile water cascades down the 43-meter-high cliff to continue with the rest of the course.
Hike To the Top Of the Murchison Falls
Some daring tourists hike to the top of the falls the actual point where most River Nile Drama is exposed. Here you can see, hear, and feel all the River Nile waters as it stumbles upon a bed of underlying rocks and majestically explodes through the 6-meter gap in the cliff.
Chimpanzee Trekking In Kaniyo Pabidi Forest
Going chimpanzee trekking in Kaniyo Pabidi Forest of Murchison Falls National Park is a superb choice. Chimpanzees are the closest human cousins in animals Kingdom is made up of 96 % human DNA.
They live in communities with the leadership of an Alpha male who is democratically elected. The females contribute a lot to the election of an Alpha male so possible candidates must impress them first during the campaign.
Two chimpanzee trekking sessions in the morning and afternoon are available for tourists to experience Chimpanzees out of the cages of the zoos.
Every tourist must attend a briefing where you go through the guidelines of chimpanzee trekking like not provoking the chimpanzees, keeping a distance of about 8 meters apart from them when you meet them and so much more.
Look out for other primates like Lhotse’s, blue monkeys, black and white colobus, olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabey, red-tailed monkeys, and vervet monkeys to mention but a few.
Birding In Murchison Falls National Park
A variety of unique habitats and superb birds visit Murchison Falls National Park a must for every birder. Birding in Murchison Falls is enhanced by favorable habitats that make up the vegetation zones of Murchison Falls National Park.
Taking the Rabongo forest trails you get to see several birds common to Murchison Falls National Park. During the birding safari, you witness them constructing nests, feeding chicks, and pecking on fruits of the forest that supplement their diet.
On a good birding day at Murchison Falls Nation Park, you may get to see spotted Morning Thrush, Silver bird, Black-headed Gonolek, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver, Blue-naped Mousebird, shoebill, Standard-winged-backed Night Heron, saddle bill stork, Grey-crowned Crane, yellow-throated leaf love, Long-tailed, and Pennant winged to mention but a few.
Sport Fishing In Murchison Falls National Park
Sport fishing on the River Nile offers you the chance to catch some of the fish monsters like Nile Perch. Some areas of the river Nile in Murchison Falls National Park have been gazetted to allow anglers to catch some fish sustainably.
You need to come with your fishing equipment and book a boat with its captain in advance. Some of the fish you may get to catch include Nile perch, tilapia, catfish, and lungfish to mention but a few.
What Accommodation To Book In Murchison Falls National Park
Accommodation in Murchison Falls National Park supports all budgets ranging from market accommodation facilities, Moderate facilities, and Budget facilities. A comfortable night on holiday creates great memories of your safari in Africa.
Some of the lodges in Murchison Falls National Park include Budongo Ecolodge, Murchison River Lodge, Paara Safari Lodge, Kaniyo Pabidi Ecotourism Camp, Chobe Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Sambiya Lodge, Red Chills Rest Camp, Kaniyo Pabidi Camp, Busingiro Ecotourist Site and more are still under construction.
How To Get To Murchison Falls National Park
By Road
Murchison Falls National Park is about 305 km from Kampala the Capital of Uganda last about 5 hours without stops.
You have to use several entry points depending on the direction where you are coming from, some of the gates into the park include Chobe Gate via Karuma Falls or Tangi Gate in Pakwarch, Wankwar Gate near Purongo,
By Air
Daily domestic scheduled flights depart Entebbe Airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Bugungu or Pakuba Air Strip.
More private charter flights can be arranged upon request from our office.
When Is The Best Time To Do A Safari In Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is much busier in the dry seasons June to September, and December to mid-January when the animals are more visible because the grass is of average height. Much of the drama is in the open grassland where lions sneak at Uganda Kobs that love spending their day in the Buligi area.
The Wet months March to May and November though less visited have a lot of infants born by different animals, plenty of grass to feed on, and hide the babies away from scavengers. There is less obstruction from safari vehicles that at times cause the animals to go into hiding because of noise.
What To Pack For Safari In Murchison Falls National Park
- Pajamas to wear at night because it gets extremely cold
- A Pair of Binoculars to get a clearer picture of animals and birds in the park from afar.
- Sunscreen to protect your skin from strong sun rays while under the scorching sun in Murchison Falls National Park.
- You have to pack some light wear, especially during the drought seasons June to September and December. Carry a fleece, especially for the early morning game drives when the temperatures are low. Pay attention to the colors of your clothes to avoid those that can attract insects like black, white, and navy blue attract tsetse flies.
- Comfortable footwear like flip flops or safari shoes since you are not getting out of the vehicle to walk in the park. Try to avoid bright colors because they may look suspicious to some wild animals and cause them to charge at you.
- A camera with good lenses that can zoom photos from afar and preserve memories of your Africa safari experience.
- Some hard cash as credit cards are less accepted for transactions in Africa because of lengthy procedures of collecting money from them.
- One more fully charged battery to alter the one that runs low while in the field.
- Insect repellant to keep away stinging insects in the park.
- First Aid kit in case you get injured while on safari.
- Toiletries in case your lodge doesn’t provide them
- Energy snacks to munch on while doing ant activity in the park but do not dump wraps in the wilderness.
