Murchison Falls National Park (previously referred to as Kabalega National Park) is the premier wildlife destination in Uganda and home to one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls –the Murchison Waterfalls. Murchison Falls National Park is located along the Albertine Rift Valley, in Northwestern Uganda, and its boundaries cover the 4 main districts, including Nwoya, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, and Masindi. The access alternatives to Murchison Falls National Park include road and air transportation.
Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, it is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area, hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds.
The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centrepiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids.
The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles.
Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes and buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles and aquatic birds are permanent residents.
Notable visitors to the park include Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway and several British royals.
Murchison Falls National Park is one of Uganda’s oldest Parks, originally created as a Wildlife Reserve in 1926 and updated as a National Park in 1952. It creates a section of the bigger Murchison Falls Conservation Area. The Park covers an estimated area of 3840 sq. km, and other adjacent Protected Areas include Karuma Wildlife Reserve, Budongo, & Bugungu. Unlike other Parks, Murchison National Park is composed of two sections –the Southern and Northern. The two sections are divided by the Victoria Nile that plunges about 45 meters before flowing towards the Albert Nile, forming the dramatic and scenic Murchison Falls.
The Park’s Landscape
Murchison is strategically lying in the Northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, which features the Bunyoro escarpment. Overall, the Park’s landscape is characterized by vast plains, savanna grasslands, woodlands, riverine vegetation, and rainforest. The Southern section is dominated by the Kaniyo-Pabidi Forest and Budongo Forest Reserve, the best spots to find primates.
The Attractions to Explore on Murchison Falls Safari
At Murchison Falls National Park, expect to explore a variety of unique attractions, including the scenic Murchison Falls, wildlife, birds, and more.
The Wildlife
Murchison Falls National Park features a distinctly diverse ecosystem with abundant wildlife, including over 76 mammals, 51 reptiles, 451 bird species, and lots of amphibians. The majority of the Park’s diverse wildlife concentrates along the Northern circuit or section. The Northern sector of Murchison is largely comprised of Borassus palms, open savannas, and acacia woodland. The Southern region features patches of stunning woodland and forests. The diverse habitats offer refuge to a variety of wildlife of visitor interest on Uganda wildlife tours.
The main wildlife species to encounter in this Park include African elephants, Nile crocodiles, warthogs, cape buffaloes, lions, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, oribis, hippos, Uganda Kobs, and more. The different primates to locate in the lush rainforests of Murchison Falls National Park range from baboons, chimpanzees, to blue monkeys and many more.
Murchison Falls
The scenic Murchison Falls remains the key attraction or highlight on visitors’ safari itinerary. It can be observed as it cascades in a narrow gorge measuring about 7-8 meters forming what many have described as the Devil’s Cauldron.
Nyamusiika cliffs
The Nyamusika cliffs is one of the beautiful land marks in Murchison falls national park. It is one of Murchison fall’s famous attraction along the Victoria Nile due to its amazing views. The Nyamusika cliffs were known as a place which was inhabited by Fajao people who used the cliffs as a place for traditional sacrifices to their gods and also as a judging place where law breakers were executed and thrown into the river as a punishment.
The cliff acts as a breeding place for the pied kingfisher and the red throated bee-eaters, it is also a breeding place for the crocodiles where they lay their eggs to brood in the soil for 90 days
Karuma bridge
Karuma Bridge, located at the edge of Murchison Falls National Park, approximately 270 km north of Kampala along the Kampala-Gulu highway in Kiryandongo District, was constructed in 1963, just a year after Uganda’s independence.
Bird species
A total of about 451 species of birds reside the different habits Murchison Falls National Park including the woodland, aquatic, vulnerable, endangered, and other species. The birds to explore in Murchison National Park include rock pigeon, western crested guineafowl, Knob-billed ducks, white-crested turacos, Heuglin’s spurfowl, African green-pigeon, ring-necked dove, fulvous whistling-duck, African swift, mourning collared-dove, vinaceous dove, Egyptian goose, shoebill stork, black-headed lapwing, African jacanas, red-chested cuckoos, Senegal lapwing, and little swift.
Murchison Falls National Park also supports birds such as squacco herons, yellow-billed storks, hadada ibis, swamp flycatchers, kingfisher honey-guides, dwarf bittern, pelicans, reed cormorants, Northern carmine, purple herons, hammerkop, black-crowned tchagra, Northern puffback, and more.
Activities to enjoy in Murchison Falls National Park
Game drives
When you think about spending your next Uganda safari in Murchison Falls National Park, game drives are some of the captivating experiences to enjoy. Game driving in this Park introduces you to some of the iconic game tracks, including Buligi game track, Queen’s track, Victoria track and Albert game track. Guided game drives in Murchison allow you to explore the diversity of wildlife, including the Uganda Kobs, Rothschild giraffes, oribis, buffalo, elephants, lions, and many birds. The different tracks are best explored using a 4WD safari car, and this can be secured by your expert Bujuku Eco-Tours.
Birding (bird-watching)
The abundant bird population and habitats make Murchison Falls National Park one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. A variety of bird species can easily be sighted on a birding tour in Murchison, including the African blue-headed oriole, brown-crowned tchagra, papyrus gonoleks, White-crested shrike, Chestnut wattle-eye, fork-tailed drongo, shoebill storks, Meyer’s parrots, and many others.
Nature walks
Nature walks offer captivating sightings of wildlife and birdlife. The unique bit of guided nature walks is that you focus mainly on the habitats that are hardly reached if you traveled in a 4×4 safari vehicle.
Launch cruise
If you love aquatic species, then embarking on a launch cruise should be a must in this premier Park. Enjoyable along the Victoria Nile, a launch or boat tour presents you a unique opportunity to watch hippos, crocodiles, and multiple aquatic avifauna species. The notable birds to spot during the boat tour in Murchison Falls National Park include blue-spotted doves, elusive shoebill storks, African skimmers, African fish eagles, Egyptian goose, Great cormorants, African daters, bee-eaters, fish eagles, kingfishers and many more.
Hiking adventures to the top of the falls
The perfect way to witness the powerful Murchison Falls as it forces itself through a narrow rock is by embarking on the hiking adventure from the base to the top. Hiking to the top of the falls allows you to navigate through the lush vegetation, and once you have reached the top, you get a chance to witness this spectacular natural wonder.
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking provides a rare opportunity for you to enjoy a safe hike through the forest in search of habituated chimpanzees. This is best done in Budongo Forest, and guided hikes enrich you not only with lush views of the rain forest but also with chimpanzee encounters. The Budongo Forest chimp experience takes you approximately 2-4 hours, but includes an hour for up close experience with the chimpanzees.
Budongo chimpanzee habituation
Chimpanzee habituation takes multiple hours of the day to search for chimpanzees and observe how they behave. You have an extended day to observe chimpanzees for four hours, which includes photography.
When to visit Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park can be visited at any time of the year. The weather conditions favor a variety of safari activities, but the dry seasons offer excellent opportunities. This is especially for game viewing tours, and the first dry season occurs from June to September, or visit the Park from December to February. The rest of the months are listed as wet or rainy, also known as the low season, which extends from October to November.
Top Accommodation Options in Murchison fall national park
There are multiple choices of lodging options to consider for overnight in and around Murchison Falls National Park, including budget, mid-range, and luxury. They include Murchison Giraffe Camp, Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge, and more.
How to reach Murchison falls national Park
Murchison Falls National Park lies in Northwestern Uganda, and accessing it can take between 6 and 7 hours. The access gates to Murchison include Wangkwa, kichumbanyobo, Bugungu, mubako and Tangi gates. Getting to Murchison can begin from Kampala, and drive by road. En route, you can enjoy the rhino trek at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. By air, you can fly from Entebbe International Airport to Bugungu, Pakuba, and Chobe Airstrip. Access to Murchison Falls National Park costs USD 45 per person for international tourists.