Murchison Falls National Park, spanning 3840km2, is Uganda’s biggest park and is named after the Murchison Falls, at which the powerful Nile is driven down a tiny 7m canyon into the ‘Devil’s Cauldron,’ generating an ever-present rainbow. The park is only four hours beyond Kampala, Uganda’s capital, and with all of its features, it is an ideal site for an adventurous Uganda safari. Forest, savanna, riverine woodland, borassus palms, and many acacia trees are among the ecosystems.

It is located at the northern tip of the Albertine Rift Valley, with spectacular views of the fields and wooded areas, as well as the Victoria Nile, which flows into Lake Albert. At 612msl in the Delta, the Albert Nile Corridor is Uganda’s lowest point. You may see the falls from above as the Nile compresses through the valley and from below when on a boat safari on the Victoria Nile. The launch voyage on the Victoria Nile allows you to experience the Nile in the same way as the stars in the 1951 film “The African Queen” did.

According to the explorer Samuel baker during 1864, “ The fall of water was snow-white, which had a superb effect as it contrasted with the dark cliffs that walled the water, while the graceful palms of the tropics and wild plantains perfected the beauty of the view. This was the greatest waterfall of the Nile. “

The vista has not changed in 150 years, and the animal levels in the surrounding national park are rebounding nicely following the ravages of the 1970s and 1980s, ensuring the Park’s position as one of Uganda’s most famous locations.

Murchison was established as a wildlife reserve in 1926 and became one of Uganda’s first national parks in 1952. It presently encompasses an area of 3,840 square kilometers, making it the country’s largest preserved park. It is located at the northern extremity of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the Bunyoro Escarpment drops into the savannah flat plains.

Murchison’s difficulty in the 1960s was that it had too many animals, which led to an elephant and hippo slaughter to try to limit big herbivore use. Civil conflict supplied its own answer, resulting in a significant population decline for all species.

Peace and an appreciation of the importance of tourism, on the other hand, have considerably aided the rehabilitation of many people. Elephants are prospering; the park has the world’s greatest population of Rothschild giraffes (only seen in Murchison and Kidepo); buffalo and Ugandan kob populations are increasing. The lion population is believed to be over 200, divided into roughly 20 prides, while leopard sightings are common.

Birds

Murchison Falls National Park features a variety of bird habitats, making bird viewing a popular pastime in this park, which contains over 450 bird species. Many migratory species and year-round residents call the park home. The park contains wooded and marshy regions, riverine woods, Savannah, and acacia trees, all of which offer a bird’s-eye view. When you go on a boat safari to the delta or the Murchison Falls, you will see a lot of water birds. The secretive Shoebill, Swamp flycatcher, papyrus Gonolek, Goliath Heron, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Northern red bishop, Squacco heron, Red-throated Bee-eater, and African-Quail Finch are among the bird species present around.

Animals

Murchison Falls National Park is home to 76 species of animals, including four of the big five. To satisfy your Big 5 list, stop visit the Rhino Sanctuary on your route to the park. Animals are frequently spotted on boat safaris and on wildlife drives throughout the park. Elephants, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Uganda Kobs, Bushbucks, Jackson’s Hartebeests, Oribi, waterbucks, and warthogs are among the more frequent creatures sighted. Leopards and Lions are more likely to be spotted when you go on a game drive early in the day just before sun becomes too hot and drives them into hiding. Baboons, Patas monkeys, Blue monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, and Black-and-white Colobus monkeys, as well as Chimpanzees, may be spotted in the wooded region of Kaniyo Pabidi, that is part of the Budongo forest.

Hot air balloon

If you’ve done the boat cruises and wildlife drives and want to view Murchison in a different manner, take a hot air balloon ride. This is a recent Murchison innovation that gives a thrilling – yet serene – way to explore the Park near Paraa giving you the magnifiscent aerial view of the animals within the park.

 

Game drives

During your safari in Murchison Falls National Park, you will enjoy game drives in your 4×4 safari vehicle from monumental expeditions with an open roof, allowing you to easily observe the animals. Usually  drives can last anywhere from 4 hours to a whole day, relying on your preferences, length of time in the park, and the many things you choose to do. Bring your cameras to photograph the many animals, birds, and landscapes, but most significantly, take the time to absorb nature. Bushbucks, Waterbucks, hartebeest, Oribi, Uganda Kobs, giraffes, Patas monkeys, Warthogs, Elephants, Buffaloes, Leopards, and Lions are among the species to look out for.

 

Boat cruise

The boat cruise at Murchison Falls National Park take place on the Victoria Nile, which flows towards the falls. The Nile boat safari is the finest water, animal, bird, and scenic adventure. Crocodiles, hippos, and monitor lizards are among the species to be on the lookout for as they approach the water. Keep an eye out for herds of buffalo, elephants, and antelopes coming for water.

This tour provides several opportunity for aquatic birds. The boat cruise occurs twice a day, with a morning trip beginning at 9 a.m. and an afternoon excursion beginning at 2 p.m.; but, one can charter a boat and enjoy the journey at their convenience. For those who are particularly interested in bird viewing, we propose taking a boat excursion to the delta, where you may see the Shoebill fishing.

Chimpanzee trekking in budongo forest ( kaniyo pabidi)

Kaniyo Pabidi is a portion of Budongo woodland within the Murchison Falls National Park. Visitors can monitor chimps from Kaniyo Pabidi, a region of Budongo forest that also has baboons, red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and blue monkeys, as well as many endangered bird species and large wildlife like as buffaloes, elephants, and bush pigs and spectacular landscape.

The chimp trip usually takes 3-4 hours, based on where the chimpanzees resided the night before. Once located, tourists may spend an hour observing the chimps eat, play, relax, and groom each other. You also have the option of a full-day chimp habituation adventure, which allows you extra time studying and observing the chimps.

 

Sport fishing

The Victoria Nile’s waters are home to some enormous fish, making Murchison a rewarding destination for ardent anglers. Large Nile Perch, called locally as mputa, and cat fish, semutundu, are popular targets for daring anglers. Tiger fish, electric catfish, and tilapia are among the other fish. A 113 kilogram behemoth landed at the water gauge opposite the crocodile pool holds the record for the largest Nile perch. The largest catfish caught was 45 kilos and was caught at the Nyamusika Cliffs.

 

Birding

The Africa Bird Guide ranked Murchison Falls National Park, which has 450 bird species, as the ninth finest birding destination in Africa. Bird viewing is possible during game drives, boat cruise, and nature walks with a ranger guide. Due to the variety of habitats, you can see forest birds, Savannah birds, water birds, and a few Albertine rift endemics.

Due to the Savannah grassland at Murchison Falls National Park, birds are simple to find. However, some forests and wooded places make finding the birds challenging, but not impossible. The open-billed stork, Red-throated bee-eaters (nests in the rock near the river), Pied, malachite, and Giant Kingfishers, Grey, night, and common Squacco, Striated and Goliath herons, Egyptian ducks, Spur-winged lapwings, Intermediate, Great, and Little Egrets will be among the highlights. While on a game drive, look for Abyssian ground hornbills, Black and Northern Red Bishops, and other birds.

 

Nature walks

The majority of the nature walks take place in the woods of Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo, where you might see primates such as Chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and a variety of bird species. A further thrilling trek that everyone should enjoy is the hike up to the top of Murchison Falls. Once in the boat from Paraa to the ‘Devils Cauldron,’ halt a few meters from the bottom of the falls and climb through the bush to see the top of the falls. The trek is rewarding as you see the Nile’s waters rush through a 7m canyon. This trek can take any from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, based on the interests of the entire and hiking pace.

Cultural encounters

The Boomu Women’s Group, located just outside the park, is worth a visit for anybody interested in becoming involved with the local community. Take a picturesque village tour to learn about the locals’ daily life, farming, seeing the blacksmith, basket weaving demonstrations, cooking, and visiting a local school. You can remain here overnight or just come for a few hours before continuing to the park or departing for Kampala. The activities will be determined by how much time you have available in the region.

In the comfort of a 4×4 safari vehicle from monumental expeditions you can get to Murchison falls national park from kampala via Masindi accessing the park through the southern gate taking you only 5 hours.

those coming from Fort Portal It also has entrance gates in the north for those going from Kampala through Karuma or Gulu or Kidepo Valley National Park.

The park is accessible through chartered flights from Entebbe International Airport

• Murchison has an average annual rainfall of 1,085mm, the most of which falls among March and November. This does not deter visitors from visiting the park: June to September is still one of the most popular periods to come, but be prepared for brief, quick bursts of rain.The months of December to February are drier, but also significantly hotter, with an average high temperature of 33⁰c .The dry season, as in most of Africa, drives wildlife to gather surrounding water sources, resulting in intense views. The rainy months have the highest density of bird life and the fewest visitors.

Monumental expeditions has got a magnifiscent blend of accommodation facilities within and around the park ranging from the luxurious ones to the mid-range and budget options. Some of the lodges at murchion include; within the park we have paraa safari lodge, pakuba safari lodge, and around the park boundaries we have fort Murchison, nile safari lodge, bakers lodge, and Murchison river lodge.