Activities in Murchison Falls National Park

Activities in Murchison falls national park

Activities in Murchison Falls National Park.

Activities in Murchison falls national park : Murchison falls National Park is situated in north western part of Uganda. The national park was created in 1952 and encompasses a total area of 3840 square kilometers making it the largest national park in Uganda. The park’s various ecosystem varieties, such as savannah grasslands, woodland, riverine forests, and swamps, provide as homes for a variety of wildlife species, including primates, over 451 species of birds, and the big four of the big five mammals.

Travellers may visit Murchison Falls National Park to add some spice to their Uganda Safari experience by participating in a variety of ventures. When you get to the top of the falls, you may enjoy breathtaking views of the waterfalls and the sound of the Nile thundering through a vast canyon. It takes thirty minutes to drive to the top of the falls, or you may take a boat trip from the main point at Paraa.

Activities in Murchison Falls National Park.

The exciting and fulfilling safari activities to do in Murchison Falls National Park are listed below. Some of these include, game drives, guided nature walks and hiking, launch trips, bird watching, hot air balloon rides, sport fishing, and cultural encounters. All of these safari activities can make your safari to Murchison worthwhile.

Game drives in Murchison falls national park.

Game drives in Murchison falls national park offer visitors a chance to discover the park and enjoy an array of wildlife species. Game drives are carried out in 4WD safari vehicles and they are categorized into 3 phases and these are;

game drive in murchison falls

Morning game drives which take place early in the morning after breakfast. Because visitors can view animals while they are most active, morning game drives are the most enjoyable. During the morning game drive, visitors can expect to see various bird species, big cats like lions and leopards searching for a morning prey, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, giraffes, Uganda Kobs, warthogs, Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks, and oribi, among other animals that will be grazing in the savannah plains.

Afternoon game drives which are colourful and conducted after lunch, the afternoon game drive is not significantly rewarding as the morning game drive because the big cats will be hiding from the hot sun therefore spotting them might be difficult.

Night game drives in Murchison falls national park begin at after dinner and visitors are accompanied by park rangers with spotlight torches. In addition to seeing nocturnal creatures like lions, hyenas, civets, genets, bush babies, nightjars, leopards, porcupines, and grazers including hippos, elephants, and waterbucks, guests on the night game drive will also get the chance to take in the stunning scenery beneath the stars.

Boat cruise in Murchison falls national park.

Among the intriguing safari activities to do in the national park of Murchison Falls is take a boat cruise. There are two boat trips available: one that travels upstream to the base of the falls, and another that travels downstream to the Victoria Nile delta and Lake Albert’s shoreline. The boat excursion to the base of the falls is offered in two sessions: a morning session that departs at around 9:00 am and an afternoon session that departs at approximately 2:00 pm. The ride lasts for two to three hours per session. The boat cruises across the Nile Delta is also conducted in several periods, lasting around four to five hours each. Beginning at the Paraa jetty landing site, both boat cruises offer breathtaking views of the Murchison Falls, lush vegetation, enormous herds of hippos swimming in the water, crocodiles lounging on the banks, elephants, Uganda kobs, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, and a variety of aquatic bird species, including the African jacana, saddle-bellied stork, open-billed stork, yellow-footed kingfisher, Senegal thick knee, swamp flycatcher, blue-headed coucal, and aquatic bird species.

boat cruise in murchison falls national park

Bird watching in Murchison falls national park.

More than 451 species of birds have been observed in Murchison Falls National Park, including migratory birds, indigenous birds of the Albertine Rift, savannah birds, and water birds. Throughout game drives, nature walks, boat cruises to the base of the falls, and along the Victoria Nile delta, visitors to Murchison Falls National Park can view a variety of bird species. When bird watching, tourists should keep an eye out for a variety of bird species, including  pied kingfisher, grey crowned crane, giant kingfisher, shoebill stork, black headed lapwing, yellow fronted tinkerbird, black billed barbet, long tales nightjar, veracious dove, long toed plover, and Abyssinian ground hornbill.

murchison falls national park birdss

Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park.

Chimpanzee trekking safari in Murchison falls national park takes place in Budongo forest which is the biggest mahogany forest in East Africa. The park rangers gives you  a briefing  in groups of six about the rules, regulations, and expectations before to chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest. Each group is then assigned a family of chimpanzees to trek. Depending on where the chimpanzees spent the night before, chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. While walking, guests can see birds, butterflies, various plant and tree species, and other primates. After the chimpanzees have been identified, guests are allowed to spend an hour in their natural habitat observing, photographing, and recording them while they play, eat, nurse, hunt, fight, and generally learn about their routines and behaviours.

Nature walks/ hiking in Murchison falls national park.

Visitors may explore the park on foot with an expert park guide and an armed game ranger during this engaging excursion in the Murchison Falls National Park. Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo forests are the primary locations for nature walks in the park, where tourists may get up close and personal with a range of animal species, including mammals, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and a variety of bird species.

Hike to top of falls.

The trip to the top of the falls, which is done after the boat ride to the falls’ base, is another fascinating stroll in the national park of Murchison Falls. The trek to the top of the falls takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your pace and level of fitness. Along the way, you’ll get to see breathtaking landscape, hear the sound of the falling water, and see the Nile’s waters squeezing through a 7-meter canyon, among other things.

Sport fishing in Murchison falls national park.

Sport fishing: This is thrilling experience done along Victoria Nile which starts at 9am and 4pm in the evening, the best sport fishing activity takes place in the river section above and below the falls and the caught fish species include; Nile perch, Tilapia, Catfish, Tigerfish, mudfish and many more. However, it is advised that tourists bring their own fishing gear.

Hot Air balloon safari in Murchison falls national park.

Hot Air balloon safaris offer rewardable Aerial vistas of the Murchison falls national park and Uganda this is the only area where you may carry out this magnificent hot air balloon adventure. Travellers may see a variety of animal species from the skies, including herds of buffalo, giraffes, elephants, antelopes, and many more.

Best time to visit Murchison falls national park.

The greatest time to visit Murchison Falls National Park is during the dry season, sometimes referred to as the peak season, which runs from June to September and from December to February. However, the park is open all year round. Since there is little rainfall in the park during the dry season, the vegetation is thin, making it easier for visitors to see the animals. Additionally, the park’s access roads and hiking trails are passable, and many animals congregate around water bodies to drink, providing visitors with the chance to see large animal concentrations and capture stunning photos.

The best times to visit Murchison Falls National Park are in the wet/low season, from March to May and November. There will be less tourists, making it an ideal time for birdwatching, and some lodges will be offering discounts, making it an affordable trip option.

Accommodations in Murchison falls national park.

Murchison falls national park provides an array of lodges with cosy beds ranging between Mid-range and luxury such lodges include; Parkside Safari lodge, Shoebill Campsite, Paraa Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison Tree House, Chobe Safari Lodge, Fort Murchison Safari lodge, Budongo Eco lodge all these unique accommodation facilities can make your safari to the park awesome encounter.

para safari lodge

Accessing Murchison Falls National Park.

The park can be reached easily from Kampala city roughly 5hours by drive to reach to the main destination. On the other hand, you can fly from Entebbe Airport to and from through landing to Pakuba Airstrip within 1:10 hour by Air.

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