Murchison Falls National Park Activities | Uganda Safari
Murchison Falls National Park Activities: First of all, Murchison Falls National Park is renowned as Uganda’s oldest and largest park and, above all, most visited among the national parks and reserves on a Uganda safari, unlike gorillas in Bwindi Forest Gorilla National Park.
Despite the fact that the park was established in 1952 as a national park to protect the diversity of wildlife, it is located in the northwestern region of Uganda, approximately 4 to 6 hours’ drive north of Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
This national park is home to a rich diversity of wildlife with over 76 mammals such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, kobs, Nile crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, and warthogs, among others; 450 bird species such as the rare shoebill stork, white-thighed hornbill, great blue turaco, Goliath heron, dwarf kingfisher, and many more.
What makes Murchison most famous is the powerful waterfalls on the Victoria Nile with their stunning spraying water.
Below are the activities one can do on visit to Murchison Falls National Park as highlighted:
Boat Cruise-Launch Trip – Murchison Falls
A boat cruise is one of the common activities done by tourists on a visit to Murchison Falls; it starts right upstream from Paraa, which presents an impressive view at the beginning of the experience. Where wildlife is displayed along water banks and culminates with the gainful frontal view of the falls. The boat cruise departs at 9am and 2pm daily and it’s a three-hour lifetime experience, as the boat can cruise near the Devil’s Cauldron; the view is quite interesting and memorable.
The boat cruise is more recommended for bird lovers, where you can be able to view a variety of notable water birds such as white egrets, cattle egrets, and shoebills, among others, animals linking for water like buffaloes and elephants, and other water species, like hippos and crocodiles, can be seen. The morning cruise downstream to the Lake Albert Nile Delta provides the best chance inside the park to see the unique, elusive shoebill. You can choose to do a 4- to 5-hour return voyage to take a close view of a variety of other wildlife, including hippos, elephants and many birds.
Apart from doing a boat cruise, you can choose to do a tranquil sundowner cruise that offers a rewarding view of an equatorial sunset reflected on the river. A tranquil sundowner boat cruise starts at 5:30pm, and expect to get a perfect view of an equatorial sunset reflected on the river.
Birding in Murchison Falls
Birding in Murchison can be done on both game drives and the launch trip that offers a great chance for travelers to come across distinct birdlife such as the water birds, savannah forest birds and Albertine Rift endemics. Murchison Falls National Park’s main birding attraction is the unique shoebill, which is sighted in the dry season from January to March.
Murchison’s commonest species, which can be encountered in the plains include open-billed storks and widowbirds, black-bellied bustards, secretarybirds, Abyssinian ground hornbills, and marabou storks, among others.
Birders in the park can also view bird species near the river where there are more thickets and woodlands with lots of varieties such as swallow-tailed, red-throated bee-eaters, and nyamusika cliffs, also perfect bird viewing areas such as cuckoos, woodpeckers, crombecs, warblers, hammerkops, shrikes, grey herons, francolins, hornbills, woodland, pied, Giant and Malachite kingfishers, and many more. The riverbanks are also spotting area to duck ,geese ,plover and stilts.
Game drive in Murchison
This activity is the main activity done in Murchison Falls National Park because it is home to a diversity of mammals, which can be enjoyed or explored in different designated game drive areas. The main spotting areas are the Delta, where there are great chances of adventuring with lions in wait for prey; the Buligi Peninsula; and the southern sector, popularly known as the heart of Murchison. All are rewarding for animal viewing and the best way to enjoy the activity is the use of a 4×4 wheel with a pop-up roof provided.
Buligi Peninsula
The best way to have prime game viewing in the park is to do it in the Buligi Peninsula, a triangle of grass bounded by the Victoria Nile that connects Lake Albert and the Albert Nile flowing out of it. Where tourists expect to see species of buffalo, elephants, antelopes and giraffes, keep your eyes open; you might come across lions and leopards if you’re lucky. There is a game track at the Delta point where the Nile flows north out of Lake Albert, a very convenient place to stop for refreshments and view water birds offshore and distant hippos.
Visitors can choose to do a hot air balloon tour to explore the plains north and west of Paraa in a hot air balloon.
Heart of Murchison
This area is located in the southern part of Murchison Falls national park covered by bush and forest, with a delightful tract of savanna rolling down to the river Nile from the Rabongo road, which is centered beside the park. Along here on the game track, expect to see herds of Uganda kob and other species. Furthermore, the area has turned into a prime location for seeing lions, among others.
Hiking and Nature walks in Murchison Falls
The park boasts a vast landscape and varied scenery surrounded by a conservation area, which can be explored on foot with reward. A nature walk in Murchison Falls can be done in Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo Forests, thus offering rewarding sights of primates and birds. You can still do it around the Nile Lake Albert Delta, which takes two to four hours of guided swamp walks and offers a chance of seeing a shoebill when the water level is low.
While in Murchison Falls, visitors can hike for 45 minutes through woodland to the top of Murchison Falls for a completely different experience of this powerful waterfall.
Hiking or a nature walk is the best experience that brings all the senses into play, where one can be able to observe white water tumble hypnotically through this six-meter chasm and taste the spray on their face as well as feel the rock shake beneath their feet. You can trek to the top of the falls, stop off at the north bank during your game drive and walk down and take a step to stand within meters of the rapids.
Visiting the top of the falls is worth it because of its powerful falls with splashing waters.
Both birders and nature lovers can simply enjoy short treks beginning from Sambiya River Lodge or Mubako Junction or encounter the hidden treasures on foot along the north bank from Paraa, passing the Emmy River. All walks done within the park can take from one and a half to two hours.
Sport fishing in Murchison Falls
This is quite a rewarding activity with great opportunities to land a large Nile perch, Cat fish and other caught species, including tiger fish, tilapia, and electric catfish, among others.
Chimpanzee tracking
Chimpanzee tracking is quite an exciting and unforgettable experience done in Budongo Forest, a home of mahogany tree species, birds and primates. Chimpanzee tracking starts in the morning with a guide who leads you to the tracking trails in search for them, an activity that can last 30 to 6 hours depending on where they were last seen the previous day. Once they are located, an hour is given to the trackers to observe their way of life in the jungle, watching them playing, grooming their younger ones, swinging on the tree branches, feeding, among others.
The largest recorded caught Nile perch was weighing 113 kilograms and the largest catfish was weighing 45 kilograms landed near the Nyamusika cliffs. Tourists are recommended to use “UWA” guides, Uganda Wildlife Authority, who lead them to the best fishing spots. Fishing permits are sold at a small fee.
Hot Air Balloons in Murchison Falls National Park
This is the best activity to enjoy the park’s species in an aerial view, with a bush breakfast and sunset—a very fantastic experience.
Culture encounter
During a cultural encounter in the park, you can visit Mubako, a small craft shop that sells carved wooden sculpture and handwoven items made by the local community. You will also be entertained by the local cultural groups with vibrant songs and dances around the campfires of local lodges, well accompanied by the sweet sounds of the adungu.
Visit the village and encounter traditional thatched huts around a clearing.
