Murchison Falls National Park Safari
Uganda’s largest and most spectacular National park in Uganda and indeed in the Whole of Africa. This derives its name from the dramatic Murchison falls where the World’s longest River Nile explodes through a narrow crevice and flows down to become a placid river whose banks are thronged with hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks and buffaloes and protects a chunk of untamed African savannah bisected by the mighty river Nile.
Murchison Falls National Park being the largest in Uganda with an area of 3893 km2. The River Nile bisects the Park into the North and South sectors that first races and forms falls where it flows over the Western rift Valley escarpment. The park lies at the Northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the bulky Bunyoro escarpment merges into the vast plains of Acholiland, also including the adjoing Karuma and Bungungu wildlife reserves
The Albert Nile delta is Uganda’s lowest area 612m at delta point and temperatures can be hot with a mean maximum of 29oC. The hottest times are mid December to mid February and June-July, temperatures by rainy seasons in April and November
Murchison Park has for many years recovered notable foreign visitors including Winston Church Hill that hiked, boated and bicycled up the Nile corridor to the Falls, followed by Humphrey Bogart in John Huston’s movie The African Queen and the most happy was Ernest Hemingway whose intention was simply to over fly the water falls.
Wildlife
The Nile itself hosts one of Africa’s densest hippopotamus and the Nile crocodile populations, and a dazzling variety of water birds including the world’s most accessible wild population of the rare shoebill stork.
In the southeast, Rabongo Forest is home to chimps and other rainforest creatures.
The Murchison Falls National Park, with its variety of vegetation ranging from riparian forests and swamp lands to broad Savannah woodland, provides the greater opportunity of seeing many of the animals found in Uganda ranging from the big five and large mammals including Lion, Leopard, Elephant, hippopotamus, Rothschild’s Giraffe, Cape buffalo, hartebeest, Oribi, Warthog, and Uganda Kob.
Sport Fishing
The Nile offers and promotes sport fishing in the park. Abundance Perch and tiger-fish provide an exciting experience to the anglers. . Prior booking with the park needs to be arranged, as very many tourists doing sport fishing at designated sites at a time needs to be regulated. Fishing equipment and well designed boats are made available for hire on prior booking.
Game Drives Murchison
Usually an early morning game drive before the sun rises high is much recommended, you will see plenty of game and wild life at a close range on the Albert, Queen and Buligi’s tracks, north of the River Nile. Enjoy and view elephants and other game on the grassy hillsides.
Nature walks
The park offers the opportunity to discover and explore the wild on foot. Birds, and animals, and plants can be quietly and closely observed. Nature walks are offered at Rabongo Forest, from the bottom to the Top of the falls and Kaniyo Pabidi in Budongo Forest.
Top Of The Fall hIKE
This trail takes you around the top of the falls right up to the water’s edge. With an opportunity to hike to the top of the falls from the boat landing and to get close to narrow crevice through which the river plunges into the falls.
Boat Cruise along The Nile & to the delta
The launch trip from Paraa to the falls (17km) and back takes about 3hours. A boat trip from Paraa to the Delta (28km) and back takes about 4-5 hours and from this you can see a variety of animals. The boat trip is scheduled for 0900hr and 1400hr every day.
This is among the best of Uganda safari highlights to Murchison Falls National Park is the Hippos and crocodiles are in abundance and you will see elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks and a variety of birds like ducks, bee-eaters, fish eagles kingfishers herons, cormorants, and at times the rare shoebill..
Kaniyo Pabidi Eco Tourism Forest
Kaniyo Pabidi very untapped and undisturbed area of natural forest within Budongo Forest Reserve. In this Eco tour forest Chimpanzee tracking is the most popular activity. You will obviously see and meet many forest birds, such as the chocolate-backed kingfisher, the white-thigh hornbill and puvel’s illadopsis found nowhere else in Africa.
Rabongo ForestEcotourism centre
This Ecotourism centre is forest is surrounded by Savannah grassland and is 11/2hour drive from Paraa situated in an island of tropical riverine forest southeast of the protected area. Our safaris guides/driver will help you to explore inside the forest on foot, many primates will be spotted like black and white Colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, baboons and sometimes chimpanzees, birds, medicinal plants and trees. You can also picnic and camp at the place
ACCOMMODATION
An up-market Paraa Safari lodge AND Chobe Lodge is readily available, Nile Safari lodge is operational with unique quality services to the visitors, more up-market Sambiya River Lodge, Murchison River Lodge and Fort Murchison as mid-range accommodation is an ideal place for relaxation and refreshment built along the banks of River Nile.
Red Chili hide rest Camp, Uganda Wildlife Bandas these too provide excellent friendly facilities to budget travellers especially those who wish to spend less on accommodation. Paraa hostels and Kaniyo Pabidi camp are also in place to cater for every budget visitors.
Closer to the park one can find accommodation in Masindi, the Masindi Hotel and Masindi Court View Hotel offers the best hospitality services to visitors and highly recommended
ACCESSING MURCHISON FALLS
A long day’s drive from Kampala by road from through Masindi (via Kichumbanyobo gate), connecting to Paraa is about 5 hour drive. Alternatively, Murchison Falls can be reached, by passing through Budongo forest and enjoying spectacular views across Lake Albert from the Rift Valley escarpment above Butiaba. From the North, Via Choobe Gate near Karuma Falls and Tangi Gate, Pakwach 25 km to Paara Safari Lodge. A4WD is usually recommended. Public means of transport are only available from Kampala to Masindi town.
By Air: Of Recently, Aeolink Uganda operates scheduled flights to Pakuba airstrip, x1 daily flight making it much easier to reach Murchison Falls in only 2 hours than by road spending over 5 hours