Tourist Attractions in Murchison park
Murchison falls national park is the largest national park in Uganda and it is dominated by wood land, savannah grasslands and riverine forests in south western Uganda. The park is managed by Uganda wildlife authority and is located in North West Uganda in districts of Bulisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi covering an area of 3893 sq. km. The park is divided by Victoria Nile forming the northern and southern banks. The main attraction is the Murchison Falls, a breathtaking waterfall found where the White Nile bursts through a narrow rocky gap and tumultuously tumbles some 141 feet into a pool known as “The Devil’s Cauldron” before flowing marvelously into the tranquil Lake Albert.
Comprised of the National Park, Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, and the Karuma Falls Wildlife Reserve, the Murchison Falls Conservation Area is home to more than 76 mammal species and 450 species of birds. The riverbanks are dotted with buffalo, hippos, and crocodiles, while elephants, lions, leopards, chimpanzees, and giraffes roam the forests and savannas.
In general, the main highlight when visiting Murchison falls national park is the launch trip up the stream to observe the falls and riverbank wildlife species. The amazing boat ride begins at 09:00am and later in the in the afternoon after 2;00pm on a daily basis. The boat safaris at Murchison Falls national park run along the Victoria Nile and moves towards the falls. This boat safari provides a serene and fulfilling experience on water as one is able to enjoy the wonders of the Victoria Nile while riding on its waves. The various animals to look out for include; Crocodiles, Hippos, monitor lizards in the water and herds of Buffalo, Elephants and antelopes that come for water on the Victoria Nile. Water birds famously grace the scenery of the boat ride and provide a beautiful display of aerodynamics while playing around on the water. One can engage in bird watching while sailing along the Albert delta and the top of the falls and also enjoying watching a number of animals that come to the river for water. To say the least, the boat cruise is pivotal in the arrangement of things to enjoy what the park has to offer in all its splendor. Visitors can decide to take part in both the Albert delta boat cruise and the bottom of the falls boat cruise.
This amazing boat cruise on the majestic river nile is followed by an enthralling hike to the top of Murchison falls. The top of the falls hike at Murchison falls national park is one of the most exhilarating and challenging activities offered at the game park. The traveler’s hike to the top of falls and are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the magical falls from above. Complimented by the Murchison falls, the Murchison falls national park is truly an iconic place in the Pearl of Africa. The park is home to a wide variety of wildlife, diverse cultures living near the national park and unique vegetation or plant species such as the big acacia trees, sausage trees, cactus trees among other shrubs, to mention but a few.
The top visited tourist attractions in Murchison falls include;
- The Nile
- Budungo forest
- Karuma forest
- Paraa
- The kaniyo pabidi forest
The kaniyo pabidi forest
The kaniyo pabidi forest is a marvelous natural forest mainly dominated by huge mahogany trees and ironwood trees. The kaniyo pabidi tourism site is a home to many primates making it an ideal site for chimpanzee trekking. This is managed by the jane goodall institute. There are plenty of bird species that reside in the area for example, the unique puvel`s illaposis which can only be found here in East Africa.
Rabongo pabidi forest
Rabongo pabidi forest is a natural tropical rainforest within a sea of grassland in the south-eastern side of the Murchison falls conservation area. It is a one and half hour drive from paraa safari lodge and is great for foot exploration. For those with a taste for camping, it is possible to camp at the shores of the stunning river wairingo. The forest also harbors a variety of bird species that will interest bird watchers from any part of the world.
Buligi area
The buligi area is marked as one of the majot thrilling spots for game viewing in Uganda. The area is located in a savannah grassland that offers the travelers the raw African wilderness and places them in the middle of their Nat Geo programme. The tranquil lake albert and impressive east African rift valley are also withing eye distance of this area. The activity that is popular is here is the game drive as it offers one the opportunity to view the expanse of the savannah and natural vibrance of the African terrain. You are advised to carry out this activity in the presence of an experienced safari guide to ensure compliance with rules and regulations as well as for your safety.
The parks flora and fauna.
There are over 76 species of mammals that call Murchison falls national park their home. Of these, 4 belong to the category of the big 5, these are the mighty lion, the leopard, the elephant, and the African buffalo. There a re over 500 bird species that call the Murchison falls national park their home, including the rare shoebill stork and the large concentration of nile crocodile and many more.
Budungo forest;
Budungo forest is a semi-deciduous tropical rain forest located at the top of the Albertine rift in Uganda, it is part of Murchison Falls conservation area and has the largest number of chimpanzees in Uganda. It’s also home to over 360 species of birds, 450 species of trees (including mahogany), and 24 species of mammals. It is a part of Murchison falls national park conservation area. This forest is under the watch care of the national forests. Other than chimpanzees, one may come across olive baboons, white and black colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and blue monkeys. Budongo has two ecotourism sites, Kaniyo Pabidi and Busingiro, and is managed by The Jane Goodall Institute. One of the main tourist activities at budungo forest is bird watching, the forest is home to over 360 bird species including some of the rarest birds in east Africa. Some of the birds found include; puvels illadopsis, forest robin, African emerald cuckoo, yellow and grey long bill, yellow browed camaroptera, black headed flycatcher, chocolate backed king fisher, white spotted flufftail, lemon bellied crombec, and many more.
Karuma falls
The karuma falls lie in the north-eastern part of Murchison falls national park in the chobe region. It is an amazing location for sport fishing in the park and the thundering waterfalls on the Victoria nile offer a beautiful scenic view for all travelers and revelers of the karuma falls.
Accommodation facilities in Murchison falls national park.
- Paraa safari lodge, nile safari lodge, and chobe safari lodge are all luxury lodges.
- Sambiya river lodge, fort Murchison lodge, pakuba lodge, and Murchison river lodge are all mid range lodges
- Red chilli rest camp, budungo eco-lodge, and yebo safari camp are midrange lodges.
Accessibility
Getting to Murchison falls national park can be done by bus from kampala or by private means perhaps a self-drive or pick up from Entebbe international airport by the tour company that is organizing your trip. It is a three(3) hour drive (305km) to Masindi from which the main route is kachumbanyobo gate, 85km from Masindi and goes through kaniyo pabidi forest to paraa in the southern part of Murchison falls national park.
One can also use bugungu gate, which is just a bit longer than the kichumbayobo route at 135km but offers a more scenic view of the journey to Murchison falls national park with spectacular views of budungo forest and the rift valley escarpment.
On the other hand, you can still reach Murchison falls national park through the northern gates of Chobe, Wankwar, Mumbako and Tangi gates which are located in the northern side across the River Nile. You can reach the northern gates via the Kampala-Pakwach route which crosses the Nile at Karuma falls bridge. It is 260 km from Kampala capital city and the drive will last for 4 hours.
Tangi gate is just 110km from karuma falls bridge along pakwach road. Tangi gate is so accessible for the visitors going to the northern part of Murchison falls national park. Jowever, it is accessible through a poor marram road with a curfew starting at16:00 hours. There is no camping allowed at the Tangi gate.
By air; One can reach Murchison falls national park by air transport through Pakuba, bugungu and chobe air fields. Bugungu is a few kilometers from Paraa Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters and is the most convenient for safari tourists going to Paraa in the southern part of the park, red chilli safari camp, Nile camp and Simba safari camp.
One can also book the chartered aircrafts that operate domestic trips to the national parks in Uganda. These include; Eagle Airlines, Aero link among others. The aircrafts can be booked at Entebbe international airport or kajjansi airport which is so close to Entebbe international airport.
Air transport is easy quick, convenient and less tiring compared to the road transport. However, the road transport is much more enjoyable as you get a chance to sight spectacular views, and also learn habits of the local street venders. But either way, you can reach the destination; the choice is yours to choose which transport type to use.
