After the gorilla-inhabited forests of Bwindi and Mgahinga, Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s primary safari destination and well worth exploring for those on longer safaris to the country. Here are found good numbers of elephant and buffalo, as well as hippo, the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, lion, leopard, hyena and occasionally cheetah. Grazers are numerous and include Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbuck, waterbuck, oribi and Bohor reedbuck. Baboon and colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and patas monkeys inhabit the many forests. Most famous are the Rabongo and Kanyio Pabidi forests, home to over 600 chimpanzees which you may track with a park ranger. These forests also protect the largest number of mahogany trees left in east Africa.
The birding list is equally impressive with over 500 species including the rare and endangered Shoebill Stork, which make their home in the reedbeds along the river Nile and Lake Albert. Other species include the ubiquitous African fish eagle, Abyssinian ground hornbill, blacked-billed barbet and numerous forest birds including green-breasted pitta, chocolate-backed kingfisher and Puvels illadopsis.
The Falls themselves are formed where the river Nile, which effectively divides the park in half, is forced through a 7 metre gap in the rocks and drops over 40 metres below before continuing on to Lake Albert. The volume of water is tremendous and the spray sustains a beautiful rainbow virtually all year round. It’s one of East Africa’s most dramatic sights.
In and around Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
Murchison Falls is approx 6 hours drive or a brief charter flight from Entebbe. It’s possible to explore the park on a short overnight safari, but we usually recommend 2-3 nights, particularly if you intend to combine time in the national park with chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi. A safari in Murchison Falls can also be combined with a visit to the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, helping to break up the long drive from Entebbe.
4x4 game drives and river boat safaris are possible within the boundaries of the park. Land-based game viewing is good, but the water-based safaris are the highlight, offering a unique perspective on the Falls as well as good prospects of seeing the rare shoebill stork.
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