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Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest covering 3840km2 and is largely regarded by its visitors as Uganda’s most prolific thanks to the iconic Murchison Falls, believed to be the most powerful waterfall in the world and a growing healthy population of wildlife that had been porched to near extinction in during the times of political instability in the 1970s to 1980s. It is comprised of the Karuma, Bugungu wildlife reserves, Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi forests all in the south to form the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
The Park was gazetted in 1952 but had been under the Bunyoro Game Reserve set aside in 1910. In its early days the park was East Africa’s best thanks to its spectacular waterfall, prolific game and outstanding lodges built in the 1950s and 1960s.
A census conducted in 1969 confirms an incredibly large presence of mammals which included 14500 elephants, 26,500 buffalos, 14,000 hippos, 16,000 Jackson’s hartebeest, 30,000 Ugandan Kob, and 11,000 warthogs as well as many Rothschild giraffes and black rhinos and white rhinos. Interestingly in the 1960s the park faced a huge problem of environmental destruction due to overpopulation of elephants and hippos. Eventually some 3500 were culled along with 4000 hippos.
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Murchison Falls National Park can be visited throughout the year, but the best time for wildlife viewing is the Dry season (from December to February) when animals congregate around the Victoria Nile and other small water sources.
Wildlife viewing in the long-wet season, March – November is still very prolific, and this should not stop anyone from visiting the park.
Murchison Falls National Park experiences stiflingly hot weather with a daily daytime average temperature of 32 – 33°C or 89.6 – 91.4°F cooling to 19°C or 66.2°F during the nighttime.
The dry season is between November to February and temperatures tend to peak during this time of the year. A long steady wet season starts in March and runs through to the start of November.
Tracking white rhinos at Ziwa is a huge addition to the visit to Murchison Falls National Park. Unlike the wildlife at Murchison falls the Rhinos at Ziwa Sanctuary are under 24hr surveillance watch by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Here you will track the southern white rhinos on foot under the strict guidance of an armed ranger. You will come as close as 30 meters to Uganda’s only rhino population.
You will ordinarily view as many as 10 – 15 rhinos with great photo opportunities.
Only 6km after Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is a strategically popular lunch stop over by a local former ranger that offers a refreshing break from the long journey. The restaurant serves a collection of local as well as international quick breakfast and lunch options at very friendly rates.
Exploring Murchison Falls National Park with Jumanji Africa Safaris allows you to experience a variety of different safari activities to make your trip even more memorable. Below are the various activities that you can take part in when you visit Murchison Falls National Park.
According to recent survey results published in 2015 Murchison falls has a recorded 144 mammals, 556 bird, 51 reptiles and amphibian species. The numbers are yet to climb to pre Idd Amin times, but they are very impressive now. Infact Murchison falls is currently one of the few areas where African Elephants are increasing in number to about 1500 individuals. The Park supports world’s largest population of the Rothschild’s giraffe currently at more than 1250 individuals. The buffalo population has also grown to more than 10,000, Ugandan Kob 35,000 since 1999. The lion population is at a healthy 150 – 200 individuals split in 15 to 20 hunting prides. Leopards and hyenas are regularly spotted in significant numbers as well during the game drives. Along the banks of the river there is a notable presence huge Nile crocodiles and monitor lizards. Other notable animals include Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi, Bohor reedbuck, bushbuck, warthog and Defassa waterbuck. Monkeys such as vervet, patas monkeys and Anubis baboon are also present. In the Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo forests there are chimpanzees, black-and-white colobus and many more forest monkeys.
The Park has a recorded population of 556 bird species with the prehistoric looking shoebill found in downstream in the Nile delta leading on the birders list. Many other water loving birds are found downstream with raptors showing a strong presence at 53 species recorded. Other birds along the river include African fish eagle, white-crested turaco, red-headed lovebird and red-winged grey warbler. Key birds in the Northern plains include Abyssinian, ground hornbill, Denham’s bustard, black headed lapwing, and black-billed barbet. Forest birds localized to Kaniyo Pabidi include chocolate-backed kingfisher, green-breasted pitta and East Africa’s only known population of the Puvel’s illadopsis.
The bulk of wildlife in Murchison Falls is concentrated north of the Nile in the and game drives are extremely rewarding on Buligi circuit in the morning hours starting 7am. This is a network of 3 main game viewing tracks traversing the 10km wide area that separates the Victoria and Albert Niles. The central 10km Queen’s track is the shortest and generally the most productive for game viewing. The northernly 12km Albert Nile track passes through patches of dense acacia woodland, is quite attractive to birders. The most southernly 13km Albert Nile Track tends support low game concentrations except as it approaches the delta.
Down in the southern bank is a newly opened honeymoon track that is associated with Uganda Kob, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbuck, baboon and oribi are plentiful. You might find lions, elephants, buffalo and some of the recently introduced Rothschild’s giraffe relocated from the northern bank in 2016. Important to note that wildlife here is not as prolific as the buligi circuit area.
Night safari game drives have been introduced in Murchison Falls and the testimonies are incredible. Some guests have encountered as many as 15 lions in one night game and special successful hunting scenes as well as other wildlife in their hundreds. We highly recommend our clients to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity to listen to the incredible lions’ roars under the stars when the safari van engine is switched off in complete silence.
A 3hr boat safari trip starting at Paraa to the base of Murchison falls has been the most popular and must do adventures since the Queen Mother made the inaugural trip in a spanking new boat back in 1959. Game viewing along the trip is incredible and you should expect to see huge Nile crocodiles basking under the sun, herds of buffalo, hippos, Kobs, waterbucks, elephants, black-and-white colobus monkeys and others coming to drink from the Nile. Lions and leopards are also frequent visitors to the river.
Birding is also great, look out for the African fish eagle, goliath heron, African skimmer, white-headed turaco, red winged grey warbler, open billed stork, shoebill, the goliath heron piapiac, black-headed gonolek, black-winged red bishop, yellow-backed weaver and many more.
The 20km boat safari trip downstream from Paraa to the Lake Albert delta is one of the best opportunities anywhere in Africa to see the rare shoebill but nothing is guaranteed.
The Murchison falls is impressive from the boat but much better from the south bank viewpoint at which the Nile reaches at a staggering power with which it crashes through the narrow gap in the escarpment followed by the deafening roar it generates. Just before crushing into the gorge, part of the powerful gushing water diverts to form the broader Uhuru falls 100m to the side which were formed by the great floods of 1962 and the falls are now a permanent feature. The viewpoint offers great photo opportunity in the afternoon when the sun is better positioned.
Although the top of the falls can be accessed by road, the most satisfying way to visit the top of the falls is to disembark from the boat a few 100m below the falls and hike the steep tree shaded footpath through the gorge to the top viewpoints.
Kaniyo Pabidi lies south of MFNP between Karuma and Bugungu wildlife reseves. The Kaniyo Pabidi Eco-tourism site, which was first managed by the Jane Goodall Institute. It is a northernly extension of Budongo forest Reserve and harbors similar flora and fauna. Because it has never been logged it contains far higher numbers of huge, buttressed mahogany and iron wood trees. It supports Uganda’s most dense chimpanzee population estimated at around 6.5 chimps per square kilometer.
Kaniyo Pabidi has 2 habituated chimpanzee communities each with about 90 individuals. Up to 36 permits are issued daily with 6 tracking groups each comprising 6 people. Tracking here is not a reliable as Kibale National Park but it is relatively easier here because the terrain is flatter. The current success rate here stands at 80% with most trackers locating the chimps with in 1 hour.
Sport Fishing is done along the Murchison Nile in what is termed as catch and release fishing. Large fish such as Nile Perch and Tiger fish offer the main challenge. The record for the rod and line is held by Kevin Nicholson in 2013 who’s mammoth 114kg catch eclipsed Tim Smith’s 113kg catch in 2009.
We will arrange sport fishing permits for guests interested in the excursion.
The latest addition to the Murchison Falls National Park experiences is the introduction of hot air balloon safaris which run from Paraa. There are 2 flights daily one starting at 5am until sunrise followed by a bush breakfast and another at 4pm. This timing enables the best views of the nile under sunrise, sunset and wildlife over an expansive area.
All the above experiences and excursions as well as accommodation booking, and transportations can be arranged by Jumanji Africa Safaris at very friendly rates.
