Murchison falls national park is nestled in northwestern Uganda on the shores of lake albert. Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s largest safari park. The park was locally known as Kabalega national park, it is 305 km from Kampala in Masindi district and can be accessed by road or Flight. This guide covers the different attractions in in the park, what to do in this park and the accommodation.
In 1952, the British administration established the national parks Act of Uganda. The protected area described above became Murchison falls national park. Murchison falls covers an extension of 384,000 hectares making it Uganda’s largest protected national park followed by Queen Elizabeth national park. This diverse park runs to the adjacent eastwards from the shores of lake albert around Victoria Nile and Karuma falls.
Murchison falls national park is adjacent to bugungu wildlife reserve which covers 748sq.km and Karuma falls wildlife reserve which covers 720sq. km and these are all emerged together to form the larger Murchison falls conservation area (MFCA). The park covers Masindi district, Buliisa district, Nwoya and Kiryandongo district. This large chunk of land is bisected by Nile river to form the Northern part of the park (Chobe side) and the southern part of the park (paraa side).
At some point the Victoria Nile river forms the falls as the fast water surges through a rocky narrow gap or gorge over a massive drop of just 7m, this water is tremendously fun to watch as it falls down in to a plunge pull from a cliff of just 130 feet. The falls are what made the park so famous beside the animals and this is because the Murchison falls are the most powerful waterfalls in the world and so this makes them the apex of the park. The stretch of water provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles. This is something you will see when only you visit Murchison falls national park.
The park is controlled by Uganda wildlife Authority (UWA) who is responsible for all the conservation policies such as costing each activity carried out in this park, the conservation and sustainable tourism projects plans and programs as they unfold regularly.
Common activities carried out in this park include wildlife viewing safaris also known as game viewing, launch trips to the bottom of the falls and hikes to the top of the falls (Devils cauldron), birding and nature walks. The launch trips stand out for being more exciting and fun since they get you up close to the animals in the park. For those that seek an aerial wildlife viewing experience you can opt for a balloon safari because they are also available within the park. The vegetation of the park is mostly made up of Savannah, Riverine forest and woodland, this all acts as home to many animals which live in this park such include lions, leopards, oribis, giraffe, elephant, kob and Rothschild giraffe among others.
Murchison falls is located in Northwestern Uganda and it’s still north west of Kampala which is the Capital city. It takes about 4-6 hrs. drive to get to the park from the capital but the distance depends on the route you use to get to the park too. You could choose to take the shorter route via Kampala to Masindi then Murchison falls park to the southwestern part of paraa or you may opt to pass via Kampala hoima road which is 135km longer but with nice scenery but using either of the routes you can reach safely.
Inconclusion Murchison falls is a place for all kinds of travelers provided you seek to find wildlife or adventure, book a Murchison safari today and stand a chance to view all sorts of game an African safari could ever offer with unforgettable moments with wildlife on an amazing game drive or boat trip. This safari park is an all year round wildlife destination but can be best visited during the month of June to late September or January to mid-March on a Ugandan safari.