Things to do & see in Murchison Falls National Park – Top things to do on your safari
Things to do & see in Murchison falls – The Murchison Falls National Park is the best all-rounder in Uganda, with wildlife in plentiful supply and the surging Murchison Falls easily accessible by boat. Sir Samuel Baker named the Murchison Falls in honour of a president of the Royal Geographical Society, and this Uganda’s largest park was named after the falls.
Murchison Falls National Park is the largest protected area in Uganda and lies at the core of the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area, which also embraces the Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves and the Budongo Forest. The Victoria Nile, flowing in the westerly direction between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert, bisects the park into 2 equal halves.
76 mammal species have been recorded in Murchison Falls National Park including Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, Bohor reedbuck, Rothschild’s giraffe, Oribi, warthog, side-striped jackal, Leopards, Spotted-hyena, localized Patas monkeys, etc. The Rabongo Forest harbours black-and-white colobus monkeys, chimpanzees and a variety of other forest primates.
Unique habitats and lots of superb bird species make a tour to Murchison Falls National Park a must for Spot Fishing Uganda trips to bird watchers. The bird watching experience in this park is enhanced greatly by the abundant wildlife and scenic landscape, not least the spectacular falls for which the park is named.
The bird checklist of 460 confirmed and 19 unconfirmed species is headed in desirability by the Shoebill, most common along the stretch of River Nile down to the delta point and the estuary into Lake Albert. Many water-associated bird species are prolific along the River, while raptors make a strong presence on the checklist with 53 species recorded.
The Shoebills live alongside Goliath Heron, Grey-crowned Crane, Saddle-billed Stork and long-toed Plover whilst African Skimmer and African Fish Eagle patrol adjacent stretches of the river. An exciting recent discovery was that of a Fox’s Weaver, Uganda’s only endemic bird, in waterside vegetation near the camp.
Sport Fishing
Nile Perch and tiger-fish are among the fish species that excite anglers. Sport fishing is more convenient in the river sections above and below the falls. Normally the number of people carrying out spot fishing has to be regulated on the different designated spots and this requires those interested in this activity to make an earlier booking. Read more about the best time to do sport fishing in Murchison falls
Game Drives
An early morning game drive following the Buligi, Albert and Queen’s tracks north of River Nile is highly rewarding with high concentrations of wildlife, big herds of buffaloes and elephants can be seen grazing in this grassland. The most convenient time is between 0700hours and 1600hours.
Situated about an hour’s drive from the Paraa ferry jetty, almost 20 square kilometres of grassland fringing the delta formed by the Victoria Nile as it flows into Lake Albert is the focus of most game drives north of the river. This happens to be the most impressive area in terms of wildlife concentrations, especially around the delta point. The area offers some excellent bird watching including then majestic grey-crowned crane, eye-fluttering Abyssinian ground hornbill, saddle-billed stork, the localized Denham’s bustard, the handsome black-headed and spur-winged lapwings and the Senegal thick-knee.
Nature Walks
Walking on foot with a guide is interesting in the Murchison falls protected area. This offers you an opportunity to view a variety of animals and birds at a close range. Nature walks are common in Rabongo Forest, Top of the falls and Kaniyo Pabidi in Budongo Forest.
A boat safari on the Nile
A launch cruise on the Nile is one of the highlights of the Murchison Falls National Park safari. This launch cruise takes off from Paraa to the foot of Murchison Falls 17 kilometres. The banks of River Nile are congested with Hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks and a variety of bird species like herons, cormorants, ducks, bee-eaters, fish eagles, kingfishers and at times the rare shoebill.
You may enjoy a boat trip from Paraa to the Delta (28 km) and back which may take you between 4 to 5 hours. This boat trip is scheduled for 0900hours and 1400hours every day. The park management can enter a special arrangement with a client over this trip.
The launch trip from Paraa to the falls (17km) and back takes about three hours. A boat trip from Paraa to the Delta (28km) and back takes about four to five hours and you can see a similar variety of animals and birds. The boat trip is scheduled for 0900hr and 1400hr every day. Any special time arrangement can be made with Park management.
Top of the Falls Trail
This trail takes you around the top of the falls and proceeds right up to the water’s edge. You may hike to the top of the falls from the boat landing and get close to the narrow gorge through which the river explodes into the falls. Campsites, picnic sites, and walking safaris are provided here.
Other activities include chimpanzee tracking in Kaniyo Pabidi and Budongo Forest. For birders, look out for many forest birds, including the chocolate-backed kingfisher, the white-thigh hornbill and Pavel’s illadopsis found nowhere else in East Africa.
Hot air balloon safari
A hot air balloon safari is undoubtedly amongst the top things to do and see in Murchison Falls National Park. Congested with lots of wildlife species and during the wildlife viewing safari, you are in a position to enjoy a hot air balloon that enables them to fly and view wildlife and the park from above. This is one of the most fascinating things to do in Murchison Falls National Park and it can be done either in the morning before the sunrise or in the evening as the sun goes down. Morning hot air balloon is more fascinating as it comes with bush breakfast and a bottle of Champaign.
Chimpanzee trekking
Chimpanzees are also the top things to see in Murchison Falls National Park while Chimpanzee trekking is yet a fascinating thing to do. Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National Park is carried out in Budongo forest where a certain population of Chimpanzees is habituated and available for trekking.
Bomu cultural village visit:
This is also added amongst the top things to see and do in Murchison Falls National Park. On your visit to Murchison Falls National Park include a visit to see the locals in Bomu village to learn more about African culture, food, buy some crafts and enjoy the storytelling session.
Conclusion
In summary, the top things to do in Murchison Falls National Park include; White Rhino trekking, game drive, Boat safaris, top of falls hiking, delta point boat cruise, Chimpanzee trekking, hot air balloon ride, bird watching and cultural visit. While the top things to see in Murchison Falls National Park include; White Rhinos, Chimpanzees, and mammals such as Lions, Elephants, Antelopes, Giraffes, Buffaloes, Hippos, Crocodiles, bird species including the rare Shoebill stork, and different plant species that make up the vegetation cover of Murchison Falls National Park.