Overview
Murchison Falls National Park-All you need to know: Murchison Falls National Park lies at the Northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926 and into a national park in 1952, this is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area.
Murchison Falls
At Murchison Falls, the Nile squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and plunges with a thunderous roar into the “Devil’s Cauldron”, creating a trademark rainbow.
Vegetation
The northern section of the park contains savanna and Borassus palms, acacia trees, and riverine woodland. The south is dominated by woodland and forest patches
Major events
The 1951 film “The African Queen” starring Humphrey Bogart was filmed on Lake Albert and the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park
Water bodies
The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the thrilling Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids.
The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert.
This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes, and buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents.
Wildlife
Murchison Falls is abundantly blessed with wildlife. For instance, there are over 144 mammals, 556 Bird species, 51 reptiles and 51 Amphibians. With a great number of African elephants, Murchison falls is impressive all year round.
Historically, giraffes exclusively inhabited the Northern sector of the park. Also, buffalo populations have spiked to over 10,000 while Uganda kobs have leaped to more than 35,000.
The bird population consists of many prolific bird species such the shoebill which is the most common along the river stretch approaching the Albert delta. Other birds include the white crested turaco, red winged grey warbler in the woodland along the southern bank.
Special visitors to the park
Interestingly, the park has received certain high profile visitors in the past. For instance, Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway and several British royals.
Access to Murchison falls National Park
The distance from Entebbe to the park is 305 km and the travel time is 5 to 6 hours.
By road
There are several gates which one can use to access the park, both from the Northern and Southern side. They include; Chobe, Wankar, Tangi and Muboko in the North and Kichumbanyobo and Bugungu gates in the South.
By air
There are chartered flights from Kampala/ Entebbe international airport that are available for those who want to travel by air. The park has several airfields such as Pakuba airfield, Chobe airfield and Bugungu airfield.
Accommodation in Murchison Falls National Park
There are various accommodation facilities in the park ranging from budget to luxury. Some of them include Pakuba Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari lodge, Baker’s lodge, Budongo Eco-lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge and so on.
Activities
There are several activities for tourists to engage in while on safari for instance game drives, boat cruises, bird watching, chimpanzee trekking, nature walks, hot air ballooning and others.
Conclusion
If you would like to make inquiries or book a safari with Pamoja Tours and Travel, kindly contact us. We will ensure that you have an experience worth remembering for a lifetime.
