A Visit to Uganda’s Largest Safari Park
Vibrant Holiday Safaris takes you through Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda which is the oldest and largest safari park in western Uganda. It’s located in north-western Uganda at the northern end of the Albertine region, around the shores of Lake Albert at the falls of Karuma, and it’s cut across or bisected by the Victoria Nile. Among other tourist attractions in Uganda, is the magnificent Murchison Falls, a point where the River Nile waters plunge 43 meters down, flowing through a narrow gorge of about 7m in width that creates one of Uganda’s most fascinating and eye-catching sightings. Murchison Falls covers approximately 3893 square kilometres and is home to over 450 species of birds, as well as 76 species of mammals, including giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, elephants, leopards, lions, and buffaloes, among many others, which can be seen while on a boat cruise along the Nile River.
The Nile waters support wildlife, not leaving out the bird diversity that is accommodated by the Murchison Falls national park. Some of the bird species include the hardly sighted shoebill Stork, the dwarf king fisher, the great blue turaco, the white-thighed thornbill, and the Goliath heron.
Rhinos were once apprehended from the park due to poachers, and they apparently are now habituated in the southern part of the Murchison Falls National Park at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. All five of the big five animals can be found in Murchison Falls National Park, including elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos in the southern part of the Ziwa rhino sanctuary.
The Bugungu and Karuma wildlife reserves together form the Murchison Falls conservation area that is also well known for Uganda safaris.
What to See While at Murchison Falls National Park
Game Drives in the Wild
Murchison Falls National Park Game Drives are always exciting, especially with the availability of about 76 mammal species, including the “big five” animals. Big cats can easily be sighted as they lurk around waiting to pounce on their prey. These game drives are conducted both in the morning after having a heavy breakfast, and in the afternoon, starting at 3 pm. They last 2-3 hours. While on the game drive, you will have a chance to see the Uganda cob, the white and black shoes monkey, and the giraffes among others.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris
Hot Air Balloon Safaris offer visitors a paramount sight of the park. Flying in a hot air balloon over the park is a gripping experience where visitors take stunning photos of the park and truly relish the beauty of Uganda.
Hot air balloons are made to fly at a relatively lower altitude so that the clients can have a clear view of the animals in the park and so much more.
Boat Launch Trips
A boat cruise to the bottom of the falls is done in Murchison Falls national park. It’s done on the Victoria Nile at the base of the falls, about 10 meters away from the “Devil’s Cauldron.” While on a boat cruise, one may be able to view crocodiles, elephants, waterbuck, Uganda cobs, and hippos, among others. Murchison Falls National Park is also home to a number of bird species, including hornbills, cormorants, the unusual shoebill stork, the Goliath Heron, the Egyptian goose, the pelican bee-eater, and others. You are able to view the point where the world’s longest river erupts violently through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment into a frothing pool of 43 meters below.
Spot Fishing
Spot Fishing is best done on the banks of the River Nile below the Falls. Visitors who love fishing stand a chance of catching the Nile Perch fish. The common fish that are caught are tiger fish, tilapia, golden barbell, nagara, ferocious fighter, and Nile perch fish. However, the Nile perch fish is released back into the water.
Hiking and nature walks
The scenery of the park and part of the landscape of the Murchison Falls Conservation Area can be explored on foot. Birders and nature lovers can enjoy short treks and nature walks starting from Sambiya River Lodge or Mubako Junction or a walk along the north bank from Paraa, passing the Emmy River.
Murchison Falls is the most powerful waterfall in the world.
The waterfall found in the park exhibits a spectacular view as the large volume of water battles through packed rocks, powerfully squeezing through a narrow 7-meter crevice in the rocks that plunge over 40 meters below into a 50-meter radius pool of water. The above powerful water force forms a loud roar and massive water sprays around the falls.
The River Nile is the River Nile.
The other major attraction in Murchison Falls is the River Nile. The Nile is popularly known as the longest river in the world with its source found in Uganda. It flows through the park and is crowded with numerous giant crocodiles, hippopotamus, and a large number of different wildlife and bird species that are sighted along the riverbanks and everywhere around the park. The perfect way to explore the river is by taking a boat cruise to the bottom of the waterfalls, where you’ll be able to view a variety of them.
The boat cruise is done in two sessions. Every day, the morning session begins at 9:00 a.m. and lasts up to 3 hours, and the afternoon session begins at 1:00 p.m. and lasts up to 3 hours. The other boat trip goes downstream from Paraa down to the papyrus delta to the point where the waters of the River Nile join Lake Albert. The trip to the papyrus delta gives the clients a chance to see the hardly-seen shoebill stork as well as other wildlife species. This cruise takes 4-5 hours.
The Buligi Game Area
The Buligi game area is located between the Victoria and Albert Niles, with a perfect view of the western rift valley far across Lake Albert to DRC. This is an excellent game viewing area in the Murchison Falls national park, well known for its game drives that include riverine vegetation, woodland, acacia, and savanna grasslands. These game drives are conducted in two sessions, namely, the morning game drive session which takes about 3 hours, and the late afternoon session which starts at 3 pm. While in the Buligi game area, you will see a variety of wildlife that may include; lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, the Uganda cob, hippos, waterbucks, duikers, and many primate species which may include the black and white colobus monkey, the red-tailed monkey, baboons, blue monkeys, as well as warthogs, among various bird species. The ranger guide from the Uganda Wildlife Authority will help you through this adventurous activity. A drive from Paraa through Delta Point across the 170-kilometre area takes about 3-4 hours.
A bird sighting in Murchison Falls
Uganda is gifted with a variety of bird species that are sighted in most parts of the country. Murchison Falls National Park is a perfect destination for bird sightings, with over 450 bird species. The all-time beautiful and favourable climate along with the bisection of the River Nile encourages bird watching in Murchison Falls National Park. among the different birds These include among others; Heron, Silver bird, African Jacana, the Black-billed Barbet, Weaver Bird, Malachite Kingfishers, Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Denham’s Bustard, Piapiac, White-browed Sparrow Weaver, Goliath Heron, African Quail-Finch, Blue-headed Coucal, red-throned Bee-eater, Squacco, the Elegant Grey Crowned Cranes, the Swamp Flycatcher, Sandpipers, Eastern Grey Plantain-Eater, among others
A Visit to Uganda’s Largest Safari
The Primate Community in Murchison Falls National Park
This park is home to a variety of primates, including olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and over 800 chimps, with others found in Pabidi and the Budongo forest.
Kaniyo Pabidi Forests.
The Kaniyo Pabidi Forests are in the southern sector of Murchison Falls conservation area. There are trails that run through Kaniyo Pabidi forest for about 8 kilometres to Kichumba Gate, offering a window for chimpanzee tracking as well as viewing other primates alongside the chimps, including the olive baboons, the black and white colobus monkeys, and the blue monkeys that reside under Uganda’s remaining mahogany forest. Bird watching is also a perfect opportunity to sight various bird species that co-habit with the primates. These include the yellow-footed flycatcher, the Ituri batis, and the white-thighed hornbill, while on the guided nature walk through the forest.
While planning for an Uganda safari, this is one stop destination that one shouldn’t miss out on an itinerary because it has a well-packed action of activities in one tour package.
A Visit to Uganda’s Largest Safari park