Delta boat cruise safaris in Murchison Falls National Park

Are you interested in booking delta boat cruise safaris in Murchison Falls National Park? The Nile delta cruise is one of the activities you shouldn’t miss on a safari in Murchison falls national park. Murchison falls national park happens to be the largest national park in Uganda covering over 3,893 sq. km followed by queen Elizabeth national park in the west. Murchison falls national park is home to 76 mammal species and 451 bird species and these can be seen on game drives, boat cruises and nature walks around the park.

In the heart of Murchison falls national park flows the River Nile from Lake Kyoga into Lake Albert northwards. On the banks of the River Nile, there are concentrations of different wild animals like hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffaloes, and different bird species including the rare shoebill stork. There are two types of boat cruises in Murchison falls national park, one takes you to the bottom of the falls and the other takes you down the Nile waters to the papyrus-filled delta where the Nile joins Lake Albert. All the boat cruises give you stunning views of the park, its birds, and animals.

What you need to know about the Nile Delta boat cruise safaris in Murchison Falls National Park

River Nile is the longest river in the world flowing through the heart of Murchison falls national park for over 120km on its journey from Lake Victoria to Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile delta is 20 km downstream Paraa and is a home to different waterbird species such as rare shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, long-toed plover, grey-headed kingfisher, black-headed lapwing among others. There are two sessions of the Nile boat cruise with the morning one starting at 7 am and the evening on at 2 pm. During the Nile delta boat cruise, you have chances of seeing hippos, crocodiles, different water bird species, and some of the park animals such as elephants, buffaloes, warthogs, waterbucks, and giraffes to mention but a few.

Depending on the time you have in the park, you can decide to get off the boat on the delta point and get into the vehicle for a game drive in the Buligi area after which you will drive to your lodge. You have another option of leaving the boat and hiking to the top of the falls to see a rainbow or see how water squeezes itself through a narrow gorge.  The Nile delta cruise costs $30 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents, UGX30,000 is paid by the East African citizens.

Cruise up to the bottom of the powerful Murchison falls

One of the fascinating activities in Murchison falls national park is the boat cruise. The boat cruise in Murchison falls national park takes you to the bottom of the falls where there is also a starting point to hike to the top of the falls. Murchison falls are the strongest waterfalls in the world and at the bottom of the falls, you will watch water squeeze through a narrow gorge with a thunderous sound. The boat cruise starts at the ferry crossing point and takes you along the Nile for about 2 hours with opportunities of seeing different water animals such as hippos, crocodiles, fish, and water birds like great egrets, rare shoebill stork, African fish eagles, bare-faced go-away-bird, yellow-billed stork, cormorants, goliath heron, African jacana, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, pelicans, black-headed lapwing, white-winged warbler, giant kingfisher, and different park animals like the antelopes, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and many others the lake shores most especially in the dry season.

Price of the Nile Delta boat cruise safaris in Murchison Falls National Park

Boat cruises in Murchison falls national park are done by the Uganda wildlife authority and the first one is done in the morning and the next is done in the evening. The cost of a boat cruise is $30 for both foreign non-residents and foreign residents while east African citizens pay UGX30,000. If you choose to travel with us at Africa adventure vacations, we do arrange for you pick-ups and drop-offs by boat from Paraa and different points along the banks of the Nile.

What is the best time to do Nile Delta boat cruise safaris in Murchison Falls National Park?

The boat cruise in Murchison falls national park can be done at any time of the year but the best time is the dry season which happens in the months of June to July and December to January. During the dry season, there is little or no rainfall favoring the boat cruise to the Nile delta or bottom of the falls. Since the dry season comes with too many people traveling in the country, you are advised to book your boat cruise permit in advance of 3-4 months to avoid inconveniences. The wet season which happens from March to May and October to November is not good for a boat cruise since there is a lot of rainfall making the water levels to be high and the water flows faster.

Other activities that can be done in Murchison falls national park after the Delta boat cruise safaris .

A safari in Uganda is incomplete without visiting the Murchison Falls National Park. At the cost of $40, international visitors are treated to a variety of activities while inside the park. These include a walk to the top of the falls, chimpanzee trekking, fishing, boat cruises, nature walks, bird watching, game drives and camping among others.

Game drives

Murchison falls national park is the largest national park in Uganda and one of the most visited. The Park is home to over 76 mammal species, over 451 bird species, and 10 primate species. Game drives in Murchison falls national park are done in the morning, evening, and at night. During the game drives in the park, you have opportunities of seeing so many park animals such as lions, hartebeests, buffaloes, elephants, leopards, Uganda kobs, hyenas, topis, giraffes, warthogs, crocodiles, bushbucks, hippos, waterbucks, olive baboons, chimpanzees, and patas monkeys among others.

Birding

Murchison falls national park in the northwestern part of Uganda is one of the country’s best birding spots with over 451 different bird species that have been so far recorded in the park. Different bird species in Murchison falls national park can be spotted on nature walks, boat cruises on the Nile delta and Albert delta as well as game drives through the savannah grasslands. Some of the bird species in Murchison falls national park include grey crowned cranes, squacco heron, swamp flycatcher, African jacana, African quail-finch, speckle fronted weaver, silver bird, piapiac, eastern grey plantain-eater, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black-billed barbet, red-throated bee-eater, sandpipers, Denham’s bustard, blue-headed coucal, marabou stork, giant kingfisher, rock pratincole, eastern plantain-eater, yellow fronted tinkerbird, long-tailed nightjar, and black-headed lapwings.

Chimpanzee trekking

While on a safari in Murchison falls national park, one can do chimpanzee trekking and this can be done in Budongo forest. much of the chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest is done in Kaniyo Pabidi. Trekking of chimpanzees in Budongo forest starts in the morning with a briefing at Budongo Eco Lodge Information Centre. The trekking in Budongo forest takes 3-4 hours and this also includes the 1 hour for being around these gentle primates as you take photos and learn about their behaviors. Trekking chimpanzees in the Budongo forest costs $80.