Top activities to do in Murchison falls national park

Looking for Top activities to do in Murchison falls national park? The biggest and one of the most visited national parks in Uganda is Murchison falls national park. It’s located northwest of the country in the districts of Nyowa, Masindi, Kiryandongo, and Bulisa. The park covers a total area of 3,893 sq. km and is harbors over 76 mammals, and 461 bird species. The main thing making the park famous is the Murchison falls which are said to be the strongest in the world. Hiking to the top of the falls, game viewing, birding, nature walks, boat cruise are some of the activities done inside the park. Travelers to Murchison falls national park can also do chimpanzee tracking and habituation at Kaniyo Papidi and Budongo forest right next to the park. The park can be visited at any time of the year and can be accessed by both air transport and road transport.

Top activities to do in Murchison falls national park

Wildlife sightings in Murchison falls national park

Game viewing is the most done activity that travelers that go to Murchison fall national park do engage in. The game viewing safaris in Murchison falls national park is mostly done in the northern session of the park due to the high concentration of wild animals and these game drives are done during morning and evening hours. The game drives in Murchison falls national park takes you through savannah grasslands with great views of various animals such as lions, elephants, buffaloes, baboons, hyenas, duikers, warthogs, giraffes, Uganda kobs, baboons, leopards, giraffes, hyenas, Jackson’s hartebeests, oribis, hippos, waterbucks and much more. There are also night game drives that are conducted in Murchison falls national park with armed UWA guides nad during the night time you are able to see nocturnal animals such as lions, hyenas, civets, hippos, leopards, owls, porcupines, wild cats, owls, Uganda kobs, jackals, bush babies, and much more.

Launch cruise in Murchison falls national park

Boat cruises in Murchison fall national park is one of the things you shouldn’t miss when you are intending to visit the park. The boat cruises are done on River Nile which passes through the park as it finds its way to the Mediterranean Sea. The boat cruise in this park starts downstream para and takes you to the south of the park up to the bottom of Murchison falls national park. During the boat cruise, there is always a UWA guide who is telling you facts about River Nile, Murchison falls, River Nile and during this time you have opportunities of spotting different water animals such as hippos, crocodiles, fish, water birds like shoebills, papyrus gonolek, and different park animals such as elephants, herds of buffaloes, antelopes and much more on the water sources most especially in the dry season. The bottom cruise will take you up to the bottom of the falls where you will witness too much water forcing itself through a narrow gorge hence producing a thunderous sound. You can decide to hike to the bottom of the falls from here or you can drive back to the starting point.

Encounter birds in Murchison fall national park

Those intending to do birding activities in Murchison falls national park are advised to move with binoculars so as to see distant birds. The park is home to over 451 different bird species that have been so far recorded in the park so during your birding excursion you will be able to spot birds like Dark chanting goshawk, secretary bird, red-winged pytilia, black-headed lapwing, Abyssinian ground hornbill, blue-headed coucal, Jackson’s hornbill, African darter, Abyssinian scimitar bill, rufous chatter, black coucal, golden pipit, African jacana, greater kestrel, widow bird, pygmy falcon, steel-blue whydah, northern carmine bee-eater, osprey, Abyssinian roller, secretary birds, red-throated bee-eater, giant kingfisher, shoebill stork, veracious dove, white-bellied go-away bird, fox kestrel, golden kestrel, pygmy falcon, sand pipers, black-breasted barbet, swamp flycatcher, silver bird, Karamoja apalis, red-throated bee-eater, rock pratincole, rufous chatterer, marabou stork, chestnut weaver, rose-ringed parakeet, blue-headed coucal, Senegal thick-knee, and scarlet chested sunbird among others.

Nature walks and hikes to the top of the falls in Murchison falls national park

Hike to the top of Murchison falls is one of the best ways to have a spectacular view of the River Nile, as well as Murchison falls national park. The hike to the top of Murchison falls is led by a well-trained UWA guide who takes you through a trail that takes 45 minutes to reach to the top. On your way to the top of the falls, you will meet different park animals, spot different bird species, and at the summit of the falls, there is exposure to the Devil’s cauldron where will witness large masses of water trying to squeeze themselves through a narrow gorge.

The Best time to book top activities to do in Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park can be visited on any day of the year at no particular time but the best time to visit this park is the dry season which occurs from June to September and December to February. The drier months are characterized by little or no rainfall, the road leading to the park passable, the game trucks dry, and the vegetation thin giving clear views of the park animals. During the rainy season, you can also visit the park but remember that the rainfall is too much which makes the road leading to the park impassable, the game tracks muddy and slippery, the vegetation is thick with unclear views of animals but there are huge discounts on accommodation facilities in during this time.

Accommodation facilities at Murchison falls national park

Based on your travel budget, Murchison falls national park has several accommodation facilities where travelers do stay while on a safari in the park. The accommodation facilities range from budget to mid-range to luxury as well as budget options and they include Chobe Safari Lodge, Bakers Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Camp, Murchison River Lodge, Pumba Safari Lodge, Red Chili Hideaway Lodge, Budongo Eco Lodge, Redchilli Rest Camp, Murchison River Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Murchison Tree House, Fort Murchison Lodge, Amakura Safari Lodge, Heritage Safari Lodge, and UWA bandas among others.

Getting to Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park is easily accessible by air transport and road transport. Air transport is the quickest way to get to Murchison falls national park and to use this method of transport, you will need to book a scheduled flight with your tour operator which will start from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airstrip to Pakuba airstrip, Chobe Airstrip, or Bugungu airstrip. By road transport, there are so many routes connecting to the park depending on where you are coming from. From Kampala, its 4 hours, from Kibale forest national park its 6 hours while those from Kidepo valley national park it’s 7 hours

What to do with Africa Adventure Vacations?

Africa adventure vacations is a tour company based in Uganda licensed by the Uganda Tourism Board and a member of the Association of Uganda Tour Operators. Booking with Africa adventure vacations provides you safety and confidence during your safari courtesy of well-trained safari driver guides who are well conversant with all routes and tourism destinations in Africa. You can book with us any of the activities you want to do in Africa such as mountain gorilla trekking in Mgahinga, mountain gorilla habituation, Chimpanzee trekking and habituation, birding, golden monkey trekking, game drives, hiking, nature walks, and community tours among others. Booking top tourism activities to do in Murchison falls national park can be done at any time of the year.