Murchison’s picturesque scenery makes it so hard to fail to love, and that is exactly why scenes of many award winning movies were shot here, inclusive of the African queen movie of Uganda.
Murchison harbors the classic elements of a paradise. For starters, it is a little out of reach; paradise after all is not paradise if you could just jump on a random boda and reach it. Secondly, paradise is a wonderland spread over countless miles. Murchison spreads across 3,840km2. It is Uganda’s largest game park, full of the most pristine wildernesses and untamed savannas in Africa.
It stands at an altitude of more than 600m and is bisected into two wings by the world’s longest river – River Nile. On its grassland-dominated Northern wing, you will find a mix of carnivores and heavy browsers like of elephants, antelopes, giraffes, buffaloes, hippopotamuses, hartebeest, oribi and the Uganda kob.
On the other hand, to its south is Budongo, a forest sanctuary with a healthy population of primates, especially man’s closest relatives; chimpanzees. This contrast avails the means to find out what differentiates forest species like buffaloes and elephants from their Savannah counterparts, for those interested in studying animal life deeper.
There is only one powerful waterfall in the world whose water squeezes through a five meter wide cleft to take a 45m plunge over the remnant rift valley wall. It is found in this park and yes, it is after it that the park was named. This was in honour of Sir Roderick Murchison, the president of the Royal Geographic Society (1851-1853). Downstream of this river is an 80km stretch of rapids. Thundering ones!!!
Things to Do in Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park suggests a list of amazing adventures which can richly accommodate your zeal of adventure. Among the adventures to undertake when visited Murchison Falls National Park include; include Game drives, boat launch, top of the falls hike, nature walks, sport fishing, chimpanzee tracking, community visits among others.
Games drives
A game drive is perfect if you want to see much of it quickly and easily. However if you want real photographic encounters, you can’t go wrong with a nature walk off the beaten tracks.
Spot fishing
If you love sports fishing, Murchison offers excellent chances of catching many species including the biggest Nile Perches in the country, some of which can weigh as much as 80kg. Others include the electric eel, Tiger Fish and Catfish.
Bird watching
If you want to see birds without so much hassle, do not hesitate to pursue a boat cruise destined for the twin falls in the park. The park has over 470 recorded bird species.
How to explore Murchison
There are so many ways to explore Murchison Falls National Park. A game drive is perfect if you want to see much of it quickly and easily. However if you want real photographic encounters, you can’t go wrong with a nature walk off the beaten tracks. If you want to see birds without so much hassle, do not hesitate to pursue a boat cruise destined for the twin falls in the park. The park has over 470 recorded bird species.
On your way downstream, you will be awed by a parade of animals strutting about at the riverbanks.
If you love sports fishing, Murchison offers excellent chances of catching many species including the biggest Nile Perches in the country, some of which can weigh as much as 80kg. Others include the electric eel, Tiger Fish and Catfish.
Conservation
Following the 1980’s war that brought Uganda on its knees, Murchison falls suffered immense poaching, a vice that threatened its giraffe population to near extinction. Thanks to consistent conservation efforts as spearheaded by different conservation initiatives, the park quickly regained its population of giraffes (now over 900 from less than 100 in 1990), particularly in its Northern wing. Plans are ongoing to translocate as many giraffes as possible to its southern wing. The move is partly inspired by the possibility that a natural calamity could strike the North, threatening the giraffes again. Should this happen, the ones in the south will help in rebreeding. So far, over 30 giraffes have been moved here.
Accessing Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park can be accessed in two ways, either by road or by plane. The park has 3 major gates which are used consecutively. These are Tangi gate accessed through Pakwachi, Kichumbonyobo accessed via Masindi and Bugungu gate which accessed via Bulisa.
Murchison Falls National Park can be accessed with by road from Kampala about 305km using the Kampala –Gulu –Masindi road reaching at Para information center. With this road it’s about 4 hours of driving from Kampala reaching to Para information center by road.
However, from Entebbe can connect to Murchison by a domestic scheduled or chartered plane. There are basically two airlines of Aero Link and Bar Aviation that organize domestic and regional flights to different airstrips and airfields. Murchison Falls National Park has 3 airstrips which include the Pakuba airstrip, Chobe airstrip and Bugungu airstrip. A flight from either Entebbe or Kajjansi airfield takes only an hour flying to Murchison.