Best Safari Activities in Murchison Falls National Park
Best Safari Activities in Murchison Falls Park: One of the most widely recognised natural wonders in Africa is Murchison Falls National Park, which is 90 kilometres from Masindi town and located between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert, which are separated by the Victoria Nile. With a wide variety of tourism activities, including wildlife drives, birding, boat launches, nature walks, and cultural interactions, to name a few, it is considered Uganda’s top tourist attraction. The stunning Murchison Falls is the inspiration behind the name of the park in Uganda. As of the 1950s, the longest river in the world meets the Nile Delta River at the base of a 7-meter-deep valley, creating these magnificent falls.
Best Safari Activities in Murchison Falls Park
Game Drives
During a 3 to 4-hour game drive, you can discover the 76 animal species and 451 bird species that call Murchison Falls home. The park’s northern region, which is mostly made up of wide savannah grasslands, will be the primary location of the drive. The Albert Delta Track is the first place you will see, as it is home to a variety of aquatic birds as well as buffalo, crocodiles, lions, and giraffes. The Nile embraces the open grassland on the Buligi Peninsula Walk, making it an excellent place to see wildlife.
Chimpanzee Trekking
During Chimpanzee trekking, about 600 chimpanzees can be seen in the mahogany-tree-studded woodlands of Murchison Falls National Park. The two civil wars that broke out in the 1970s and 1980s caused a sharp decline in the number. Many chimpanzees were killed, but infants were being brought in. About 1995, the Jane Goodall Institute assisted researcher Vernon Reynolds in launching a conservation programme. The number started to increase in 2000, following the initial finding of fifty primates. After Kibale Forest National Park, Murchison Falls is still the second-best destination in Uganda, famous for Chimpanzee trekking.
If you want to take part in the standard chimpanzee trekking experience, you will meet fellow trekkers at the forest headquarters at 7 a.m. after an early breakfast for a safety briefing. After that, with an armed ranger, you will look for chimpanzees in the jungle. Even so, the majority of walks might go anywhere from three hours to fewer. Once you get to know the chimpanzees, you will have an hour to see how they behave in their natural habitat.
Chimpanzee Habituation
Among the best safari activities in Murchison Falls National Park is Chimpanzee habituation, where you will meet your guide at 6 a.m. to depart and find the chimps sleeping in their nests before they rise at 6.30 a.m. to take part in the Chimpanzee habituation experience. The chimps’ typical daytime activities, such as eating, playing, and patrolling, will be explained to you. Your guide will give you detailed information about the chimpanzees, so you can track their movements before they construct their new nests for the night. At the time of writing, permits cost $300 for the habituation experience and $200 for hiking.
Hiking and Trekking
You can go to the top of Murchison Falls or go on a nature walk in the Rabongo or Kaniyo Pabidi forests. Visitors are only permitted to walk these designated paths. The first part of the trip to the top of the falls is a boat ride to “The Baker Point,” named for the British explorer Sir Samuel Baker. The guided stroll lasts 45 minutes. You will roam around rolling hills, a profusion of birds, and a beautiful environment. As you go through the park, the unceasing sound of the tumbling waterfalls envelops you, becoming louder until it is unbearable.
At the top, you can see the Nile force its way down a slender 7-meter gorge before dropping 43 metres over the edge of the rock. Walk through the Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo woods after viewing the magnificent falls to learn about the range of African species that can be found in Murchison. Expect to observe primates in addition to chimpanzees, such as Olive Baboons, Blue, Red-tailed, Black, and White monkeys, and others.
Boat Cruise
The boat cruise takes 4-5 hours to traverse the 28 km on the Albert delta from Paraa to the shores of Lake Albert along the Nile. The best time to see birds is in the morning, notably the ancient-looking shoebill stork. Take an afternoon sail to witness the sun slowly sinking over boundless grasslands, punctuated by glimpses of wildlife and aquatic life from the riverbanks. Murchison provides two alternative boat cruise options that travel opposite directions down the Nile that flows through the park. After leaving Paraa, the launch voyage (also known as the second cruise) heads upstream towards the breathtaking Murchison Falls. As you approach the falls, you can see the water plunging through a slender canyon that is barely seven metres deep. This makes a loud splash and fills the boat with mist. During the boat cruise, the three hours will fly by as you glide over the lake, seeing elephants having a bath and Hippos in pods. Both trips offer the chance to witness animals, birds, and crocodiles lounging on the bank.
Birdwatching
Birdwatching is one of the best safari activities in Murchison Falls National Park. The park creates a distinctive blend of habitats, including thickets, riverine areas, scattered savannah, and woods, and is home to over 451 different species of birds. In birdwatching, the aforementioned species are categorised as rare, endemic, migratory, savannah, and aquatic. Examples of these include the rare and endangered African Darter, Black-billed Barbet, Martial Eagle, Piapiac, Black-headed Lapwing, Green-wood Hoopoe, Giant Kingfisher, and the sporadic Osprey. Other examples of these include the only endemic Puvel’s Illadopsis found in Budongo Forest and the Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. Spotted, Eurasian, and Senegal Thick-Knee, Denham’s Bustard, Swamp Flycatcher, Goliath Heron, African Skimmer, Secretary Bird, Pied Kingfisher, Pennant-winged and Standard-winged Nightjar, Malachite Kingfishers, Blue-headed, Grey-crowned Crane, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Grey-tailed Nightjar, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Grey-headed Plover, and Vinaceous Dove, among others.
Besides the top experiences in Murchison Falls Park, the park now offers a variety of amazing experiences to fit individual interests and tastes, thanks to all the aforementioned improvements. Without a doubt, you will feel the warmth of Murchison Falls National Park, a hidden gem full of adventure, from boat excursions and game drives to climbing and trekking through the park’s topography.