Murchison falls national park is located in the northern part of Uganda along the edge of the Albertine rift valley, it is the first conservation area to be gazette and largest protected area of the country covering a space of 3840 square kilometers. It was originally gazette in 1926 as a wildlife game reserve and later upgraded in the 1952. The national park extends to Karuma and bugungu game reserves managed together by the Uganda wildlife authority under the Murchison falls conservation area. The park was initially called Kabalega national park after the king of Toro during the Idi Amin regime later after his down fall, the park got its name Murchison back.
Murchison falls national park is home to the magnificent world’s most powerful waterfalls the Nile flows through a 6cm gorge and plunge 45m dropping with a roar sound that is incredibly interesting to watch and see, the northern part of the park contains a savannah and borassus palms, acacia trees and the south covered in bush and forest, Budongo forest and the Kaniyo Papidi are part of the great conservation area only place to find chimpanzee. It is bisected into two halves by the Victoria Nile.
The national park is home to 451 species of birds, there are easy sightings of birds in the forested areas, on boat cruises and game drives key species that could be spotted include the African fish eagle, African darter, goliath heron, shoe bill stock white faced whistling bird, black headed plover, yellow fronted tinker birds, piapiac, grey crowned cranes, yellow throated greenbul, Abyssinian ground horn bill, malachite king fisher, long toed plover, secretary bird, long tailed night jar, giant king fisher, red throated bee eater, saddle billed stock, black crake to mention a few, birding safaris are accompanied by an experienced birder guide.
The national park is not only home to birds but covers a variety of animal and plant species situated within the national park, it is one of the finest places to see wildlife commonly spotted is the warthogs, hippos, Nile crocodiles, Jackson Harte beasts, Uganda Kobs, Rothschild’s giraffes, lions, oribi, waterbucks, leopards, jackal, chimpanzee, baboon, buffaloes, among others, there are 79 mammal species living in the national park it is possible to see all the big five in and around the Murchison with adjoined journeys to the Ziwa rhino sanctuary in Nakasongola district the only place to track rhinos on foot.
The national park is commonly dry with temperatures 25 -32ºc however the night temperatures keep dropping, the rainfall received is light falling in territorial storms when it comes, the best time to visit the national park is during the dry season of December-February and June –mid September, it is the prime time to visit, birding safaris are prominent in January –march when tourist numbers are few tourists. It is advisable to carry long light sleeved clothes, boots, hand gloves, hats, sunscreen and any othjer personal material needed for an African safari.
Please book with Lionking safaris Uganda.