Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is situated in the northern end of the great albertine rift valley where the running Bunyoro escarpment flips in vast, palm dotted savannah. The park was first gazatted as a game reserve in 1962. It is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area hosting 76 mammal species and over 451 bird species. The park is situated approximately 300 kilometers by road, northwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city
Murchison falls is Uganda’s largest national park (nearly 4000 square meters) and it takes its name from a narrow descending gap along river Nile. This is where the river literary thunders out to drop nearly 50 meters, making it the strongest waterfall in Africa, dividing the park in half on its way to the Mediterranean sea.
The park is dissected by the Victoria Nile which plunges 45km over the remnant rift valley wall, creating dramatic Murchison falls, and the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of the river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles.
The park is a home to Uganda’s largest population of Nile crocodiles which are regularly seen basking at the river banks. Elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and hippos can also be sighted by tourists embarking on adventurous boat cruises along the Nile. The park is also a habitat to four of Africa’s big fives; the elephant, lion, leopard and Cape buffalo. The elephants and buffaloes are the most common. Though many in number, the lions are occasionally seen, the leopards are rare and the rhinos are absent. The other wildlife species found in the park include hippos, hyenas, and various antelope species including; the Uganda kobs, grey duiker, bush buck, oribis and Jackson’s hartebeest. The park also has a surprisingly large population of Rothschild giraffes.
Besides Kidepo valley national park and Lake Mburo national park, Murchison falls national park is the only other national park where giraffes are found in Uganda. Chimpanzees and other primates can be tracked in the adjacent Budongo forest reserve. Murchison falls national park offers a wide range of tourist activities.
There are many adventures to enjoy while at Murchison falls national park; game drives, launch trips, guided hikes and nature walks, hot air balloons adventures, spot fishing sightseeing and bird watching.
Murchison falls is often referred to as Kabalega falls (in honor of the great king of Bunyoro) the sound is deafening. Endless sprays of water sting at the face even as your head gets pounded with the water rhythm. It is easy to become emotional at the falls. The spectacle is a glorious tribute to the forces of nature or perhaps Kabalega’s anger against the British colonialists.
Notable visitors to the mighty Murchison falls national park include Winston Churchill, Hemingway Theodore Roosevelt and several British royals.
