Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest national park. Formerly referred to as the Kabalega National Park, this is the best place to see wildlife in Uganda. The park derives, its name from the Mighty Murchison Falls which is a 7 meter high fall formed at a point where the world’s longest river, the Nile River forces itself from the narrow gorge. It lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley. Murchison Falls National park is the largest conservation area located in the western region of Uganda. It was first gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, to protect the savannah grassland that was talked about by Winston Churchill in 1907. Being a tourist destination, the park receives many visitors both locals and international.
The park covers an area of about 3893km, it’s known to be one of Uganda’s well protected area. Rhinos were very many in the park but were depleted in 1970’s due to bad governance and political turmoil that characterised the country at that time. Rhinos have now since been bled and conserved in the nearby Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, a project sponsored by the Rhino Fund Uganda. A visit to the park offers an opportunity to pass by Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary to see the Rhinos in their natural environment. It is thus the most inclusive park which offers best of wild life safaris in Uganda which can be combined in three days passing via Luwero to Masindi and finally into the Park.
More so, the nearby Budongo forest is a habitat for various primates since its part of the Park, chimpanzee tracking being one of the most exciting primate tracking adventure in the forest. We cannot forget talking about the pretty Falls which is the center piece of attraction for the park. Murchison falls national Park is the destination that everyone interested in visiting Uganda should have on his or her itinerary reason being that the park is very accessible.
Getting There – Distance
By means of road transport, it takes around 5 hours from Kampala City the capital of Uganda with about 305km. Paara covers a distance of about 85km from Masindi town by the shortest route. A direct route will cover an area of about 135km. You may decide to take on the Budongo forest that will provide many views overlooking to lake Albert from the direct position of the Rift valley Escapment over Butiaba. You can also access Paara from the North through Chobe gate, Karuma Falls along with Tangi. The gate that is close to Pakwach covers an area of about 25km to Paara in addition to Wankwar gate close to Purongo.
Attractions
Despite the fact that the park is known for its pretty Falls but also there is the delta area which forms part of the park, a best place to see the rare shoe bill stock. A boat cruise to the delta area where the shoe bill is sighted offers great opportunity to see animals such as Hippos, crocodiles, lots of bird species and many more. The park is surrounded by a number of many attractions plus the game reserves make it a very popular destination for tourists.
A number of activities is carried out while in the park such as visiting the top of the falls, Chimpanzee tracking at Budongo forest, Guided nature walks through Rabongo and Kaniyo Pabidi forests, guided swamp walks, Sport Fishing on the banks of the River Nile, the experience on the boat cruise offers good opportunities for bird watching and the game drives where you can get to see some of the big five that is; Buffalo, Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Leopard. Surely one can never think of missing this memorable adventure while on a safari in Uganda.
There are different Cultural setups around the Park and Cultural walks to these unique cultures always offer insight into different Cultures in Uganda.
Transportation
The main entrance point into the country is Entebbe International Airport found 40km from Kampala, the capital city. There are public means of transport that go up to Masindi which is the nearest town to the park. From there, you can hire a car to take you all the way into the park. Or you can visit the Park with the help of Tour operators and consultants who can provide good services from your date of arrival to departure time.
Accommodation
One can never get worried while visiting this park since there are various accommodation facilities within and outside the park such as lodges and camps including some hotels in Masindi where you have a relaxation and meals as you prepare for the next activities. All these can accommodate various tourists depending on their levels. Luxury facilities include; Paara safari lodge, Chobe safari lodge. Midrange include; Murchison River lodge, Nile safari lodge, Pakuba safari lodge and budget accommodation include; Red chili Rest camp, Bwana tembo safari camp, Kabalega Wilderness lodge, Budongo Eco lodge to mention but a few.