The oldest and largest conservation area in Uganda is Murchison Falls National Park. The protected area is composed of tourist destinations that are Murchison Falls National Park itself, Bugungu Wildlife Refuge, Karuma Wildlife Refuge, Uhuru Falls, and Budongo Forest Reserve, the best place for chimpanzee trekking and habituation experiences and other primate-watching adventures.
The park is located in the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi. Masindi is the largest town in the area, taking between 1 and 2 hours’ drive to the park with a driving distance of 72km. The park can be reached by road from Kampala via Nakasongola District, a well-known home for rhinos in Uganda.
Stopping over at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for rhino tracking, it is an interesting adventure in a lifetime; watching rhinos in their natural setting is an additional experience in one’s life. The distance from Kampala to Murchison Falls is approximately 285 km, making Kampala the largest capital.
Murchison Falls National Park is the world’s most powerful natural waterfall that divides the protected area into two parts, thus creating northern and southern destinations. The Victoria Nile, which bisects the park into two, plunges over 45 meters over the rift valley, forming the attractive Murchison Falls.
The park hosts over 76 species of mammals and 451 species of birds. It’s also referred to as the Kabalega Falls. This name was common before the coming of missionaries. Kabalega Falls is a waterfall found on the course of the Great Nile. The park’s original name was Kabalega National Park, referring to the King of Bunyoro; later, after the exploration by Sir Samuel Baker and other explorers, the name changed to Murchison Falls National Park.
Murchison Falls National Park Activities
Tourist activities in the park include game drives, boat cruises, hikes, nature walks, sport fishing, cultural encounters, chimpanzee trekking, and chimpanzee habituation.
Chimpanzee trekking adventure
The park is also a prominent place for a number of primates like chimpanzees and other monkeys. Chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation are activities in the Budongo Forest Reserve, the place within the national park.
Budongo Forest is the largest rainforest in East Africa; the rainforest is about a 30-minute’ drive to Kichumbanyobo Gate. In this forest, chimpanzees are managed by the Jane Goodall Institute for Research.
Note that chimpanzee trekking in Budongo Forest is done twice a day, in the morning and afternoon sessions. This chimpanzee trekking adventure includes trekking to the chimpanzee community, an hour of interaction with chimpanzees, taking pictures and videos, and walking back.
Boat cruise in the Park
The Nile boat cruise is a rewarding activity that allows you to explore and discover a huge population of wildlife, such as crocodiles, hippos, and water birds. Plus lions, warthogs, buffaloes, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, giant forest hogs, Uganda kobs, topis, waterbuck, elephants, and leopards.
GAME VIEWING/GAME DRIVES in Murchison Falls National Park
You will forage for game around the Murchison Falls National Park in the Nyamasika Plateau, while on the game drives cape buffaloes, Rothschild’s giraffes, Uganda Kobs, hartebeests, elephants, and waterbucks are commonly seen. You may also spot oribi, bushbucks, bohor reedbuck, shy sitatunga, bush duiker, warthog, and bush pigs, plus carnivores including lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas.