Uganda · East Africa
Murchison Falls and the north.
Murchison is where the Nile is forced through a gorge seven metres wide and falls into the Albert Nile below.
Photo Jonathan Göhner / Unsplash
The boat trip to the base of the falls is the set piece, and the northern bank holds good general game — giraffe, elephant, lion and the country's best chance of shoebill in the Albert delta.
It is a long drive from Kampala and is often flown instead, which is what makes it feasible on a shorter trip.
How do you get to Murchison Falls?
By road from Kampala, several hours north through Masindi, usually stopping at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on the way. Light aircraft fly from Entebbe to airstrips in the park, which suits a shorter trip.
How big is Murchison Falls National Park?
About 3,840 square kilometres, Uganda's largest national park. The Nile runs through it from east to west, dividing a northern bank of open savannah from the wooded south, and ends in the delta where it enters Lake Albert.
What is there to do at Murchison Falls?
Take the boat upstream from Paraa to the foot of the falls, then walk up to the top, where the river is forced through the gap in the rock. Game drives on the northern bank find Rothschild's giraffe, elephant, buffalo, lion and many antelope, and a boat into the Albert delta gives a chance of the shoebill.
Where can you see rhino in Uganda?
At Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, on the road between Kampala and Murchison Falls, where white rhino were reintroduced after the species had been wiped out in Uganda. Visitors track them on foot with rangers.
How long should you spend at Murchison Falls?
Two or three nights. It is usually the first stop of a Uganda circuit, followed by Kibale, Queen Elizabeth and Bwindi to the south.
What is there to see in Murchison Falls and the north?
What does Murchison Falls and the north pair well with?
- Kibale and the crater lakesKibale has the densest chimpanzee population in Africa, and the crater-lake country around it is some of the prettiest in Uganda.
- Queen Elizabeth and IshashaQueen Elizabeth is Uganda's most visited savannah park, and the Ishasha sector in its south is known for lions that rest in fig trees.
- Bwindi Impenetrable ForestBwindi holds around half the world's mountain gorillas and is where most Ugandan itineraries are built to reach.
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