As you plan for your Uganda safari and truly interested in wildlife and adventure, Murchison falls national park is one to consider. Stretching from the western to the northwestern part of the country, the park is the largest national park in Uganda. It is one of the best wildlife destinations in the country with tourist activities to do including game drive, hot air balloon, boat cruise, chimp tracking and nature walk among others. The park borrows its name from Murchison waterfalls which is one of the highlights for Murchison Falls tours. You can see the falls by going for the boat cruise, hiking or visiting the falls by vehicle.
In this post, we share 8 Interesting things you need to know before your decide to safari Murchison falls national park this season;
Murchison falls national park is home to the world’s strongest waterfalls. The waterfalls are formed at a point where river Nile gushes through a 7meters gorge. The water charges over the edge of the rift valley escarpment creating a fierce whitewater waterfall. A visit to the top of the waterfalls is a wonderful opportunity to feel the thunderous power of the falls through the sound and on the ground.
Murchison falls national park got its name from the Murchison waterfalls which were named by named by explorer sir Samuel Baker in 1864. He named the falls after Sir Roderick Murchison, a famous geologist who was also the president of Royal Geographical Society then.
Murchison falls national park was visited by Winston Churchill in 1907. He traveled on the new railway from Mombasa to Kisumu in Kenya and got on a boat on Lake Victoria to connect to Uganda through Entebbe. Winston also visited Jinja and thereafter hiked, boated and cycled to Murchison falls. The statesman and writer explored Uganda including the Murchison falls and dubbed Uganda “the Pearl of Africa” in his book “My African journey”. The park was visited by many other
There are other interesting attractions to see while on a safari to Murchison; the rhinos. En-route to or from Murchison falls national park, you can stop over at Ziwa rhino sanctuary for rhino tracking. The activity takes a few hours and you can proceed with the trip.
Murchison falls national park offers a high chance to see a wide range of big mammals. The park is home to four of Africa’s big five (lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo), giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks and hippos among others. These can be seen during game drive and a few of these plus Nile crocodiles on the boat cruise on the Nile.
Murchison is a place to do the world’s best adventures. Some of the best adventures you ought to try out on a Uganda safari in Murchison falls include hot air balloon to enjoy an aerial view of the plains, the beautiful view of River Nile and see lots of animals, hiking to the top of the falls to witness the power of the Murchison waterfalls and chimpanzee tracking to spend some time with chimps in their natural habitat.
The Murchison waterfalls claim to fame; this is with the movie African Houston by john Houston. This movie that was filmed on the location of Murchison falls starred Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Murchison falls national park had an overwhelming population of wildlife in the 1960s. About 14,000 elephants, 26,000 buffaloes and 14,000 hippos were recorded in the park and this caused a huge environmental damage. Fortunately, the wildlife has been managed and today is in balance with the environment.
Uganda is a great destination for safari with amazing places for adventure, honeymoon, family trips and individual vacations. When planning for your trip, let Murchison falls be included on your travel list with exciting things to do on your bucket list. To book for a safari, contact us through info@ugandasafaribookings.com or+256-700135510/ +256-414699459.
