Flying safari to Murchison Falls National Park

Flying safari to Murchison falls national park; Murchison falls national park is the second largest and one of the most visited protected areas located in north western part of Uganda in Masindi district. The national park was gazetted in 1952 and is a home of different mammal species including buffaloes, lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, warthogs, Jackson’s hartebeest, duikers, hippos, oribi, primates like chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, red tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys and over 450 bird species.

There are various companies that organize scheduled and charter domestic flights to Murchison falls national park daily such as Aerolink Uganda and Bar Aviation. Scheduled flights to Murchison falls national park depart from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield daily at around 12:00 and arrive at Pakuba, Chobe or Bugungu airstrips at around 13:00. Tourists can also fly from Kasese airstrip, Apoka airstrip kidepo, Kihihi airstrip and Kisoro airstrip to Murchison falls national park. Upon arrival in Murchison falls national park, a driver guide from Achieve Global Safaris will be waiting for you at the airstrip to transfer to the lodge and later start the safari.

Apart from using air transport, Murchison falls national park can also be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala/Entebbe via Masindi and then to the park headquarters which takes about 6 to 7 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle. There are a number of interesting activities that you can engage in during your safari which include,

Activities to do during your flying safari to Murchison falls national park

Game drives

Game drive is one of the most popular activities in Murchison falls national park which gives you an opportunity to explore the park in a comfortable pop up safari vehicle. Game drives in Murchison falls national park can either be done very early in the morning when animals are more active, in the afternoon or at night where you will be able to view nocturnal animals. During the game drives, you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, lions, leopards, Jackson’s hartebeest, giraffes, oribi, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, hyenas among others.

Boat cruise

Boat cruise is another amazing activity in Murchison falls national park that you can engage in during your safari. There are two types of boat cruise in Murchison falls national park that is the Nile delta boat cruise and the boat cruise to the bottom of the falls. During the boat cruise, you will be able to view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view animals along the shores, water birds among others.

Sport fishing

Sport fishing is an adventurous activity in Murchison falls national park that is mainly done at the base of the falls from the boat down the stream or from the rocks on the banks of the Nile. During sport fishing experience, you will be able to catch different fish types such as Nile perch, tiger fish, cat fish among others.

Bird watching

Murchison falls national park is a home of over 450 bird species including water birds, savannah birds, forest birds and endemic birds which makes it one of the best birding areas in Uganda. during bird watching in Murchison falls national park, you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species including the illusive Shoebill Stork, African Jacana, Black-billed Barbet, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-headed Lapwing, Grey Crowned Crane, Red-throated Bee-eater, Squacco Heron, Secretary Bird, Giant Kingfisher, Palm-nut Vulture, Denham’s Bustard, Blue-headed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Swamp Flycatcher, Silver Bird, Martial Eagle, Long-toed Plover, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird among others.

Chimpanzee trekking

Chimpanzee trekking is an interesting activity that is done in Budongo forest and it starts very early in the morning with a briefing about the rules, regulations and expectations at the park headquarters. After the briefing, you will start trekking in the forest which takes about 2 to 5 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are located because they like to move from one place to another in search of food. During trekking you will be able to view other primate species, birds among others and once the chimpanzees are found, you will be allowed to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you a chance to learn more about their behaviours, habits, watch them feed, play, rest, breastfeed, take photos and record videos.

Best time to visit Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park can be visited all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June to September and December to February because during this period there is less or little rainfall in the park therefore vegetation will be short and many animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives you an opportunity to view abundant animals clearly. During the dry season hiking and trekking trails will be dry and passable which makes chimpanzee trekking easy.

Murchison falls national park can also be visited in the rainy season during the months of March to May and October to November because that’s the best time for bird watching where you will be able to view different bird species.

Where to stay during your safari in Murchison falls national park

Murchison falls national park has a number of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange or luxury where you can stay during your safari including Nile Safari Lodge, Chobe Safari Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Pakuba Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Murchison Falls Bamboo Village, Sambiya River Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Parkside Safari Lodge, Tilenga Safari Lodge, Murchison Backpackers, Fort Murchison Lodge, Murchison Giraffe Camp, Ikorom Safari Lodge, Murchison Bush Lodge, Bwana Tembo Safari Camp, Boomu Women’s Group Bandas, Geo Lodges Nile Safari Lodge, Heritage Safari Lodge, Budongo Eco Lodge, Bar Lyec Safari Lodge among others.

For more information about flying safari to Murchison falls national, you can contact us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website to book affordable flying safari packages.