Game Viewing in Murchison Falls National Park
Game Viewing in Murchison Falls National Park : Game viewing in Murchison falls national park is part of the safari adventure in the north western part of Uganda.
Murchison falls national park is one the largest and oldest national parks of Uganda and is home to numerous wildlife species including four of the big five like elephants, lions, leopards and also buffalos.
Other wildlife species found in Murchison falls national park include giraffes, warthogs, hippos, black and white colobus monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees, vervet monkeys and antelope species such as bushbucks, hartebeests, elands, topi, dik dik, kudu, waterbucks, kobs among others.
Park entrance fees for Murchison falls national park
Park entrance fees for Murchison falls national park are charged according to nationalities and age of visitors on safari.
Foreign nonresident adults visiting Murchison falls national park are charged park entrance fee of 45 USD and children between the age of 5 and 15 years are charged park fee of 25 USD.
Foreign residents are charged park entrance fee of 35 USD for adults and 15 USD for children visiting Murchison falls national park.
East Africans visiting Murchison falls national park are charged park fee of 25,000 Uganda shillings for adults and 10,000 Uganda shillings for children.
Vehicle entry fees for Murchison falls national park is 30,000 Uganda shillings for tour company vehicles.
Attractions in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park offers a lot to see during safaris and the attractions include the following;
- Murchison falls
The Murchison falls is among the things to see in the national park that stands out from the rest of the safari destinations in Uganda.
These falls are formed where the River Nile flows through a narrow gorge of about 7 meters, creating the Murchison waterfalls.
- Budongo forest
Murchison Falls National Park also offers the chance to track chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest Reserve.
During tours in the Budongo forest, visitors can take part in chimpanzee tracking experiences which allow visitors to observe these chimpanzees in their natural habitat.
- Wildlife species
Murchison falls national park is home to numerous wildlife species including predators like lions and leopards as well as giraffes, buffalos, antelopes among others which can be spotted in the different habitats.
Activities to do around Murchison falls national park
There are different activities carried out around Murchison falls national park during game viewing experiences in Uganda and they include the following;
- Game drives
Game drives in Murchison falls national park can be done in the morning and in the afternoon around the savannah plains.
Tourists explore the wilderness of Murchison falls national park in 4×4 vehicles during the search of the wildlife species such as elephants, lions, giraffes, buffalos, leopards, antelopes among others while enjoying the game drives.
- Top of the falls viewing
Viewing of the Murchison falls is another activity which is done when visiting Murchison falls national park and involves following different trails with a guide ot a point where tourists can get up-close to the waterfalls.
The top of the falls viewing experience in Murchison falls national park costs 10 USD for foreign nonresidents and foreign residents and East Africans are charged 10,000 Uganda shillings.
- Boat rides to the bottom of the falls
The boat cruise in Murchison falls national park to the bottom of the falls is another activity which tourists can engage in during their safaris in Uganda.
During the bottom of the falls boat ride, tourists can see wildlife species like hippos, nile crocodiles, elephants, giraffes and bird species of a variety. They can also enjoy views of the Murchison falls as the boat takes them close to the falls.
Boat rides to the bottom of the Murchison falls costs 30 USD for foreign nonresidents, 25 USD for foreign residents and 30,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
- Top of the falls hikes
The hike to the top of Murchison Falls leads visitors through scenic landscapes to different view points from where tourists can view the waterfall and the River Nile below.
Hiking to the top of the Murchison falls costs 15 USD for foreign nonresidents, 10 USD for foreign residents and 10,000 Uganda shillings for East Africans.
- Bird watching
Murchison falls national park is also among the birding destinations in Uganda and is home to over 450 bird species which can be spotted during the year.
Bird species which can be seen around Murchison falls national park include Ground hornbill, Black headed lapwing, Malachite Kingfisher, Grey crowned crane, Giant Kingfisher, Giant Heron, Shoebill stork, Egyptian goose, African Skimmer among others making Murchison falls ideal for bird watching.
- Chimpanzee trekking
Tourists during game viewing in Murchison falls national park also take part in chimpanzee trekking which is done in the Budongo forest.
Chimpanzee trekking involves searching the Budongo forest for the chimpanzees in their natural habitat and other primates such as black and white colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys among others can also be encountered during this activity.
When visiting Budongo forest for chimpanzee trekking, tourists can engage in the activity in the morning and also see the chimpanzees in the afternoon. The chimpanzee permits for Budongo forest costs about 90 USD per person for individuals above 15 years of age.
Best time to visit Murchison falls national park
Visits to Murchison falls national park cam be done throughout the year although the best time to go on safari at the destination is the dry season.
During the dry season from June, July, August, September and October as well as in December to February, wildlife species are easy to see during safaris in Murchison falls national park as they gather around the water sources.
How to get to Murchison falls national park
There are different gates used to access Murchison falls national park during game viewing experiences and they include Chobe gate, Tangi gate, Kichumbanyobo gate, Wankwar gate among others.
The drive from Kampala to Murchison falls national park takes about 5 hours and another way of getting to the national park is by flight from Entebbe airport to Chobe airfield, Pakuba airstrip or Bugungu airstrip.
