
Queen Elizabeth Vs. Murchison Falls
Queen Elizabeth Vs. Murchison Falls : Which One To Choose? The most popular and frequented savannah parks in Uganda, where visitors may witness a wide variety of species, are Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Both national parks offer exceptionally real opportunities to witness wildlife in its native habitat and have a long and rich history. Both parks provide game drives, where you may view animals from a safari vehicle, as well as boat excursions, where you can observe large herds of hippos, buffaloes, and hundreds of different bird species.
We will make an effort to provide you with all the contrasting information in this post, to aid you in deciding, which of the two national parks is best for you. They should both ideally be visited, and we assure you that it won’t be redundant. We hope this post might provide some good comparisons, if you have to pick one
WHY QUEEN ELIZABETH NATIONAL PARK
As you might have guessed from its Name, Queen Elizabeth National Park is named after her. However, the park’s history includes other members of the Royal Families of the United Kingdom. People who want to observe elephants, hippos, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hippos, antelopes, and chimpanzees among other animals frequently go on safaris to Queen Elizabeth National Park. The Rwenzori Mountains’ snow-capped backdrop makes a beautiful setting for all of these.
In the park, the Mweya Peninsular, Kazinga Channel, and Ishasha Sector are highly well-liked locations to see wildlife. Ishasha is incredibly unique, since no other place in Uganda allows you to observe lions that can climb trees. They are a sight to behold.
WHY MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK?
The biggest and first national park in Uganda to conserve wildlife is Murchison Falls National Park. The River Nile, which is where the Murchison Falls are located, cuts through a 7-meter gap to form one of the world’s most powerful waterfalls, dividing the park in equal halves.
Because of the plentiful wildlife, Murchison Falls National Park is particularly well-liked by both native Ugandans and tourists from across the world. Animals including lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, and many more can be seen by visitors visiting Murchison Falls. You can see animals on wildlife-game-drives in the park and on the well-known Nile-Boat-Trip, where you will view many animals and birds on the banks.
QUEEN ELIZABETH VS MURCHISON FALLS: HERE IS HOW TO COMPARE THE TWO
- Birds
Compared to Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to more than 600 distinct bird species. Queen Elizabeth is the obvious choice for serious birdwatchers who want to add more species to their life lists.
However, Murchison Falls offers a better possibility of spotting the elusive shoebill stork. With little over 1000 different bird species in Uganda, QENP is the top birding destination in the country because it can host almost 60% of them in a single location.
- Wildlife
The Queen and Murchison Savannah Parks, which are the most visited in Uganda, are both excellent for seeing real wildlife. Both parks have the majority of animal species. Ishasha’s Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to lions that can scale trees, while Murchison Falls National Park is home to giraffes.
- Boat excursion
The boat tours on the Kazinga channel and the River Nile, respectively, offer fantastic opportunity to see wildlife in the Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks. The Kazinga channel boat tour travels from Lake George to Lake Edward, both of which are named after British aristocracy. The Nile delta boat tour travels from Murchison Falls to Lake Albert.

- Accommodation
There are several hotels and lodges to choose from in both national parks, which have a well-developed infrastructure for lodging. There are lots of options available, whether you want a luxury hotel or a camping.
- Accessibility
A 5-hour trip will get you to Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is around 370 kilometers to the west of Kampala. In contrast, it will take about 4 hours to travel to Murchison Falls National Park, which is located about 307 kilometers away. Both parks have excellent airfields, and domestic flights from Kampala, Entebbe, or any other national park in Uganda can be organized.
- Nearby Attractions
More attractions are nearby in Queen Elizabeth than in Murchison. The national parks of Bwindi, Mgahinga, Kibale, Semuliki, and Lake Mburo are all reachable from Queen Elizabeth with ease. The Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and Budongo Woodland are nearby Murchison Falls.
If you want more parks and the wildlife from both parks, Queen Elizabeth provides more choices. However, Murchison Falls is close to Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, the only spot in Uganda where you can see rhinos, if you want to walk with them. Going to Queen Elizabeth National Park is the logical choice for anyone hoping to view wildlife in addition to mountain gorillas in Bwindi.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It ultimately depends on personal choices, whether to visit Queen Elizabeth or Murchison Falls National Park. Both Queen and Murchison safeguard outstanding ecosystems that are sure to make any trip memorable, whether it be the charm of the Nile or the rich history of the Kazinga channel.
We hope, that after reading this post you are leaning toward visiting one of the parks. The ideal scenario would be to visit each national park separately and evaluate them. More than anything, we think that visits to each national park are enhanced by the other.
