What Are The Fun Facts About Murchison Falls National Park?
What Are The Fun Facts About Murchison Falls National Park? Murchison falls national park is known as the largest national park compared to all other national parks in the country which covers a total surface area of about 3,840 square kilometers and it is also considered to be the among the oldest national parks due to the fact that it was established as a national park in 1952. Murchison falls national park is also commonly referred to as Kabalega falls which used to be its first name and it was named so after the Omukama of Kabarega of Bunyoro however it was later named as Murchison falls by Sir Samuel Baker who was known to be a British explorer, a big game hunter, engineer, a naturalist and he also used to serve as a governor and the general of the Equatorial Nile Basin. Sir Samuel Baker named this national park after Sir Roderick Murchison who was a president of the Royal Geographical society. In addition, this national park derived its name from the Murchison falls that are within the surrounding of the park.
Murchison falls is located in Masindi district in the Northern part of the country and it shares boundaries with other districts like; Kiryandongo, Nwoya and Buliisa. More so, this national park has Karuma falls wildlife reserve as the parks main attraction and it also has features that attract large numbers of tourists to travel to Uganda hence contributing a lot to the tourism industry of Uganda and these include; the stunning waterbodies such as; Lake Kyoga, Lake Victoria, River Nile and Lake Albert where tourists see clear views of the fresh waters and the noise and sounds of the waters is so captivating and the sheer of the Nile literally blows you away before it bursts to create a narrow gap between the narrow George. More so , this place is the best destination for tourists to visit and have a good adventurous experience due to the fact that is known to be a home to over 76 mammal species such as; buffalos, chimpanzees, hippos, African elephants, hyenas, lions and it also harbours around 451 bird species such as; Abyssinian birds, yellow footed fly catcher, illadopsis and many others and the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary which is known to be the only place in Uganda where tourists can get opportunities to see the white Rhinos and the Murchison falls and many others.
Things to do in Murchison falls national park.
Touring and exploring around the Murchison falls national park always have opportunities to engage in very interesting several activities and they include the following;
Bird watching.
Murchison falls national park is known to be a good destination for bird lovers to visit because tourists exploring within this park always get opportunities to see large numbers of birds species due to the fact that this park is known to be a home to over 451 birds such as; grey heron, giant king fisher, widow bird, yellow billed stuck, great cormorant among others which can be traced within the Rabongo forest which covers about 4 square kilometers of land.
Game drives.
Game drives are one of the best ways that tourists can explore through Murchison falls national park and these drives are usually done during in the morning hours and evening however, the evening/ night drives are considered the best due to the fact that during this period of time it is when tourists get chances to overlook at many wildlife species because they all be coming out of their hidings.
Cultural Encounters/ community visits.
Tourists can also opt to visit within the neighbouring communities such as the Mubako community and the Boomu women’s group where they get chances to interact with the local people and get to learn about their history and their daily life style. These local people also always have a nice way of welcoming their guests whereby they entertain them with their cultural dance performances. More so, visitors get to watch and learn how these local people prepare their local meals; learn how they speak among others.
Boat cruises.
Tourists who visit in this national park are also always offered with great opportunities to embark on boat rides, which are best done, on the River Nile and they are done in two sessions whereby tourists can opt to go for morning boat cruises, which begin at 9am or go for the evening launches, which begin at 5pm. These launch trips always last for about 4-5 hours hence giving a breathe taking moment to individuals and also gives them great opportunities to sight see a number of animal species while on water like; waterbucks, Nile crocodiles, buffalos, hippos, and also get to see bird species in the sky like; the rare shoebill stork and cormorants among others.
Apart from the mentioned above, there are many more exciting things to involve in while on your Uganda safari in Murchison falls national park and these include; sport fishing which is usually done on the Nile, chimpanzee trekking, hot air ballooning, hiking to the top of the falls, guided nature walks where they are always accompanied with park guides and rangers whose role is to ensure the safety of both individuals and the wildlife species.
Contact our tour operators in case of any more information about the fun facts about Murchison falls national park and Book with our tours and travel companies such as; Achieve Global safaris which offer the best tour packages while on your Uganda safari in Murchison falls national park in Uganda.