CORE EXPERIENCES
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Volcanoes National Park Nyungwe National Park Akagera National Park Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Mgahinga Gorilla National ParkPhoto: Yakov Fedorov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Murchison Falls is Uganda’s largest national park, and its centrepiece is one of the most powerful waterfalls in Africa. Here the Victoria Nile, after flowing north from Lake Victoria, squeezes through a gap in the rock only about seven metres wide and drops some 43 metres in a single churning plunge.
The park divides naturally into two halves. North of the Nile, open savanna holds lion, elephant, buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, Uganda kob and Jackson’s hartebeest. South of the river, woodland and forest lead to Budongo Forest, one of the country’s chimpanzee forests. Between them, the river itself — with hippos, crocodiles and the Nile delta’s wetlands — is the park’s main attraction.
Murchison is not a gorilla destination, and it sits in the north of the country, far from Bwindi. It belongs in longer Uganda itineraries, usually combined with rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on the way from Kampala.
EXPERIENCES
Boat trip to the base of the falls. The classic Murchison experience. Boats leave from Paraa and travel upstream past hippo pods, crocodiles, elephants coming down to drink and dense birdlife, until the gorge and the spray of the falls fill the view.
Top of the Falls. Seen from above, the scale becomes clear: the whole river forced through a single slot in the rock. A short trail runs along the edge, and many guests combine it with the boat trip, stepping off below the falls and hiking up.
Northern-bank game drives. The Buligi tracks, between the Victoria and Albert Nile, are the park’s best game country, with large herds of kob and buffalo, giraffe, and lions hunting across the grassland.
The Nile delta. A boat trip downstream to the point where the Nile enters Lake Albert, through papyrus channels that are among the best places in Uganda to look for the shoebill.
Budongo Forest chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking in the forest on the park’s southern edge, a good option for travellers who will not reach Kibale.
WHERE TO STAY
The most refined options sit on the Nile near Paraa. Baker’s Lodge and Nile Safari Lodge are small luxury properties on the river’s south bank, with river-facing rooms and easy access to the boat trips. Paraa Safari Lodge, on the north bank, is larger and more classic, and puts you closest to the game-drive tracks. We choose between them based on how you plan to split your time between the river and the savanna.
Can we combine Murchison with gorilla trekking?
Yes, but it needs time. Murchison is in the north and Bwindi in the southwest, so most itineraries fly between them or spend ten days or more on a full Uganda circuit.
How do we get there?
By road from Kampala, usually with a rhino-tracking stop at Ziwa on the way, or by scheduled or charter flight to one of the park’s airstrips.
Which is better, the boat trip or the Top of the Falls?
Do both. The boat trip shows the river and its wildlife; the top shows the sheer force of the falls. They combine easily in a single day.
Will we see a shoebill?
The Nile delta is one of the best places in Uganda to look for shoebill, but sightings are never guaranteed.
Tell us your dates and group size. We respond with a bespoke proposal within 48 hours.
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