2022 Top Tourist Attractions in Murchison falls national park: It is no wonder that Uganda, ‘The Pearl of Africa,’ is magnificently endowed by nature, with national parks such as Murchison Falls National Park, located in the northern part of Uganda, serving as the pinnacle of the country’s wildlife watching safaris.
Murchison Falls National Park is the country’s largest protected area, spanning over a radius of 3840 square kilometers. The national park was called Murchison Falls after the picturesque Murchison Falls, where the Nile, the world’s longest river, makes its way through a 7-meter-deep gorge on the Rift Valley escarpment.
The national park was founded in 1926 and designated as a national park in 1952. Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park attracts a large number of tourists throughout the year owing to the park’s varied attractions and exciting activities that visitors may partake in while on a wildlife safari in Murchison Falls National Park.
2022 Top Tourist Attractions in Murchison falls national park.
Species of wildlife
The many animal species in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park are the park’s main draw. The national park is home to a variety of animal species, including big game.
The national park is home to around 76 animal species, including the big four mammals, elephants, buffaloes, lions, and leopards. Other creatures found in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park include hippos, bushbucks, Uganda kobs, warthogs, crocodiles, Jackson’s hartebeests, and waterbucks, among others. These large game creatures are generally spotted during the park’s morning or evening game drives, boat cruises at the bottom of the falls and the Nile Delta, and nature walks.
Primates
Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda is home to several primate species that may be seen in the Budongo, Kaniyo Pabidi, and Rabongo forests. Chimpanzees are the most visited primates, with people engaging in chimp trekking in Budongo forest to witness habituated chimp groups. Apart from chimps, other primates that may be observed in the national park include olive baboons, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and others, all of which provide a memorable experience when on a safari in the park, 2022 Top Tourist Attractions in Murchison falls national park.
Bird Species
The park is known as a birder’s paradise because it is home to over 450 species of birds, including the prehistoric shoebill stork, goliath heron, malachite kingfisher, red throated bee-eater, African quail finch, speckle fronted weaver, white browed sparrow weaver, grey crowned cranes, blue headed coucal, swampy flycatcher, squacco heron, African ja Bird enthusiasts will enjoy viewing various bird species during bird watching activities, boat cruises at the foot of the falls, nature walks in Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi forests, and game drives safaris in Murchison Falls National Park.
Vegetation
The national park is mostly made up of woodland, savannah grasslands, riverine forest, tropical forests, and wetlands with various tree types that provide as food and habitat for the park’s fauna.
Top of the falls
Top of the Falls is an exhilarating and adventurous hiking trek in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park that leads you to the top of the falls. When going on the top of the falls hike, you will first enjoy a boat ride along the Nile to the bottom of the falls, which offers great views of hippos, Nile crocodiles, and various bird species. You will then disembark and begin hiking via a trail from the bottom of the falls with a guide, which takes about 45 minutes depending on how fit you are. The trek to the top of the falls will rejuvenate your mind and provide views of many bird species, animals, greenery, and hills.
Game Tracks for Buligi
The Buligi game trails in Murchison Falls National Park are acacia-dominated savannah grassland habitats strategically positioned along the Victoria-Albert Nile. These are excellent trails for game drives from Paraa across the delta, which takes around 3 to 4 hours. A morning or evening game drive at Buligi game trails provides breathtaking views of the Rift Valley, highlands in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lake Albert, and wildlife like as lions, buffaloes, and elephants. An early game drive at Buligi game trails will allow you to see nocturnal species such as Leopards, Hyenas, Lions, and Jackals as they return to their hideout regions. The Buligi game road will also take you through wide savannah grasslands, forests, acacia, and riverine flora, among other things, 2022 Top Tourist Attractions in Murchison falls national park.
Kaniyo Pabidi Forest
The Kaniyo Pabidi forest, located in the southern section of Murchison Falls National Park, is a natural forest densely forested with mahogany and other wood species. The woodland is only a few kilometers from Budongo forest and has paths that span for roughly 8 kilometers within the Kichumbanyobo park gate. Kaniyo Pabidi forest is a national park attraction that allows you to hike habituated chimp families and engage with them face to face.
You will also be able to see other primates such as blue monkeys, baboons, red tailed monkeys, and animal species like as buffaloes and elephants. Kaniyo Pabidi woodland is also a birder’s dream, home to a variety of bird species such as the small green sunbird, Rufous sided broadbill, grey headed sunbird, blue breasted kingfisher, pygmy crake, crowned eagle, Cassin hawk eagle, spotted greenbul, and yellow crested woodpecker.
The Rabongo Forest
Rabongo woodland is located in the southeastern region of Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park. It stretches for four kilometers and is characterized by tropical riverine forest and savannah grasslands. Rabongo forest is a great place to go for nature walks and forest drives where you can see primates like Chimpanzees, Olive baboons, Red colobus monkeys, Grey cheeked Mangabeys, Butterflies, animals like Forest Elephants, Leopards, Warthogs, Cape Buffaloes, Duikers, bird species like Ituri batis, Hornbill, Yellow footed flycatcher, and many more.
The Budongo Forest
Budongo forest is located in the Murchison Falls National Park and is mostly made up of savannah and woodland flora. Budongo woodland is well-known as a chimp destination in the national park, with numerous habituated chimp families available for daily trekking. Other primates found in the forest include red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, and Pottos, among others. It is also a great destination for butterfly identification and bird watching, where you will be able to see various bird species such as forest robin, yellow and grey long bill, white spotted Flufftail, chocolate backed kingfisher, pygmy crake, brown twinspot, Cassin’s hawk eagle, crowned eagle, blue breasted dwarf, yellow crested woodpecker, among others, making your wildlife safari in Uganda enjoyable.
The Nile River
Murchison Falls National Park depends on the Nile River. The Nile River passes through the park for 120 kilometers on its route from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea. The national park provides an exciting and thrilling boat journey on the Nile River to the bottom of the falls, where you can explore and enjoy wonderful views of many bird species and animals such as hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and buffaloes, among others.
Delta of the Nile
The Nile delta is the area of water where the Victoria Nile meets Lake Albert. The Nile Delta is located in the southwestern portion of the national park and provides a boat tour activity that may be done in the morning or afternoon and lasts 4 to 5 hours. During the Nile Delta boat trip, you will be able to see the sought-after Shoe bill stork, African skimmer, African fish eagle, saddle billed stork, African jacana, great egret, and goliath heron, among other bird species. The Nile delta boat trip is a thrilling event that you should not miss when on safari in Uganda‘s Murchison Falls National Park.
