A Complete Guide to Murchison Falls NP
Murchison Falls National Park is a must do whilst in Uganda. Located at the Albertine Rift Valley, this national park combines an epic safari with unparalleled views of the most powerful waterfall in the world and the Victoria Nile. It’s no wonder Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Katherine Hepburn and even the Kardashians have all paid a visit here throughout history. We loved it!
There are three major attractions that we recommend as a must do when visiting the National Park:
Game drives in the Northern side of the park
‘Bottom of the Falls’ boat cruise (check out all of the info to do this here)
Hike to the top of the Falls
All three are unique experiences that offer something completely different when visiting the National Park. We’ve broken down our experience of each below.
What can you do?
Safari in Murchison
We had some incredible game drives in the park.
Murchison Falls is home to 76 different species of mammals, including all of the Big 5. If you’re lucky enough to see some lions, there is a chance you’ll see them climbing trees, which is a differentiating behaviour of the lion groups around Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
However, for us, the stars of the show here, are the critically endangered Rothschild’s Giraffes. They are one of the most endangered animals across Africa, with approximately 1400 mature individuals left in the wild, according to a 2018 study. But Murchison Falls has a large percentage of this number and these gentle giants were the first to greet us, bright and early, as soon as we entered the park.
Another animal that you are guaranteed to see is the Ugandan kob, Uganda’s national antelope. Similar to the impala, these guys are absolutely everywhere, so be careful not to continuously mistake a distant flash of reddish-brown for a lion…it’s probably a kob. Though, saying that, check out their behaviour; if they’re on edge and not eating, you could be in luck for one of the big cats.
As ever, the earlier the start the better. We were up and out before sunrise and wow! The sunrise was a spectacle in itself at Murchison. After a swarm of running giraffes, we saw many of the grazers of the park in the morning, before hearing a loud commotion coming from one of the nearby trees. It turned out that a baboon had a kill in a tree, but a lioness was lining up to steal it. Back-up was called and the lioness took off in our direction, crossing right in front of our path and into the bush before disappearing. Incredible!
After a quick stop at the facilities block in the park, we set up a few camp chairs in an open clearing for a bush lunch, looking right over the Nile. Chris pointed out to us, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the distance across the river.
We opted for the late afternoon boat cruise, to bottom of the Falls, which we’ve covered in a full article, before taking a slow game drive out of the park at sunset. On what seemed to be the last tree before the gate, we quite literally stumbled across a male leopard in the tree, who stayed with us for a good 20 minutes, before gracefully climbing down and then venturing off into the thickets. Brilliant end to a full day!
Bottom of the Falls Cruise
We’ve covered all of the info you need for a successful boat cruise to the base of Murchison Falls. We felt there was so much to say on this topic, including who to go with, launch location and top tips to get the best out of your experience. So we’ve created a full article on everything you need to know.
Top of the Falls Hike
Climbing to the top of Murchison Falls can be combined with a boat tour, or you can drive there, depending on your preference or if you are doing it as part of a tour.
This is a great hike with stunning views of the Nile and Murchison Falls National Park. For any birders out there, the national park is home to over 556 species of birds, and the top of the Falls is a great place to see them.
Our hike took around 1hr 30 mins, but we went at a very leisurely pace, stopping along the way to admire the falls, take lots of photos and see ‘Devil’s Cauldron’, the 7m gorge that the Nile squeezes through, creating a bubbling cauldron of water down the 45m drop to the base of the falls.
Where the boat cruise, arguably gives you the best overall view of the Falls, the top of the Falls is well worth the trip, for a different perspective and to get within touching distance of this powerful force of nature. It is intense: loud, wet and magical to witness, after an easy hike.
Self Drive or Tour?
Now this is a tough one. We are experienced travellers around Africa, having self-driven in most countries we’ve visited. Whilst most of the main roads in Uganda are well-maintained, those that aren’t are pretty difficult terrain, coming from people that love travelling off-road. That’s not to say it can’t be done. We know of people that have self-driven it successfully but I would recommend a 4x4 if you do plan on this option.
We opted for a tour of the whole of Uganda with ecotourism operator Uganda Adventure Safaris. And we were blown away by the whole experience. Chris, the owner of the agency, has become a lifelong friend and this 12-day, whole country tour was expertly planned for what we felt was a very reasonable cost. Full details of our Uganda trip can be found via our blog with Uganda Adventure Safaris, and our complete video tour.
If you opt for a self-drive, you can rent a vehicle from Entebbe/Kampala (the capital) and then complete the 5/6 hour drive up to Murchsion Falls.
The quickest route to Murchison National Park from Kampala is through the Southern gates (Kichumbanyobo and Masindi South Gate).
However, the Northern gates (Purongo or Takigate-Packwach) are a great option. Though they are longer in distance, they take you straight to the Northern side of the park, which is the most interesting for animal sightings.
As of 2023, gate entrance fees for international visitors are $45.
