Murchison Falls National Park:Best Places to Visit in Uganda

In this blog we would write about how you can plan your trip to one of the best places to visit in Uganda – Murchison Falls National Park, rather would say how we had planned ours and everything you need to know before you go. Again apart from shoe-string budget, one can really enjoy a luxurious time in surrounded by River Nile & wildlife.

Murchison Fall National Park is a national park in Uganda and is named after the spectacular waterfall which is the highlight of the area. It is Uganda’s largest national park which measures approximately 3893 square kilometres and the park is bisected by the Victoria Nile. MFCA is a home for 76 species of mammals as well as Uganda’s largest population of Nile crocodiles and more than 450 species of land and migratory birds.

So if you are planning your trip to Uganda, we highly recommend adding this place to your list.

Table of Contents

How To Get To Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

We finished our trip to south western Uganda in 4 days and came back to Kampala for an overnight stay. The following day we started pretty early in the morning by 6 after finishing our breakfast from Kampala to reach MFNP which lies in the northern part of Uganda. We had booked our safari package through African Adventure Travellers, can highly recommend them and specially ask for guide named Moses.

The distance from Kampala to Murchison Fall National Park is (305) km which was a drive for 6/7 hours by our hired safari vehicle. We had a comfortable drive, as the roads were really developed. Also the distance to national park depends on which side of the national park you wish to visit, which is bisected by Victoria Nile to make two parks north & south.

We entered from the north through Wankwar gate where the road crosses the Nile at karuma falls bridge. The view from the bridge was spectacular of the fall. Though we were not allowed for a stopover. You can also reach Murchison Fall National Park via flight as well. You can board chartered flights from Entebbe international airport and land in pakuba airfield.

Things To Do

1. Take a boat safari in Victoria Nile In Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Fall is a waterfall between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in north western Uganda. The waterfall forces its way through a gap in the rocks, which is only 7m wide, before flowing into Lake Albert and looks immensely beautiful. As we reached the coast by 12.30pm so decided to finish our lunch first. Our motor boat was booked by African Adventure Travellers and we started our ride by 1pm which was supposed to be continued for 2hrs. There were herd of elephants, any many school of hippos as well. The boat ride was fantastic and that was one of the most beautiful evening we had. Our tour guide had the best knowledge of birds, animals and their habits too.

Murchison Falls National Park | River Nile | best places to visit in Uganda — Murchison Falls

2. Go For Evening Safari Game Drive In Murchison Falls National Park

In the evening we did a short game drive and then headed back to our hotel room after a game drive for 1-2 hr on the first day where were could only see a lion, few antelopes and nothing much.

3. Stay at a vintage lodge near Nile River or Lakes

Stay at a lodge near the back water bodies or River Nile and enjoy the natural beauty. We stayed at Hornbill Lodge which was a budget stay option where we enjoyed our supper and dosed of after such a tiring day. It looked vintage and felt primitive at times. The facilities were basic though served our basic needs. The best part was though the surroundings and early morning views. We loved the hospitality and genuineness of the staff who tried their best in every possible way.

4. Go For Morning Game Drive In Murchison Falls National Park

The next day we started quite early in the morning. The hotel served us breakfast by 7am and we started our way towards Murchison Fall National Park by 7.30am as later we had to head back to Kampala again.

It is Uganda’s largest national park which measures approximately 3893 square kilometres. However, you won’t find too many tourists visiting there. We could spot big4(elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo) there and seeing the leopard was the most satisfying experience ever. There are no rhinos in that park. We had almost spend good 4-5 hrs inside the park and would definitely say it was worth a visit. By 12pm we said goodbye to the park and headed towards Kampala again with a stopover for lunch.