Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, it is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area, hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds.
The park contains a wide variety of wildlife including big game, forest primates, and 450 bird species like a plethora of Giraffes, Elephants, Buffalo, Hippos, Lions Leopards, Zebras, Wildebeest, Cheetah, Wild Dogs, and many more.
The mighty Nile, the longest river in the world, flows through the heart of the park for a distance of 120km, on its 6500km journey from Lake Victoria to Egypt and the Mediterranean sea. The park’s centerpiece is the explosive, 40m high Murchison Falls where the Nile is forced through a 6-meter gap in the rift valley escarpment. The Top of the Falls separates two very different rivers. Upstream, the river races down a turbulent 80km channel punctuated with rapids. Downstream, the Nile flows quietly towards Lake Albert which it enters through a large papyrus delta. It is this peaceful 40km stretch of river which provides the park’s prime wildlife spectacle.
The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river’s energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of river provides one of Uganda’s most remarkable wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes, and buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent residents.
Notable visitors to the park include Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and several British royals.
Other landmarks on the path north
- Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
- Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo Forest
- Gulu town
- Sir Samuel Baker’s Fort at Fort Patiko
- Karamoja sub-region
- Kidepo Valley National Park
Activities to do on the path:
Game Drives | Bird Watching | Rhino Trekking | Chimp Trekking | Boat Cruises | Bush Breakfast | Nature Hikes | Local Food Homesteads |Cultural Encounters | Historical Sites
