Murchison Falls National Park

Overview

Murchison Falls National Park, part of the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA), offers excellent wildlife viewing. The Victoria Nile bisects the park and boat trips to the spectacular Murchison Falls are a highlight – especially if you hike to the top where the immense power of the falls is best appreciated.

Wildlife Highlights

Four of the Big Five can be seen, but rhino are absent. Huge herds of elephant and buffalo are common, and lion are quite easily spotted. Antelope include Jackson's hartebeest, waterbuck and Uganda kob. Large herds of Rothschild's giraffe are a specialty. Chimpanzee and several other primates can be tracked in Budongo Forest, in the south of the greater Murchison Falls Conservation Area.

There is a very healthy population of lion that likes to prey on the abundant Uganda kob. Other antelope found here are oribi, Jackson's hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, grey duiker and bushbuck. The Victoria Nile teems with crocodile and hippo.

Large herds of the localized Rothschild's giraffe are found in the park and leopard, though far from numerous, is most likely to be seen in the vicinity of Pakuba Lodge. Troops of the rare patas monkey can sometimes be spotted on the grassy plains, and chimpanzee can be tracked in neighboring Budongo Forest.

The park is divided by the very scenic Victoria Nile. A boat trip takes you to the base of the Murchison Falls where you can see the Nile squeezing through a narrow gorge before dropping down into the ‘Devil's Cauldron’. North of the river is a savannah habitat that's dominated by grassland and dotted with borassus palms. South of the river, the habitat changes to woodland with forest patches.