Getting to Murchison falls national park by air
Getting to Murchison falls national park by air: Murchison falls national park which is Uganda’s largest savannah park is located in the northwestern part of the country. The national park is one of the most visited in the country because it has got alit of attractions among which include Murchison falls, River Nile, 13 primate species, 76 mammals, and 460 bird species.
The national park is located 341km from Kampala and can be accessed by both air and road transport. The easiest and quickest way to get to Murchison falls national park is using air transport. Getting to Murchison falls national park by air is expensive but it’s worth the money. It saves travelers from the long-distance journey of road transport which is about 4-6 hours depending on the nature of the roads and the number of stopovers.
To access Murchison falls park by air, a traveler needs to look for an airline company in Uganda or work with a local tour operator who can do all that work. Before contacting the local tour operator, you need to first confirm the dates of the month and year you want to travel to the park and then send these dates to the local tour operator or the airline company.
The dates of the month and year shall be used to check for the availability of the seats and once they are available, you will be sent an email letting you know about their availability. You will be sent another email containing the different banking details you can use to send money for your seat to be booked. After you are done sending the money, you will have to send a scanned copy of the receipt of payment and your seat will be booked.
Getting to Murchison falls national park by air.
Flights to Murchison falls national park are done by Aerolink Uganda, Fly Uganda, or Bar Aviation Uganda. These airline companies have specific days of the week when they conduct flights to Murchison falls national park. The flights to Murchison falls national park takes only 1 hour from Kajjansi airstrip which is in Kampala or Entebbe international airport to get to Chobe airstrip, Pakuba airstrip, or Bugugu airstrip.
Best time to fly to Murchison falls national park
Are you intending to fly to Murchison falls national park and would like to know what could be the best time to travel? Travelers can get to Murchison falls national park by air at any time of the year but certain months are better than the rest. The dry months which are from June to September and December to February is the best time to fly to Murchison falls national park by air. During this season there is little or no rainfall, the sky is good flights, the roads from the airstrip to the lodge are passable, game trucks are dry and passable, and the vegetation is short and thin with good views of the animals.
Travelers can still get to Murchison falls national park by air in the rainy season because the park will be open. The rainy season comes with a lot of challenges since there is too much rainfall and among these include delays of flights due to bad weather conditions, roads connecting to the park from the airstrip are in poor conditions, the game trucks are muddy and slippery, the vegetation in the park is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals.
Activities to do in Murchison falls national park
Game drives: Travelers who get to the park by air can be part of the game drive activities to encounter different wildlife within the park. The game drive activities are done in safari cars with or without a UWA guide in the morning, evening, or night where tourists are able to see nocturnal animals. During the game drive activities tourists are able to see most of the attractions in the park among which include wildlife and rivers and lakes.
During the game drives, tourists will be able to spot animals such as lions, buffaloes, duikers, Jackson’s hartebeest, elephants, leopards, hippos, hyenas, waterbucks, olive baboons, bushbucks, giraffes, and different monkey species. Bird lovers will still be able to encounter some of the 460 bird species and River Nile will be seen during the game drives.
Boat cruise:This is the second most done activity by travelers who access the park by air. The activity can be done in two ways which include going to the bottom of the falls to see the Murchison falls or to the Victoria Nile delta. The boat cruises are guided to help travelers know more about the River Nile which happens to be the longest in the world.
During the boat cruise, travelers are able to encounter different water animals such as hippos, and crocodiles, fish, water birds like papyrus gonoleck, swamp flycatcher, shoebill stork, and grey crowned crane among others. Tourists are also able to see park animals along the shores most especially in the dry season when there is a scarcity of water in the park. These animals include buffaloes, elephants, antelopes, giraffes, and lions among others.
Birding: After getting to Murchison falls national park by air, travelers can organize birding activities where in order to encounter different bird species. Over 460 bird species are said to have found their home in Murchison falls national park and these can be seen around the Nile delta, Budongo forest, and areas around Paraa Safari Lodge.
During a guided birding exercise, travelers are able to see birds such as yellow-billed stork, abdmin’s stork, dark chanting goshawk, spotted thick-knee, Senegal thick-knee, long-toed plover, veracious dove, standard-winged nightjar, black crake, white-rumped seedeater, red-throated bee-eater, silver bird, Abyssinian ground hornbill, and marabou stork among others.
Hot air balloon: Luxury travelers accessing this mighty park by air shouldn’t miss out on the newly introduced activity in the park which is the hot air balloon. Being part of the hot air balloon experience is fun as it gives one opportunity of watching the entire national park from above. The hot air balloon gives tourists an aerial view of the River Nile, Murchison falls, mammals, primates, and birds.
Chimpanzee trekking: Travelers intending to visit Murchison falls park by air should inform their local operators to add chimpanzee trekking on the list f activities to do once they reach the park. The activity which requires one to be having a chimpanzee permit is done in Budongo forest where some of the chimpanzees have been habituated.
The activity is done in the morning or evening hours and it takes you through different trails of the park until you locate the apes. During the search, trekkers are able to meet different park mammals, primates, and birds. The moment the chimpanzees are spotted, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them, and this gives them a chance of learning about their habits, watching them do daily activities, and taking photos.
