Getting to Murchison falls national park by road transport

Getting to Murchison falls national park by road transport: Murchison falls national park is located 341km from Kampala. The national park can be accessed by both road transport and air transport within a day. Murchison falls national park can be accessed using different routes by private or public means. From kampala, the national park can be accessed using Kampala, Luwero, Nakasongola, Masindi road or Kampala, Luwero, Nakasongola, Pakwach road.

Bit roads leading to Murchison falls national park give travelers an opportunity to pass by Ziwa rhino sanctuary which is home to white rhinos in Nakasongola district. Seeing the white rhinos at Ziwa rhino sanctuary means that you will be lucky to spot all the big 5 mammals on your safari. The four other big mammals which are lions, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards can be seen in Murchison falls national park.

Accessing Murchison falls national park by road transport.

Travelers can access Murchison falls national park by road transport using several gates. The national park is bisected by the River Nile which goes through it as it finds its way to the Mediterranean sea from Lake Victoria. The southern sector of the park can be accessed from Masindi using Kichumbanyabo gate or Bugugu gate while the northern side of the park can be accessed using Tangi gate, Chobe gate, or Wankar gate.

There are two routes that connect tourists to Murchison falls national park and all of these take 4-6 hours depending on the number of stopovers and the nature of the roads. One of the routes is from Kampala/Entebbe to Luwero, Nakasongola to Masindi to Murchison falls using gates like LKichumbanyabo or Bugugu gate which goes through Budongo forest.

The second route is from Kampala/Entebbe via Luwero, Nakasongola, Kiryandogo, and then Pakwach where you brunch off to the park using gates Wankar, Tangi, or Chobe. Along the way, tourists get an opportunity to have different stopovers where at places such as Ziwa rhino sanctuary, Karuma falls for those using Kampala Gulu highway.

Best time to access Murchison falls national park using road transport

Travelers can access Murchison falls national park at any time of the year using road transport however there are months that are better than the rest. The dry months from December to February and June to September are the best to access Murchison falls national park using road transport and this is because the months have little or no rainfall that keeps the roads leading to the park passable especially marram roads, the game trucks in the park are dry and the vegetation in the park is short with good views of the animals.

Travelers can still drive to Murchison falls national park in the rainy season of March to May and October to November and access the park which is always open. This however favors the budget travelers because all lodges have discounts to attract the few travelers in the park. Travelers should note that the rainy season comes with too much rainfall which makes the roads impassable, game trucks are muddy and slippery and the vegetation within the park is tall and thick with unclear views of the animals.

Activities to do when you get to Murchison falls national park

Game drives: Game drives activities in Murchison falls park will introduce you to different attractions among which include waterfalls, river Nile primates, mammals, birds and vegetation. Game drives are conducted within the northern sector of the park where most animals do live. There are different game trucks in the park to enable tourists to have access to different regions of the park where they will encounter different wildlife.

During the game drives, tourists get an opportunity to encounter animals such as lions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards, hyenas, Uganda kobs, waterbucks, duikers, giant forest hogs, topis, oribis, lobe baboons, Jackson’s hartebeest, hippos, and several monkey species among others. During the game drives, one will be able to see the River Nile as it goes through the park.

Chimpanzee trekking: Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison falls national park can be done in Budongo forest where some of the chimpanzees have been habituated for tourism purposes. The activity is done in the morning and evening in this forest where tourists get an opportunity to walk through different trails of the park and look for habituated chimpanzees.

While searching for the chimpanzees, tourists get an opportunity to meet different forest primates, mammals, birds, and plants. The search can take 30 mins to 4 hours but as soon as the chimpanzees are spotted, armed ranger guides are given 1 hour to be around these apes and watch them do daily activities, take photos and get to learn more about their habits.

Birding: One of the thrilling activities to do in Murchison falls National park and this is because it’s home to over 460 bird species. These species do live in different areas of the park and the armed ranger guides take you to these places to see as many birds as you can. Birding in Murchison falls is done in Budongo forest, Paraaa area, and the Nile delta where a high population of birds does live.

During the birding exercise, tourists are able to see a number of birds such as sacred ibis, northern carmine bee-eater, common teal, pied kingfisher, blue-naped moosebird, red-winged grey warbler, rock pratincole, black-headed gonoleck, grey-headed bush shrike, pel’s fishing owl, rock pratincole, fawn-breasted waxbill, spotted verreaux eagle owl, grey crowned crane, giant kingfisher, red-winged grey warbler, northern red bishop

Boat cruise: Travelers can’t visit the park and fail to be part of the boat cruise activity. The boat cruise can be to the bottom of the falls where tourists are able to see the waterfalls being formed or it can be to the Victoria Nile delta. The boat cruise in the park is done in the morning or evening hours and tourists get an opportunity to see hippos, crocodiles, water birds, and some of the park animals along the shores of River Nile

Nature walks: These are normally done in the Budongo forest which is right next to the park. Nature walks are organized for travelers that would love to explore the national park on foot and get to see different attractions. During the nature walks in Budongo forest, tourists will be able to meet different forest mammals, primates, birds, butterflies, as well as plant species.

Hot air balloon experience: This is a newly introduced activity in the park by the dream balloons company and it’s done by tourists who want to explore the park from the above. The tourists are flown around the park in the hot air balloon and they are able to see the River Nile, Lake Albert, Murchison falls, mammals, primates, birds, and the vegetation from the hot air balloon.