Murchison falls national park in the dry season
Visiting Murchison falls national park in the dry season is the best period every tourist should look at if they are intending to visit the national park. The dry season in Murchison falls national park happens in June, July, August, September, December, January, and February. These months are said to be the best time to be in the national park for most of the park activities according to tourists and tour operators.
What makes the dry season a good period for visiting Murchison falls national park is the climate and weather. There is little or no rainfall received in the park making the temperatures favorable for the tourists. All park activities which include game drives, boat cruises, birding, and nature walks are ran smoothly within the park because the weather is always so good.
How is Murchison falls national park in the dry season?
The dry season in Murchison falls national park which occurs from June to September and December to December. The vegetation is not very green as the grass dries up due to plenty of sunshine and little rainfall. The park receives more sunshine every day than rainfall and the temperature rises to 33 degrees Celsius during day and 18 degrees Celsius during the night.
The sunshine dries up all game trucks inside the park making them passable and tourists are always able to reach all the corners of the park during the morning and evening game drives. The water levels on River Nile tend to be low during the dry season and this is because the country receives little or no rainfall. The low levels of water favor those that are going for a boat cruise on River Nile since the water doesn’t move at a high speed
During the dry season, the vegetation inside Murchison falls national park is very short, scattered and not so green which enables tourists to spot as many wild animals as they can. In the dry season, even animals that tend to hide like lions and leopards are easily spotted as the vegetation is very short.
Lastly in the dry season, the roads connecting to Murchison falls national park are in good condition and easily passable. From Kampala through Luwero, Nakasongola to Masindi or Nakasongola to Kiryandongo to Pakwach the road is a tarmac one in good conditions. The marram roads from the main routes to the park are dry unless if it rained since it can at any time of the day even if it’s the dry season. In most cases the marram roads are passable but dusty because of little or no rainfall.
Challenges of visiting Murchison falls national park in the dry season
I don’t see any challenge of visiting Murchison falls national park in the dry seasons from June to September and December to February maybe it’s only on accommodation. The accommodation facilities are very expensive in the dry season compared to the rainy season. During the dry season, the lodges are at a high price but still tourists can afford them.
Tourists that are visiting Murchison falls national park in the dry season should try to book their safari and the lodges in advance. This is because the good lodges of your price tend to sell out quickly since a lot of travelers are planning to visit the park. As a traveler, it’s better to choose where you are to stay and pay for your room early in advance of 3-4 months so that you avoid disappointments.
Best activities to do in Murchison falls national park
Game drive activities: Game drives in Murchison falls national park are best done during the dry season simply because the game trucks are dry and passable and the vegetation is short and scattered. The safari vehicles in the dry season can reach to each and every area of the park for game viewing and the vegetation is short with good views of the park animals.
During the game drives in Murchison falls national park in the dry season, tourists will be able to see animals such as lions, buffaloes, elephants, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, oribis, hartebeests, warthogs, hyenas, leopards, giraffes, hippos, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, black and white monkeys, and different bird species if you are good at birding.
Boat cruises: Boat cruises are enjoyed in the dry season when the water levels on River Nile are so low. The boat cruises which take place in the morning and evening never delay because the weather conditions are favorable. The boat cruises start from Paraa dock to the bottom of the falls for those that want to see the Murchison falls or to the Nile delta for those that want to explore the park.
During the boat cruise, tourists will be able to see different aquatic animals such as crocodiles and hippos. They will see water birds among which include the shoebill stork, black-headed lapwing, long-toed plover, giant kingfisher, osprey, grey craned cranes, and much more. It’s during the dry season that most of the park animals are seen along the shores of the river trying to feed or graze.
Chimpanzee trekking: is one of the great activities travelers will enjoy in Murchison falls national park. This is very interesting as the trekking trails are dry and passable and then the vegetation inside Budongo forest is short with good views of the chimpanzees. Chimpanzee trekking is the only primate activity that can be done by tourists visiting Murchison falls national park and it does give an opportunity to tourists to spend 1 hour around the apes.
The chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest begins early in the morning or afternoon with a briefing and then armed ranger guides lead trekkers into the jungle. The search for chimpanzees can take 1-4 hours depending in the location of apes as well as the speed of trekkers. Tourists visit budongo to see different wildlife and birds during the search for chimpanzees and when they allocate them they are given 1 hour to be around them as they learn about their habits, watch them do daily activities and take photos.
