Why visit Murchison falls national park

Why visit Murchison falls national park: It is Uganda’s largest protected area in the northwestern part of the country. The national park was gazetted in 1952 by the government of Uganda after finding out that it has a lot of attractions in Murchison falls national park to include: game drives, birding, primate tracking etc and to conserve the vegetation. Murchison falls national park is home to over 451 bird species, 13 primates, and 76 mammal species.

There are so many reasons as to why tourists need to visit Murchison falls national park and in this article, we are going to look at some of them. So many attractions are found within Murchison falls national park and these are the ones that pull travelers from different parts of the world to visit the park. Below are some of the reasons why you need to visit Murchison falls national park

Why visit Murchison falls national park

Game drives

The main reason as to why you need to visit Murchison falls national park is to see the different attractions in Murchison Falls national that have found their home within this park. The national park is home to over 76 mammals, 13 primates, and about 451 bird species which can be spotted during the game drives. The game drives in Murchison falls national park are done in good safari vehicles that even have a pop-up.

Game drives in Murchison falls national park are done in the northern sector of the park where a huge number of animals and birds can be seen. The game drives can be done in the morning, and evening with your driver guide or at night times with an armed ranger guide. During the game drives, safari drivers must use the game trucks to connect to different places of the park with opportunities of seeing different animal species.

Some of the animals to see in Murchison falls national park include the lions, buffaloes, elephants, leopards, hyenas, oribis, topis, duikers, giant forest hogs, giraffes, bushbucks, warthogs, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, grey checked mangabeys, olive baboons, and Jackson’s hartebeest among others. During the game drives, bird lovers are able to spot different bird species within the park.

spot the Rock Pratincole in Murchison falls national park

Bird watching

The other reason as to why you need to visit Murchison falls national park is to encounter different species. Bird lovers can visit this park to see more than 450 bird species that have been recorded within this park. Bird watching in the park is mostly done in form of nature walks where bird lovers are taken to different areas of the park that have large concentrations of birds.

Bird watching is done around the areas of Paara, Nile delta, Budongo forest, and Kaniyo Pabidi forest. During the bird-watching activities, it’s the armed ranger guides that lead you to the mentioned places to show you different bords as well as protecting you from dangerous wild animals. Bird lovers are advised to come along with their birding books, a pair of binoculars to see distant objects, and a camera to capture some images.

Birds to watch out for in Murchison falls national park include veracious dove, long-tailed nightjar, African darter, martial eagle, standard-winged nightjar, white-faced whistling duck, northern spotted morning thrush, white-rumped seedeater, blue-naped moosebird, secretary bird, African darter, denhams’s bustard, speckle-fronted weaver, black crake, white-fronted black chat, spur-winger geese, black-billed barbet, and black-headed batis among others

Murchison falls

This is among the top reasons why you should visit the Murchison falls national park. It’s a place where you will meet the strongest waterfalls in the whole world named Murchison falls by Sir Samuel baker. Tourists can see these waterfalls by taking a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls or hiking to the top of the falls.

At the bottom of the falls or at the top of the falls, tourists will be able to see how the falls are made by the water which squeezes itself through a narrow gorge 7 meters wide and fall 40 meters down hence producing the thunderous sound. You can take photos and record videos for memories or show your friends back home.

Boat cruise

You need to take a visit to Murchison falls national park to be part of the amazing boat cruise which can be to the top of the falls or the Nile delta. The boat cruise can be done in the morning or evening and there is always a ranger guide to keep telling you different information about the River Nile, animals, and the Murchison falls national park.

During the boat cruises, tourists get an opportunity to encounter different wild animals among which include crocodiles and hippos in the waters, birds along the vegetation on the river and these include papyrus gonoleck, swamp flycatchers, and shoebill among others. Tourists will also be able to encounter park animals at the shores trying to drink water or graze mostly in the dry season. The boat cruise to the top of the falls enables tourists to see the Murchison falls and how they are formed.

Encounter Chimpanzees on your safari to Murchison falls national park

Primate tracking

Tourists need to visit Murchison falls national park for primate tracking which is done in Budongo forest next to the park. It’s only chimpanzees that have been habituated and therefore anybody can encounter them for 1 hour in their natural habitat while on a safari in Murchison falls national ark.

To encounter the chimpanzees of Budongo forest, you need a primate or chimpanzee tracking permit which will allow you to be part of the trekking team and encounter the apes. The primate tracking activity is done twice a day with the first shift in the morning and the other in the evening.

Chimpanzee trekking is guided by armed ranger guides who know the best routes to use and who can protect you in case of dangerous animals. The activity takes 30 minutes to 4 hours depending on the location of the apes as well as the speed of the trekkers. When the chimps are found, trekkers are given 1 hour to be around them and this enables them to learn about their habits and watch them do daily activities.

Sport fishing

Are you good at sport fishing or you would love to be part of the interesting activity then look no far, take a trip to Murchison falls national park? Sport fishing in Murchison falls national park is done on River Nile the longest river in the world with a help of armed ranger guides. The sport fishing activity in Murchison falls national park comes at a fee which is $50 per person

Sport fishing in Murchison falls national park is done on small boats and it’s a catch and release activity to conserve the fish in the Nile. Sport fishing gives tourists a chance to catch fish such as Nile perch, tilapia, tiger fish, and catfish among others. At the end of the activity, tourists are rewarded some fish to take back to the lodge and eat