The oldest and largest conservation area in Uganda is murchison national park. The protected area is composed of touristic destination that’s Murchison Falls National Park itself, Bugungu Wildlife Refuge and Karuma Wildlife Refuge, uhuru falls and Budongo forest reserve best place for chimpanzee trekking and habituation experience and other primate watching adventure.
The park is located in the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi. Masindi is the largest town in the area taking between 1 to 2 hours’ drive to the park with a driving distance of 72km. Murchison falls national park can be reached by road from Kampala via Nakasongola district a well known home for Rhinos in Uganda.
Stopping over at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for Rhino tracking, it is an interesting adventure in a lifetime, watching Rhinos in their natural setting is an additional experience in one living. The distance from Kampala to Murchison falls national park is approximately 285 km North West of Uganda’s largest capital thus Kampala.
Murchison falls national park is world’s most powerful nature water fall that divides the protected area into two parts thus northern and southern destination. Victoria Nile that bisects the park into two plunges over 45 meter over the rift valley forming the attractive Murchison falls.
Murchison falls national park hosts over 76 species of mammals and 451 species of birds. It’s also referred to as the Kabalega Falls this name common before the coming of missionaries, kabalega fall is a waterfall found on the course of the great Nile. The park original name was Kabalega national park referring to the King of Bunyoro, later after the exploration by Sir Samuel baker and other explorers the name changed to Murchison falls National Park.
National park activities
Tourist activities in the park include: Game drives, boat cruise, hikes, nature walks, sport fishing, cultural encounter, chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation.
Chimpanzee trekking adventure
The park is also a prominent place for a number of primates like chimpanzees and other monkeys. Chimpanzee trekking and chimpanzee habituation are activities in the Budongo forest reserve the place within the national park.
Budongo forest is the largest rainforest in east Africa, the rainforest is about 30 minutes drive to kichumbanyobo gate. In this fores, chimpanzee is managed by Jane goodwill institute for research.
Note that chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest is done twice a day that’s morning and afternoon session. This chimpanzee trekking adventure includes trekking the chimpanzee community, an hour of interaction with chimpanzees, taking pictures and video plus walking back.
Boat cruise
The Nile boat cruise is a rewarding activity that allows you to explore and discover a huge population of wildlife such as crocodiles, hippos and water birds. Plus lions, warthogs, buffaloes, rare aquatic sitatunga antelope, giant forest hog, Uganda kobs, topis, waterbuck, elephant and leopard.
Game drive