Murchison Falls National Park is a national park in Uganda. The park lies in north western Uganda, spreading inland from the shore of Lake Albert around the Victoria Nile. It is named for the Murchison Falls waterfall, itself named for a president of the Royal Geographical Society.
The park is known for its wildlife which has partly recovered from a massacre by poachers and troops under Idi Amin. Together with the adjacent 748 square kilometres (289 sq mi) Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the 720 square kilometres (280 sq mi) Karuma Wildlife Reserve, the park forms the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
The park is sometimes referred to as Kabarega National Park. Kabarega was the Omukama of the Kingdom of Bunyoro, around the end of the 19th century. He resisted colonization by the British, was arrested and was exiled by the British to the island nation of the Seychelles. Kabarega died in Jinja, in 1923 en-route to Bunyoro from exile.
Murchison Falls National Park is located in Masindi District in western Uganda and in Amuru District in northern Uganda. The park is situated approximately 300 kilometres (190 mi), by road, northwest of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city.
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10 Reviews
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-Maaike Fred Holland, 11 months ago
A very complete experience: game, birds, Nile, falls…etc
Murchison Falls must not be missed on your visit to Uganda. To see and hear the falls is on experience, the boat trip another. A game drive shows not only Hippo’s and elephants but girafs as well. Make sure you take a boat trip to the Nile delta as well. I never saw so many beautiful birds in my life. -
-Anderson Califonia, 11 months ago
Murchison falls national park is simply the best, Murchison falls National Park. we made a stop over at masindi hotel on day 1 with tour guide from Cycads Safaris, we had a nature walk to the top of the falls where we got the the chance to see the the mighty River nile, day 2- we had a game drive in Murchison falls park and i have to say that this was the highlight of my trip to murchison falls…..the park was filled with lots of wild animals in each and every corner of the savana..i saw elephants, giraffes, bufalloes, kobs…..birds….lots of animals i tell you..
Then the big moment arrived, the boat cruise on the second day gave us the opportunity to get a panoramic view of the mighty nile…IT WAS AMAZING…..BEAUTIFUL, SESNSATIONAL…..
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-Wincotte, 11 months ago
They may do a better one on Venus .. but for us earthbound mortals the three hour boat trip up to see the falls at Murchison must rank as the world’s best boat trip. You will see hippos. That’s a guarantee. Probably five hundred or so. If you’re reasonably lucky you’ll see elephants taking a bath, kob, buffalo, and countless birds. All this in glorious sunshine, with the climax of the falls awaiting.
No wonder Hemingway came here ( he crashed his plane in the river and it nearly killed him). They used this stretch of river to film The African Queen. You can see why. It doesn’t get more African than this. But don’t think you’ve really seen the falls without visiting them on foot. Only then will the real power of the mighty Nile be revealed
“Absolutely one of the world’s top falls”
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-Steve and Family, 11 months ago
We went on the 2 Days Murchison falls trip. We were amazed at the quantity and diversity of wildlife in the park. There were buffalos, elephants, giraffes, hippos, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, antelope, waterbucks, various breads of birds, and the occasional lion all visible from the tour truck and the boat. A number of animals came within a few metres of the truck. The waterfall is a spectacular addition to an already great trip.
The food on offer is to a high standard, particularly at the Masindi Hotel, Uganda’s oldest hotel. The tour vehicles are comfortable and spacious for the ride up from Kampala and the roads are smooth for most of the way. We opted for the no-frills standard accommodation and that was sufficient for our needs.
Ensure that you take a rain mac or poncho in case of a tropic shower, mosquito repellent (as with anywhere in the country), and light full length clothing to avoid the flies in an area of the park before reaching the falls.
Although I initially thought that two days was too short, I have to admit that we managed to fit a lot in. The tour guides are well informed and friendly, adding a personal touch to the experience. The company (African Adventure Travellers Ltd) catered very well for our party of ten (from the UK). I will definitely be recommending this trip to friends and family!
“Best riverboat ride on Planet Earth”
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-Anthony, 11 months ago
You really get value for your money when you visit Murchison falls National Park. The accommodation is elegant and the ambiance is amazingly beautiful.
WOW…a magnificent adventure!”
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-Erin, Washington DC, 11 months ago
Spectacular, powerful, noisey and beautiful. Many people will go the park lodges and take the boat trip to within a mile of the base. Nice picture with a telephoto, but no sound of the roar and no perspective of the power.
To get the true impact, journey to the top of the falls (you get there via bumpy road). You will not be disappointed. You can even climb down the side of the falls if you are prepared to get soaked. I have been to a lot of the world’s waterfalls and Murchison Falls is probably the most spectacular narrow gorge waterfall I have seen.
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-Smith , USA, 10 months ago
We went with Yebo tours on a 2.5 day trip. We saw chimpanzees in the wild (outside the park), then drove into the park and spent the night at their own campsite (this is definitely roughing it, be warned!), then went on an early morning game drive where we saw loads (you have to get a small car ferry across the river to get to the animal side) and then in the afternoon we did a boat trip up to the base of the falls and saw crocodiles and loads of hippos and also elephant by the riverside. Near the falls we got off and walked up to the to (fairly steep but not that far) and were picked up at the top.
This was a great way to see the highlights and we had an excellent tour guide/driver called John who made our experience fantastic. We probably didn’t see quite as many animals as in the Masaii Mara but I though the scenary was more beautiful and we still saw most things. It seems to be quite difficult to get to the park under your own steam if you’re not with a tour company. However, its easy enough to get a bus from Kampala to Masindi and use a tour company from there (a lot cheaper than getting them to pick you up from Kampala)
“Where else can you find such abundant and varied wildlife! and and the impressive Murchison falls are outstanding.”
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-Pedroso, Canada, 10 months ago
There really isn’t much more to say about this National Park that hasn’t already been said by previous reviewers. We saw a plethora of wildlife on our morning and evening adventure of animal tracking. It was surreal looking out your window and seeing elephant, giraffe and water buffalo herds just feet from the vehicle! I was even fortunate enough to spot a Leopard (no pun intended!)! We stayed at Paraa Lodge, which I will review separately.
Definitely take camera, sunglasses and binoculars. The array of birds, butterflies and wildlife is amazing! Early morning and evening visits will yield the best opportunities to see wildlife!
“An amazing safari trip, teeming with wildlife”
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[...] Falls National Park Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest national park. It measures approximately [...]
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-Nathali, The Netherlands, 5 months ago
First we went on a boat trip. We could see a lot of wildlife, mostly birds. It was a pitty that the guide was on an other level at the boat so we could not here what kind of birds we saw. But at the end of the trip we saw the falls and that was spectacular! We got enough time and opportunity to make pictures. After making pictures we got of the boat and went hiking to the top of the falls. And the end of the nice hike was even more spectacular then seeing the falls from the boat. Tons of water felt down with a undiscribeble force! Really amazing!
[...] Falls National Park Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s largest national park. It measures approximately [...]