Murchison Falls National Park
“The World’s Greatest Waterfall”
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda’s premier destination for Game tracking safaris. It is the country’s largest conservation and protected area covering over 3893Sq.Km, protecting variety of wildlife and it’s named after the Nile’s 40m plummet over the Rift Valley scarp. The park is located in the Northwestern part of the country, situated at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, a drive just about 6hours from Kampala Central Business District. It is found where the immense Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savannah stretching further into the enormous plains of Acholiland. 

The park is also the country’s oldest conservation area and was first gazetted a Game Reserve in 1926 and later uplifted to a status of National Park in the year 1952. The southern part of Murchison conservation area is occupied by Karuma wildlife reserve that stretches further to the southeast and Bugungu wildlife reserve, making it about 5,072Sq.Km.  Temperatures are usually hot rising to 290C during day and dropping to 180C in the night, the dry spell is from December towards the end of February and from June to September.

The park is punctuated by the dramatic Murchison Falls where the majestic Nile squeezes through an 8m wide gorge and tumbles 45m over the remnant Rift Valley wall with a thunderous roar into the “Devil’s Cauldron” creating a trademark rainbow. The Murchison Falls are the centerpiece and the ultimate event in an 80km stretch of rapids, they are the highlight of the visits to the park and were named after Sir Roderick Murchison the then President of the Royal Geographic Society (RGS). They were named by Sir Samuel Baker who and his wife Florence were the first Europeans to find them.

Just a few meters near the Murchison Falls are the Uhuru Falls, which were formed in 1962 the same year Uganda obtained here independence, hence named so to commemorate the country’s independence.      
Accessibility
The park can be accessed through a number of routes by road; the Kampala-Pakwach road leads to the Northern sector, a route that crosses the Nile at Karuma Falls Bridge in the northeastern corner of the park, the course finally leads you into the park via the Chobe, Wankwar, Mubako or Tangi gates north of the Nile. The Southern sector can be accessed via Masindi town from Kampala, two gates lead to the park through this section that is; Kichumbanyobo and Bugungu gates. En-route to Murchison is the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Nakasongola district, Nakitooma village; this site is home to the only wild Rhinos in Uganda.

Alternatively, the park can be accessed by a domestic flight either chartered or scheduled from Kajjansi airfield to Pakuba airfield north of Paraa, Chobe to the East or Bugungu airfield to the South in the park.

Wildlife; Flora, Fauna and other Attractions
The Murchison falls conservation area and National Park is bisected by the Victoria Nile forming two sectors, that is; the Northern Bank and Southern Bank.
The Northern section/ bank is a composition of Savanna and Borassus palms, Acacia trees and Riverine woodland. Paraa the centre or hub of most of the tourism activities in the park is found on this sector of the park. The Southern bank is dominated by woodland and forest patches with areas such as Budongo and Rabongo Forest eco-systems.
Murchison Falls National Park boasts of over 76mammal species and 451bird species including both forest and savanna species. The northern bank is a prime spot for game viewing and most of the game circuits lead from Paraa through this section. Some of the game you will find on this side of the park include; Lions, African Elephant, Hippopotamus, Rothschild’s Giraffes, Cape Buffalos, Uganda Kobs and Jackson’s Hartebeests among others as well as a number of savanna bird species like the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and Palm-nut Vulture.   
The stretch of the river provides one of the country’s bewildering wildlife spectacles, the riverbanks are frequented by Elephants, Buffalos and Giraffes while Hippos, Nile Crocodiles and water birds are permanent residents, the Nile corridor has such a good collection of aquatic birds such as the pre-historic looking Shoebill Stork seen at the Delta point.
Trails through Kaniyo Pabidi in Budongo Forest reserve, on the southern section of the park is a prime spot for forest species such as Chimpanzees, Black and White Colobus, Olive Baboons, Pattus Monkeys and Grey Monkeys among others as well as birds with a count of over 360species including the rare Puvel’s Illadopsis.

Activities
Lucky visitors to Murchison Falls National Park will be rewarded with some of the best safari experiences on the African continent, the park is a complete safari destination offering both passive and active safari experiences. Both the Game drives and Launch trips offer opportune moments to spot wildlife, drives through the northern bank reward visitors sights of the great game roaming the savanna plains while launch cruises are a most relaxing way to enjoy the tranquil waters of the Nile; trips upstream from Paraa culminate with the frontal display of the astonishing falls while those downstream to the delta are ideal for birding enthusiasts.
Those moved by trying some adventure can hike top of the falls and finally cool off in a spray of the waterfalls whereas trails through Rabongo and Budongo Forest can be explored on foot (Nature walks) to track primates especially Chimpanzees in Kaniyo Pabidi sector and watch birds. The Murchison Falls is one of the few East African strongholds for the spindly, plains-dwelling Patas Monkey. Balloon safaris are an interesting way to spot off the track wildlife, Sport fishing and cultural encounters are one way to spice up your Murchison Safari.