Murchison Falls National Park

About Murchison Falls National Park

Conservation importance:

The oldest of Uganda’s national park gazette in 1952 protecting a wide range of flora and fauna, located along River Nile. The Park has a record of 76 mammals, over 650 species of birds and 14 reptiles.

Size:

The Park together with the adjourning Karuma & Bugungu wildlife reserves are jointly managed as one conservation unit: Murchison Falls protected area covers an area of 3,840km2

Tourist activities:

The centerpiece is the river’s eruption through a narrow gorge at Murchison Falls; a spectacle that has captivated visitors since the explorer Samuel Baker added the feature to the map in 1864. The boat trip to the falls, past hippos and crocodiles, is an essential activity, as is a game drive across the grassy Buligi peninsula to the banks of the river. The park also has much to interest birders. The iconic shoebill inhabits swampy islands along the river while rare and ‘restricted range’ Congo overspills can be checked off in the southerly Kaniyo Pabidi forest. Visitors can also track habituated chimpanzees at this site.

Other activities:

Sport fishing as a sport is also is done along the river. Chimpanzee tracking. Fishing competitions are often organized by various tour operators.