Things to see & do in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda
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History of Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park has fallen in and out of favour. In the early 20th century, sleeping sickness was rife in this region, spread by tsetse flies to both livestock and humans, causing the area to be evacuated. More recently, northeast Uganda was shaken by a brutal civil war which broke out in the 1980s, left hundreds of thousands dead or disappeared, and over a million Ugandans displaced. During the complex conflict, the military battled against rebel groups including the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).As the violence continued through the 1990s and early 2000s Murchison Falls National Park was a no go zone, but by the latter half of the decade the LRA had mostly disappeared over the Congolese border and peace talks were taking place. The long period of abandonment, and the lack of widespread farming due to the tsetse flies, meant that the wildlife had been left to thrive, and today, particularly in the lesser-visited northern section of the park, you’ll find some of Uganda’s largest elephants striding across the wide open landscape.
Murchison Falls National Park highlights
Murchison Falls & Nile cruises
Budongo Forest
This mahogany forest is just south of Murchison Falls National Park, near the main gateway town of Masindi. It shelters an astonishing 500-600 chimpanzees, and you can track one of three habituated groups alongside Uganda Wildlife Authority guides. There is an excellent network of trails, so this is a much easier trek than tracking gorillas in Bwindi. However, chimps are much more active, so you could be in for a long – and possibly speedy – walk, and ‘offroading’ may be required. The tall trees mean the chimps can sometimes be found high up in the canopy.Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Community tourism
Having endured three decades of violence, local communities remain scarred – there is a whole generation that grew up knowing nothing but war – but the culture in this region is rich, cut off as it has been from the rest of the country. Local women’s tourism cooperatives, tour guides, musicians and dancers offer a wonderful insight into Acholi traditions, and offer vital support to communities which are recovering from the years of war, in Uganda’s poorest region. Some tours include a visit to a local community or women’s group, or there may be fireside performances while you relax back at camp in the evening.Our top Uganda Vacation
Gorilla Safari & the Masai Mara
Superb safari and trip to see gorillas
2021: 26 Jun, 11 Sep
2022: 25 Jun, 10 Sep
How to visit Murchison Falls
National Park
The park is huge and wildlife is dispersed, so a private driver guide or Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger is essential to help you track down the animals. On organised small group or tailor made tours this will all, of course, be arranged for you – even if the animals themselves can’t be guaranteed to appear on demand. While giraffes and elephants may be easy to spot, finding a lion snoozing in the sandy grass is a lot trickier, but these guides are real experts. The park is bisected by the River Nile and a ‘car ferry’ (basically a floating platform that can carry around eight cars) travels back and forth between the north and south bank several times a day. The Nile Delta is a safari hotspot, as the river widens and fills with papyrus, luring plenty of aquatic birds plus antelopes, giraffes and more. The further north you go, the wilder the park gets, and the fewer other vehicles you’ll encounter. It may be harder to see animals up here as they are less habituated to the Jeeps – but it’s all the more thrilling when you do.