Uganda
The Nile forced through an eight-metre-wide gorge
Murchison Falls is Uganda's largest national park, and its centrepiece is one of the most violent stretches of water in Africa. The Victoria Nile is squeezed through an eight-metre-wide gorge and drops 45 metres into the water below. The roar carries a long way, and standing at the top of the falls is a genuinely physical experience. The park divides along the river: open savannah and borassus palm country to the north, where the game drives are, and thicker woodland to the south. A launch cruise upstream from Paraa to the base of the falls passes hippo pods, enormous Nile crocodile and elephant on the banks, and is the best way to see the park's wildlife concentrated along the water.
Elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, Rothschild's giraffe, Uganda kob, hartebeest, oribi and waterbuck on the northern savannah. Very large hippo and Nile crocodile populations along the river. Birdlife is excellent, and the Albert delta area is one of the more reliable places in Uganda to look for the shoebill. There are no rhino in the park — Uganda's reintroduced rhino are at the Ziwa sanctuary south of here.
December to February and June to September are driest and give the best game viewing and road conditions. The falls run powerfully year-round.
December–February and June–September.
Two nights covers a launch cruise, the top of the falls and a proper game drive. One night is very tight given how long the drive from Entebbe or Kibale is.
Murchison Falls is the northern anchor of the longer Uganda circuits, usually reached via the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary and followed by Kibale and Queen Elizabeth.
Go there
3 routes in the Citrus catalogue include Murchison Falls.
Mid-range8 days · Uganda
This 8-day route links Murchison Falls, Ziwa and Kibale, with proper beds, good food and lodges that sit where the wildlife is. 7 nights on safari, priced on request.
Price on request
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Mid-range10 days · Uganda
A 10-day circuit taking in Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Kibale, with well-run mid-range lodges and camps at every stop. 9 nights on safari, priced on request.
Price on request
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Mid-range12 days · Uganda
Built around Ziwa, Murchison Falls and Kibale, this 12-day safari staying in comfortable tented camps and established safari lodges throughout. 11 nights on safari, priced on request.
Price on request
View safariPlanning questions
It is the best thing in the park. The cruise concentrates hippo, crocodile, elephant and birdlife along the riverbanks and finishes beneath the falls themselves. If it is not already in your quotation, it is worth adding.
No. Uganda's rhino were wiped out and the reintroduced population lives at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, roughly two hours south of the park. Most itineraries stop at Ziwa on the way north, which is why the two often appear together.