All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Murchison Falls National Park
Wildlife Safaris in Murchison Falls National Park
Uganda's largest national park, split by the Victoria Nile as it funnels through a seven-metre gap in a roar of white water. Big savanna game, a wildlife boat cruise to the base of the falls, and one of Africa's last strongholds of Rothschild's giraffe.
Why here
Murchison Falls is built around one violent piece of geography: the Victoria Nile squeezed through a seven-metre rock cleft, dropping in a thunderous plume before spreading into a game-rich delta. A boat cruise upriver to the base of the falls runs past pods of hippo, huge Nile crocodile and elephant coming down to drink, with the falls building ahead of you. North of the river the savanna carries elephant, lion, buffalo, Jackson's hartebeest, Uganda kob and one of Africa's most important populations of the endangered Rothschild's giraffe. Wild Frontiers Uganda operates the launch cruises from its jetty on the south bank, and Bamboo Ecotours runs game drives and river trips as part of guided circuits.
Best months
The park is open year-round, with June to September and December to February the drier, easier months for game drives. The Nile boat cruise to the base of the falls runs in all seasons and is the signature activity. The top-of-the-falls viewpoint is reached by a short hike from the boat landing or by road.
Getting there & around
Murchison is about five hours northwest of Kampala, often reached via Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for on-foot rhino tracking on the way. Game drives are on the north bank, reached by the Paraa vehicle ferry. The launch cruise and drives are booked through operators or the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Scheduled flights serve the park's airstrips for those short on time.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (2)
Bamboo Ecotours
GuideA locally owned, Kisoro-based operator and AUTO member, Bamboo Ecotours runs small-group wildlife safaris, capped around six travelers, through Murchison Falls and Uganda's other parks. Affiliated with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, it secures permits year-round and builds guided circuits that pair big-game viewing with primate tracking and community visits.
Wild Frontiers Uganda
OutfitterOne of Uganda's longest-running safari operators, active since the mid-1990s and a member of AUTO, Wild Frontiers runs launch trips to the base of Murchison Falls, game drives for Rothschild's giraffe and lion, and Nile and Lake Victoria boat safaris. It operates its own camps in the area and arranges guiding, permits and transfers across the country's parks.