Game viewing in Murchison falls national park
Are you interested in Game viewing in Murchison falls national park Uganda? Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s largest national park situated in the northwestern part of the country. The national park was gazetted in 1952 by the government of Uganda and as of today it covers about 3983 sq. km. The national park is a habitat of 76 mammals, 451 bird species, and about 13 primate species.
Game drives are a major activity in Murchison falls national park and they are mostly done in the northern side of the park where the largest number of park animals do live. The game drives are done through designed game trucks and failure to use those trucks comes with a fine. The best cars for game viewing in Murchison falls national park would be those that have pop-ups.
Game drives in Murchison falls national park are the best way to explore most of the wild animals in the park. The game drives in Murchison falls national park are done twice during the day and in night for travelers that want to encounter nocturnal animals. To be part of game drives in Murchison falls national park, all you need is to pay the park entrance fee which is $45 for foreign non-residents, $35 for foreign residents, and UGX25,000 East African citizens.
Day game drives in Murchison falls national park
Day game drives in Murchison falls national park are conducted in the morning and in the evening hours. There are guided game drives where tourists hire UWA ranger guides and there are normal game drives where your driver guide can take you through the park. Game viewing activities in Murchison falls national park are mostly done in the northern side of the park where a large concentration of animals lives.
During the game drives you will be able to see animals that are close and those that are far with the use of binoculars. During the game drives, tourists are able to encounter different park animals among which include lions, buffaloes, leopards, giraffes, olive baboons, warthogs, bushbucks, hippos, hartebeests, hyenas, bushbabies, topis, dik-dik, oribis, red-tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and Uganda kobs among others.
During the game drives, birder lovers will be able to encounter a number of birds during birdwatching which include the African dwarf kingfisher, little green sunbird, standard winged nightjar, cassin’s hawk-eagle, puvel’s illadopsis, whistling cisticola, crowned eagle, goliath heron, ituri batis, and little green sunbird among others. Game drives also give you an opportunity to have great views of physical attractions in the park among which include River Nile which crosses the park from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean sea. There are also different vegetation covers that will be seen during the game drive.
Night game drives in Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is one of the national parks in the country where night game drives are conducted to enable tourists to see nocturnal animals. The night game drives start when the night falls and it’s must to be led by armed ranger guides from UWA. These take you to areas where nocturnal animals are and their other role is to protect you from dangerous wild animals.
During the night game drives, tourists use spotlight torches to clearly see the animals which even come close to the vehicles. Nocturnal animals in Murchison falls national park include lions, leopards, bush babies, hippos, jackals, and nightjars among others.
When to have game drives in Murchison falls national park
Game drives in Murchison falls national park can be done at any time of the year however there are months said to be better than the rest. The dry moths are the best to have game viewing activities in Murchison and these occur from June to September and December to February. What makes them good is that they are characterized by little or no rainfall which makes the game trucks dry and passable, the vegetation is short and scattered with a good view of the wild animals and the roads leading to the park are in good condition.
Tourists can still visit Murchison falls national park for game viewing activities in the rainy season of March to May and October to November because the park is always open. During the rainy season, the travelers get discounts on accommodation facilities however they should know that there is plenty f rainfall which makes the game trucks muddy and slippery hence slowing the speed of activities, the vegetation is tall and thick with unclear views of the park animals while the roads to the park are impassable.
Where to stay after a game drive safari in Murchison falls national park
Travelers that are planning to visit Murchison falls national park for game drive activities and would love to spend a night or more in the park have several accommodation facilities where they can stay. The accommodation ranges from budget to mid-range to luxury options in different areas of the park and where to stay depends on a traveler’s budget.
Accommodation in Murchison falls national park includes Chobe Safari Lodge, Paraa Safari Lodge, Nile Safari Lodge, Red Chilli Rest Camp, Nile Safari Lodge, Budongo Eco Lodge, Heritage Safari Lodge Murchison River Lodge, Baker’s Lodge, Twiga Safari Lodge, Sambiya River Lodge, Kabalega Wilderness Lodge, Amuika Safari Lodge, Parkside Safari Lodge, Boomu Women’s Group Bandas, and Murchison Tree House among others.
