Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park lies in north western Uganda, spreading inland from the shore of Lake Albert around the Victoria Nile. It is named for the Murchison Falls waterfall, itself named for a president of the Royal Geographical Society. The park is known for its wildlife. The national park neighbours Budongo Central Forest Reserve, Kaduma Game Reserve and Aswa-Lolim Game Reserve. Murchison Falls Conservation Area is one of the oldest, and is the largest, protected area (PA) in Uganda. It is comprised of Murchison Falls National Park, Bugungu Wildlife Refuge and Karuma Wildlife Refuge. Currently, the national park itself encompasses 3,893 km². Bugungu Wildlife Refuge (501 km²) and Karuma Wildlife Refuge (678 km²) are adjacent and act as buffer zones for the park. In addition is Budongo Forest Reserve which overlaps parts of both wildlife reserves, and covers an additional 591 km². This makes a total of 5,663 km² of space that is under some level of protection through controlled use (more than twice the land area of Rhode Island in the United States). The national park and the two wildlife reserves are managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as the Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA) and the Budongo Forest Reserve is managed by the National Forestry Association except where it overlaps with UWA-managed lands.

The world-famous Murchison Falls are a must for any visitor. The most impressive view is at the top, where the Nile forces its way through a 7 meter gap in the rocks and tumbles 40 meters down. A path leads from the parking above the falls all the way to the bottom and offers spectacular views of the foaming waters rushing into the gorge, with a deafening roar. In the background the pacified river winds its way towards Lake Albert. If you are up for it, you can take a refreshing Nile-bath in a small basin above the falls.

The Nile itself hosts one of Africa's densest hippo and crocodile populations, and a dazzling variety of waterbirds including the world's most accessible wild population of the rare shoebill stork.