Night game drive at Murchison falls national park
Night game drive at Murchison falls national park : Night game drive is a thrilling activity where visitors move in safari vehicles at night to view the nocturnal animals. Night game drive in Uganda is carried out in several national parks including Murchison falls national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Lake Mburo national park, Kidepo valley national park among others. Murchison falls national park is located in north western part of Uganda and is also the largest and most visited national park in Uganda due to its abundant wildlife.
Murchison falls national park harbors a wide range of vegetation types including savannah grassland, animals species such as elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions, waterbucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, Uganda kob, hippos, crocodiles, bushbucks, primates like chimpanzees, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, bird species such as the shoebill stork, papyrus gonolek marabou stork, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black bellied bustard, open billed stork among others. ‘
The park is bisected into two sectors that is the northern sector and the southern sector by River Nile and most activities like the game drives are conducted in the northern sector because it harbors the largest concentration of wildlife species. Night game drive in Murchison falls national park is one of the exciting activity in the park that shouldn’t be missed by visitors who visit the park because it gives you an opportunity to view nocturnal animals which can’t be viewed during the day game drive.
A night game drive in Murchison falls national park starts at about 8:00pm after dinner with an armed park ranger and spotlight torches which will help you to clearly spot different predators as they hunt. The night game drive in the park is carried out in the open savannah grassland and takes about 2 hours. During the night game drive you will be able to view beautiful landscapes under the stars, animals like hyenas, lions, leopards, civet, genets, porcupines, bush babies, night jar, hippos feeding, other animals resting among others.
Cost of a night game drive in Murchison falls national park
Night game drive in the park can either be done in a Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicle or a private vehicle with an armed park guide therefore the price varies depending on the vehicle you want to use. Night game drive in a Uganda Wildlife Authority vehicle costs $40 for both foreign non-residents and residents, UGX 40,000 for East African residents. Night game drive in a private vehicle costs $100 for the foreign non-residents and foreign residents and UGX 100,000 for East African citizens. The night game drive permit is however offered to adults above the age of fifteen.
How to book a night game drive in Murchison falls national park
Booking for a night game drive can be done anytime at Uganda Wildlife Authority headquarters, either on ground at the park offices or through a tour operator. Booking through a tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris is the best option because we will not only book a night game drive but your entire safari which includes activities you can engage in while in Murchison falls national park, where to stay, transportation among others hence making your safari exciting and memorable. You will book an UWA 4WD vehicle which is good for night game rides because its compatible to all weather, spacious and comfortable, you can also use yourself drive vehicle but it has to be raised so that the predators do not jump on it, spot light torches that will be used to clearly spot the animals and an armed park ranger for protection.
What to carry on your night game drive safari in Murchison falls national park
- You should wear clothes that blend with the surrounding such as clothes with dull colors like army green, grey among others so as not to distract the animals in their natural habitat
- Insect repellent, at night there is a lot of insects which be active such as mosquitos therefore it’s advisable to carry an insect repellent.
- Camera, though night photos are difficult to capture, it’s very important to carry a camera in that you will be able to take plenty of photos and record videos of the predators as the try to make a hunt which is a thrilling experience
- Sweater, sometimes it gets too cold at night therefore it’s advisable to take a sweater to give you warmth.
- Spotlight torches, the spotlights will be attacked on the safari vehicle so as to give you a clear view when spotting the nocturnal animals in their hideout habitats.
How to get to Murchison falls national park
Murchison falls national park is located in north western Uganda 305km from Kampala city and can be accessed by either road or air transport means.
Road transport, when travelling by road you will drive from Kampala via Masindi to the park headquarters which takes about 5 hours’ drive.
Air transport means, there are domestic airlines like Aerolink which operated scheduled and chartered flights from Entebbe airport/Kajjansi airfield to Pakuba/Chobe or Bugungu airstrips and the flight takes about 1 hour.
Murchison falls national park offers other safari activities apart from the night game drive such as boat cruise at the bottom of the falls and Victoria Nile Delta, nature walk in Kaniyo Pabidi forest, game drive, bird watching, sport fishing, chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest, hot air balloon among others. All these activities can be combined with night game drive hence giving you incredible experience on your safari in Uganda.
