Things to do in a 3 Days Murchison Falls National Park Safari : Visitors planning on a safari to Murchison Falls National park should expect to get involved in activities like walking to the top of the Murchison Falls, game drives, bird-watching, chimpanzee trekking, nature walks, fishing, boat cruises and camping among others. A 3 Days safari to Murchison falls national may not be enough for one to complete all the activities in the largest national park, one would need to at least 5 days. However, below are some of the main activities to do on a 3 Days Murchison falls national park.

3 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife Safari

Visiting the Top of the Murchison Falls: 

The first activity most visitors do is to visit the top of the falls. The Murchison Falls form when the river Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge as it makes its way to Egypt. It is arguably one of the most powerful waterfall in the world after the Victoria Falls. One does not need a guide to go to the top of the falls though it is important to move with a team or someone knowledgeable about the area.  The first sight of the falls from the top is amazing. The thunderous roar as the water forces its way through the gorge before falling 42 meters below is one of the most memorable moments while in the park.  The mist resulting from the force of the water combines with the suns raise to form spectacular rainbows, which are awesome to watch. On a hot day or during the dry season, the mist from the waterfall has a cooling and calming effect especially after a long day of activities. This area is great for photography and you should not be there without a camera. After looking at the waterfall from the top, there is path that leads down to the river or to the smaller Uhuru Falls before the Murchison Falls. One spot not to miss is “the crocodile bar”. This is an area towards the bottom of the falls where crocodiles gather to wait for unlucky animals and fish that are accidentally dragged down by the powerful water. Crocodiles of all sizes lay patiently waiting for the next victims.

Boat Cruise at the bottom of the falls

This is one of the most popular activities while at the park. The cruise lasts about 3 hours starting and ending at the bottom of the falls. The top of the falls offers a breathtaking view of the waterfall and the loud roars coming from the water rushing down to the river. The section of the Nile after the falls shores has abundant wildlife and some of the greatest collection of hippos and crocodiles in Africa. Visitors can also see buffaloes, elephants and various species of antelopes drinking by the shores of the river. The water birds include bee-eaters, cormorants, ducks, fish eagles, herons, kingfishers and shoebill. After taking photos and seeing enough of the birds and animals, the captain will turn the boat upstream to bottom of the falls for visitors to disembark and climb up to level ground.

Game Drives/game viewing

This is arguably the most enjoyable activity in the park. Game drives can be done alone although the presence of a ranger from the park turns it into a more educative activity because they can help identify the types of birds and mammals or take you to the best places to find them. While on a 3 hour game drive to Murchison Falls, expect to spot animals like buffaloes, crocodiles, elephants, giraffes, Hippopotamus, Leopards, lions, Monitor lizards, Side Striped Jackals, Spotted Hyenas and warthogs. Among the Antelope species in the park include the Bohor Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Defassa Waterbuck, Hartebeest, Oribi and the Uganda Kob among others. The primate species in the park include Baboons, Black and White Colobus, Patas Monkeys, Vervet Monkeys and Chimpanzees in the Rabongo and Budongo Forests. The park also has reptiles like the African rock python, mambas, cobras and other smaller snakes.

Things to do in a 3 Days Murchison Falls National Park Safari
Boat Cruise on Murchison Falls

Apart from the day game drives, visitors can also choose to go for the 2-hour night game drive. While on the night game drive, the chances of seeing predators like hyenas, lions, serval cats and particularly leopards become higher. The rangers move with spotlights so that any action is not missed.  The night game drives start late in the evening or when it gets dark.

Rhino tracking at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

The Ziwa Rhino sanctuary is located along the way to the Murchison Falls national park from Kampala. Due to extensive poaching, rhino’s no longer roam Uganda’s national parks. The Ziwa rhino sanctuary was established to protect the remaining rhinos and increasing the numbers through careful breeding before reintroducing them to the larger parks once their numbers reach 20. Tracking rhinos on foot is the main activity here and is usually supervised by rangers from the sanctuary. The Rangers share information about Rhinoceros, the history of the sanctuary, the breeding programme and the wider conservation efforts. They then lead visitors to see the large mammals up-close as they feed. Apart from Rhinos, there are small primates and bird species that call the vast sanctuary home. Visitors can also take nature walks to see birds like the Shoebill Stork. All proceeds from the visitors are channeled to Rhino conservation efforts. Visiting the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is best done before or after a visit to Murchison falls national park, Things to do in a 3 Days Murchison Falls National Park Safari

Birdwatching

Murchison Falls Park is one of the best places for birding in Uganda. The activity can be done during the game drives and boat cruises. As a large park, the Murchison Falls provides countless opportunities and places to go birding. The bird species in the park include; Blue-naped Moosebird, Bluff-bellied Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Denham’s Bustard, Double-toothed Barbet, Eastern Grey Plantain-Eater, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Giant Kingfisher, Goliath Heron, Gray Crowned crane, Green-winged Ptyilia, Grey Crowned Cranes, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Hugli’s Francolin, Long Tailed Nightjar, Long-toed Plover, Malachite Kingfisher, Martial Eagle, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Nothern Crombec, Osprey, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Piapiac, Pied Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-Eater, Red-throated Bee-eater, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Rock Pratincole, Sacred Ibis, Saddle-billed Stork, Sandpipers, Secretary Bird, Senegal Thick-knee, Shoebill Stork, Silver Bird, Bluff-bellied Warbler, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Spotted Mourning Thrush, Spotted owl, Spotted Thick-knee, Spur-winger Geese, Squacco Heron, Standard-winged Nightjar, Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Swamp Flycatcher, Vaseline Masked Weaver, Veracious Dove, Verreaux’s Owl, Vitelline Masked Weaver, Weaver Birds and among others.

Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo forest

Budongo Forest is found south of the park and is part of the Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi forest reserve. The forest has over 464 species of plants and mammals including over 820 chimpanzees. There is a research station by Jane Goodall in Budongo forest and hence chimpanzee trekking is the most popular activity in the forest. Chimpanzee tracking starts at 8am and ends at around 3pm. The chances of seeing the chimps are high but will depend on the season of the year. The best time to see the chimp’s are in May and August. The activity can go on for long but trackers should never be bored in such a beautiful forest with birds (over 360 species) and smaller primates like the black and white colobus, blue monkey, forest galago, pattos and red-tailed monkeys. An experienced and well-informed guide usually leads visitors to help them identify the different species of birds, animals and vegetation. The chimpanzee habituation experience can also be arranged in Budongo forest during periods with fewer trackers. If you are interested in combining a safari and tacking the chimpanzees, you might need 4 Days Murchison falls national park safari.

book a safari