"Uganda’s largest national park supports plentiful elephant and buffalo, substantial numbers of lion, and the world's largest surviving population of Rothschild's giraffe. Game drives are usually rewarding, but the show-stealer is the launch trip upriver to the base of East Africa’s mightiest waterfall. ”
- Philip Briggs
Murchison Falls National Park
The pièce de résistance of the 3,480m Murchison Falls National Park is the eponymous waterfall. A one-of-a-kind sight, it is perhaps more accurately described as a water-eruption than a waterfall, as the Victoria Nile funnels through a narrow cleft in the Rift Valley escarpment to form a fantastically noisy 43m-high plume of frothing white water.
Launch trips to the base of the waterfall follow an atmospheric stretch of the world’s longest river past grunting pods of hippo, gape-mouthed crocodiles and a dazzling variety of kingfishers and other water-associated birds. The river is a magnet for thirsty animals. Buffalo and waterbuck maintain a near-permanent presence on the north bank, while herds of elephant are often seen swimming or playing in the water.
A must-do for birdwatchers, a boat trip to the papyrus-lined delta formed by the Victoria Nile as it enters Lake Albert offers an excellent chance of spotting the iconic shoebill, a bulky slate-grey swamp dweller named for its hefty clog-shaped bill. Immediately north of the delta, game drives through an area of undulating grassland punctuated by tall borassus palms are likely to throw up lion, elephant, buffalo, Jackson’s hartebeest and Uganda kob, as well as the localised ground-dwelling patas monkey, and herds of giraffe comprising 20-plus individuals.
When to go
Find out when is best to visit
- Excellent
- Good
- Poor
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more intense long rains arrive in April. The altitude does, however, mean that this ‘dry season’ is a little unpredictable. While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more intense long rains arrive in April. The altitude does, however, mean that this ‘dry season’ is a little unpredictable. While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more intense long rains arrive in April. The altitude does, however, mean that this ‘dry season’ is a little unpredictable. While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, this period is the wettest time of the year. This wet season is also often characterised by the occasional but intense thunderstorm.
While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, this period is the wettest time of the year. This wet season is also often characterised by the occasional but intense thunderstorm.
While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more the arrival of wetter weather in August. long rains arrive in April.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more the arrival of wetter weather in August. long rains arrive in April.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, this period is the wettest time of the year. This wet season is also often characterised by the occasional but intense thunderstorm.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, rainfall can be expected at any time during this period.
Its location so close to the equator means that temperatures throughout the year are very consistent, the variable in play is often altitude, which varies greatly across Uganda, this, therefore, has a corresponding effect on both temperature as well as rainfall. The majority of the regions in Uganda sit at fairly high altitudes, which moderates the temperatures, especially in the case of Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks where it can be really quite cool.
Although rainfall is possible through the year in most locations, there are main two wet seasons in Uganda. The first takes place between March and May, the second between September and November. There are some exceptions to this, such as Kidepo Valley National Park which has just one wet season.
The best time for a safari in Uganda is very much defined by the type of experience you are seeking. Many parks are good all year round, although you will find that one’s chances of a good sighting improve during the drier months of the year. Trekking Gorillas or Chimpanzee is not as influenced by the weather, although there is no doubt that the trekking is easier and more enjoyable during the drier times of the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, this period is the wettest time of the year. This wet season is also often characterised by the occasional but intense thunderstorm.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
WET SEASON
The exact start and end of the rains are always a little uncertain, but generally, this period is the wettest time of the year. This wet season is also often characterised by the occasional but intense thunderstorm.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
DRIER PERIOD
A brief drier interlude before the more intense long rains arrive in April. The altitude does, however, mean that this ‘dry season’ is a little unpredictable. While this park always has good birding during this time of the year migratory species can be found in full breeding colours.
Its location so close to the equator means that Murchison Falls National Park has consistent temperatures throughout the year, while the high altitude (615 to 1,187m or 2,900 to 4,386ft) moderate these a little to an average maximum of 31°C/88°F through the year.
Murchison Falls has no distinct dry season, although June and July do tend to be the driest months of the year. There is also a slight lapse in rainfall in January and February.
The park can be good throughout the year, but game viewing is best in the driest months of the year, as vegetation thins and wildlife becomes a little more concentrated. This being said, this is a park which we would recommend throughout the year.
Experiences
Explore Murchison Falls National Park Properties
Bakers Lodge
Bakers Lodge
Named after husband-and-wife explorers, Samuel and Florence Baker, Baker lodge is a Wild Frontiers owned property in a spectacular location on the river Nile. A small, intimate accommodation, the lodge is exceptionally well run ..
Paraa Safari Lodge
Paraa Safari Lodge
With heaps of charm, Paraa Safari Lodge is a wonderfully located property near to Murchison Falls National Park, decorated in Safari décor and retaining its reputation as a slice of Ugandan history. One of the first post-war ..
What People Say
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The personalised service provided was far beyond my expectations. A three week trip visiting four countries in Africa, multiple game reserves, wineries and much, much more was flawless. While a close encounter with a leopard and her cubs…
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We got in touch after hearing about Hide & Seek from a friend. Have to say hats off to Jamie, he was so patient throughout, even through our indecisiveness! Ultimately we ended up with the most incredible holiday of our lives. Thank you again, we will be back!!
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Thank you for arranging our Safari holiday in Kenya and Tanzania for us. It was to celebrate our 40th. Wedding anniversary which was on July 1st. 2018, and through your arrangements, we have had a holiday that we will never forget...
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Thanks so much for a truly unforgettable once in a life time holiday. Hopefully we will be in touch again soon!
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Spot on in terms of itinerary . We not disappointed by any of the suggestions and had the best holiday ever! Thank you!
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Jamie was very helpful throughout the booking process and recommended the perfect holiday. There was nothing we would change having now been out to Tanzania. I would highly recommend Hide & Seek to friends and relatives.
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Jamie was excellent. Once I described what we wanted I knew he would come up with the business. ..and he did!!! 5 stars
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We spoke to numerous travel agents over the period we looked at booking our honeymoon and only hide and seek gave me the confidence I was looking for. Really pleased with our decision.
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Hide and seek dealt with our last minute travel plans extremely well. Obviously, our accommodations shifted as availability diminished but ultimately they came up with a vacation that we will never forget.
