Murchison Falls, south bank of the Victoria Nile
Top of the Falls
The park's namesake: the entire Victoria Nile squeezed through a seven-metre gap in the rock and hurled 43 metres into the gorge.…
Learn more →
Archives: Destinations
The standout places inside Murchison Falls National Park, and the parks and side trips we most often combine it with into one seamless Uganda trip.
Inside Murchison Falls National Park
Departs Paraa, on the Victoria Nile
The Nile Delta Boat Cruise
The three-hour launch cruise from Paraa upstream to the foot of the falls - hippo pods, giant crocodiles, elephant at the water…
Learn more →
Between the Victoria Nile and Lake Albert, northern sector
Buligi Peninsula
The wedge of open borassus-palm savanna north of the river - the park's premier game-drive circuit and the place to find lion,…
Learn more →
Northern game-drive circuit
Nyamsika Cliffs
A dramatic eroded escarpment on the northern tracks, with a seasonal stream and pool below that pulls in elephant and buffalo -…
Learn more →
Where the Victoria Nile meets Lake Albert
Nile Delta Confluence
The papyrus-lined maze of channels where the Nile fans out into Lake Albert - the single most reliable place in Uganda, and…
Learn more →
Southern sector of the park
Rabongo Forest
An isolated island of lowland rainforest surrounded by savanna in the park's south-east - guided forest walks, primates and birding, well away…
Learn more →
Budongo Forest Reserve, southern sector
Kaniyo Pabidi Forest
The northern section of Budongo Forest, reached from Murchison's southern gates - the main chimpanzee-tracking site for park visitors, and superb forest…
Learn more →
On the escarpment immediately south of the park
Budongo Forest Reserve
One of Uganda's largest natural forests, home to around 600 chimpanzees and the legendary birding of the Royal Mile - the classic…
Learn more →
Southeastern boundary, on the Kampala-Gulu highway
Karuma Falls and Karuma Wildlife Reserve
A long run of violent Nile rapids where the main highway crosses the river at the park's south-east corner, bordered by a…
Learn more →
Western boundary of the park
Lake Albert Shoreline
The park's western edge runs for miles along Lake Albert, a Rift Valley lake shared with DR Congo - fishing villages, the…
Learn more →
Southwestern boundary, between the escarpment and Lake Albert
Bugungu Wildlife Reserve
A 748-square-kilometre buffer reserve adjoining the park's south-west, offering a quieter, more scenic entry route via Bugungu Gate and its own patch…
Learn more →
Northern exit of the park, toward the West Nile region
Albert Nile and Pakwach
Where the river leaves Lake Albert and turns north as the Albert Nile, exiting the park at the town of Pakwach on…
Learn more →
Near the top of Murchison Falls
Sambiya Hill Viewpoint
A raised woodland vantage point close to the top of the falls, giving a wide panorama over the gorge, the winding Nile…
Learn more →
Southeastern entry point, where the highway meets the Nile
Chobe Area and Karuma Bridge
The stretch of calm, wide Nile where most Kampala-Murchison drives first meet the river, just upstream of the Karuma rapids - wooded…
Learn more →
Launches near Paraa, over the northern savanna
Hot Air Balloon Safari over the Delta
Sunrise balloon flights over the Buligi plains and the Nile delta - an hour drifting silently above the herds, followed by a…
Learn more →
Just outside the park's northern (Tangi) gate
Purongo and the Northern Gate Community
The farming communities outside the northern gate, offering cultural visits, craft markets and traditional Acholi music and dance - often paired with…
Learn more →
Lake Albert shore, below the western escarpment
Butiaba Fishing Village
A historic port on Lake Albert below the escarpment - once a colonial steamer terminus, now a large, atmospheric fishing landing with…
Learn more →
Lake Albert, where the Victoria Nile meets the lake
Wanseko Landing Site
A busy fishing landing where the Victoria Nile empties into Lake Albert - the closest village to the delta, the launch point…
Learn more →
Beyond Murchison: places to combine
Nakasongola District, about 3.5 hours north of Kampala on the Murchison road
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
The only place in Uganda to see wild rhino - a 70-square-kilometre sanctuary where southern white rhino, wiped out nationally by the…
Learn more →
About one hour south of Murchison's Kichumbanyobo Gate
Masindi Town
The largest town near Murchison and a safari waypoint for a century - fuel, banks and supplies on the southern approach, a…
Learn more →
Western Uganda near Fort Portal, a 4 to 5 hour transfer from Murchison
Kibale Forest National Park
Uganda's chimpanzee capital - 795 square kilometres of rainforest with the highest primate density in East Africa, and the country's most reliable,…
Learn more →
Western Uganda, a 4 to 5 hour transfer from Murchison via Kibale
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Uganda's most popular and most biodiverse park - the Kazinga Channel boat cruise, the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha, crater lakes and nearly…
Learn more →
Far north-east Uganda, in Karamoja near the South Sudan border - best reached by air
Kidepo Valley National Park
Uganda's most remote and, for many, most beautiful park - semi-arid savanna ringed by mountains, with big lion prides and species found…
Learn more →
Far south-west Uganda on the DR Congo border - a long transfer or a scheduled flight from Murchison
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
An ancient montane rainforest holding roughly half the world's mountain gorillas - Uganda's flagship wildlife experience, and for most visitors the great…
Learn more →
Eastern Uganda on the foothills of Mount Elgon, about an hour from Mbale
Sipi Falls
Three linked waterfalls on the slopes of Mount Elgon, the most scenic stop in eastern Uganda - hiking, abseiling the 100-metre main…
Learn more →
Eastern Uganda, about two hours by road from Kampala
Jinja and the Source of the Nile
Where the Nile begins its 6,700-kilometre journey out of Lake Victoria - and Uganda's adventure-sports capital, with white-water rafting, kayaking and bungee…
Learn more →
South-western Uganda, about four hours from Kampala on the road to Bwindi
Lake Mburo National Park
Uganda's smallest savanna park - a compact mosaic of lakes, acacia woodland and open grassland that is the best place in the…
Learn more →
Western Rift Valley floor, beyond Fort Portal on the DR Congo border
Semuliki National Park
An eastern outlier of the great Congo-basin Ituri forest - the only true lowland tropical rainforest in East Africa, with the Sempaya…
Learn more →
South of the park on the Lake Albert road, in Uganda's oil region
Hoima and the Albertine Rift Towns
Hoima is the fast-growing hub of Uganda's oil region and the main town on the south-western (Bugungu Gate) approach to Murchison -…
Learn more →
South-western Uganda near Kasese, on the DR Congo border
Rwenzori Mountains Foothills
The 'Mountains of the Moon' - a glaciated range topping out at 5,109 metres, the third-highest in Africa - and its green,…
Learn more →
Eastern Uganda on the Kenya border, above Mbale
Mount Elgon National Park
An ancient extinct shield volcano straddling the Kenya border, with one of the world's largest calderas and a network of trails, caves…
Learn more →
Western Rift Valley floor between Fort Portal and Lake Albert
Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve
One of Uganda's oldest protected areas - a quiet savanna reserve on the rift floor, distinct from neighbouring Semuliki's forest, with game…
Learn more →
Far south-west corner of Uganda, on the Rwanda-DR Congo border near Kisoro
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Uganda's smallest national park - the country's share of the Virunga volcanoes, with one habituated mountain gorilla family, golden monkey tracking and…
Learn more →
Western Uganda below the Rwenzori, the gateway to Kibale
Fort Portal and the Crater Lakes
A cool, green hill town below the Rwenzori, ringed by dozens of volcanic crater lakes, tea estates and viewpoints - the natural…
Learn more →
North-western Lake Victoria, reached by ferry from Entebbe or Bukakata
Ssese Islands
An archipelago of 84 forested, beach-fringed islands in Lake Victoria - a place to slow down at the end of a safari,…
Learn more →
Central Uganda - the capital and the international gateway on Lake Victoria
Kampala and Entebbe
Uganda's capital and its airport town: the start and end point of almost every itinerary, with city tours, markets, the Uganda Museum,…
Learn more →
Lake Victoria, about 45 minutes by boat from Entebbe
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
A forested island sanctuary for orphaned and rescued chimpanzees a short boat ride from Entebbe - guaranteed close sightings without a forest…
Learn more →