Things to see and do Murchison Falls National Park

The safaris are mainly on the right bank of the Nile and more particularly on a fairly tight network of tracks between Paraa and the Lake Albert Delta, known as the Buligi Circuit. All hotels provide a snack (or breakfast pack) before you set off on your adventure. With its vast expanses of savannah dotted with rookeries (the Borassus track, a trail that runs through the northern part of the park, owes its name to the scientific name of these palm trees), Murchison Park probably offers the closest landscapes to our vision of the African bush. You can see elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hartebeests, cobes, harnessed guibs, lions and, hopefully, leopards. And of course, myriads of birds: eagles, kingfishers, bee-eaters, bustards, francolins, hornbills, barbicans, flycatchers... In the other areas of the park, you will certainly see monkeys and small antelopes, but the large mammals are less numerous or more difficult to observe. However, from about a chandelier, UWA has been trying to develop game drives on the left bank of the river. Thus, the Honeymoon track, near Murchison Falls, allows to observe giraffes, transferred from the right bank in 2016. If you travel independently, you can hire the services of a park ranger for US$20. This is not mandatory, but he will be of great help in finding the animals.

Like the outing on the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park, this Nile cruise, which has been undeniably popular for more than six decades, is a must not to be missed! In three hours round trip, the boat, whose roof offers a 360° view, peacefully winds its way up the current along the banks - lined with papyrus, palm trees, mahogany and acacia trees - where huge crocodiles can be seen lazing about, lazy hippos, buffaloes cooling off, antelopes (especially the crescent beak) lying in wait, elephants having fun and more rarely giraffes wading, a lichen lion or a leopard drinking... Birds are still very numerous, like the golden-breasted jacana, the African jabiru, the red-throated bee-eater, the heron goliath, the African piapiac, the kingfisher, the African scissor-bill and tutti quanti. The excursion on the wave of the mighty river culminates at the arrival in the Fajao Gorge from where the impressive Murchison Falls cataracting in a narrow gully are visible in the axis of the river. The 45-metre high falls will reveal itself even more if you disembark here and walk to the top of the falls. The cruises organized by the UWA (30 US$) leave from Paraa (left bank) at 9am and 2pm. Wild Frontiers (www.wildfrontiers.co.ug) organizes its own expeditions (US$32), also from Paraa, at 8:30am and 2pm. In case of heavy traffic, a third departure is scheduled at 11am.

Launched a decade ago, hot air ballooning offers spectacular views and plunging perspectives over the vast savannah expanses of the national park. From your basket you can watch animals frolic, run and drink in areas usually inaccessible to vehicles. The flights - organized early in the morning and at sunset - depart from Paraa (right bank), last 45 to 60 minutes, depend on wind direction and range from 50 to 1,000 feet in altitude.

The site of Kaniyo Pabidi is a parcel of the Budongo forest. It is known for the chimpanzee tracking organized by the Budongo Ecolodge: indeed, between 600 and 700 chimpanzees inhabit the Budongo forest, but only the community of Kaniyo Pabidi has been accustomed to the presence of humans. The duration of tracking depends on the location of the primates and is therefore highly variable. Come to the Budongo Lodge for this incredible encounter with our anthropoid cousins.

Bird-lovers will enjoy boat trips downstream to Lake Albert where the chances of being able to observe the famous shoebill (Nile shoebill) are perhaps the best on the continent, especially in the rainy season. Daily departures are at 7am from the Wild Frontiers landing stage in Paraa (left bank): count 55 US$ for a four to five hour cruise. Possibility to have breakfast in the boat.

To complete the vision of the falls observed from the boat, it is possible to go to the top of the gorge (left bank) where you can better measure their incredible power. Here, it is not the roar of the lion that makes you shudder, but the roar of the Nile waters rushing into a breach less than ten metres wide! Spray shower guaranteed, remember to take a plastic bag for your camera and be careful not to slip. From the main point of view, a small path that takes about twenty minutes to cover goes down to offer a more lateral view of the falls made up of two cataracts separated by a grove. Another path will allow you to descend practically to the base of the first fall. The interest of the hike lies in the panorama of the Uhuru Falls, invisible during the cruise. Allow 2 hours on site for the hike, preferably in the afternoon, when the sun has its back to the river, it's much better for photos and for the rainbow! If you feel like it, you can combine a cruise on the river with a walk to the top of the falls. In this case, your nautonier will drop you off at the beginning of the trail where a UWA guide will be waiting for you. It takes about 45 minutes to walk from the river bank. The top of the Murchison Falls is also accessible from the right bank, which is less busy and more difficult to access; the views of the parade are less spectacular.