Murchison falls national park is Uganda’s best birders' spot with more than 451 bird species, which include water birds, savannah birds, migratory birds, and the Albertine Rift's endemic birds. Murchison Falls National Park: Bird viewing at Murchison Falls is one of the most interesting experiences on your Uganda safari. Click here to see mountain gorilla trekking safaris 

 

 Murchison Falls National Park bird species include rare, common, and occasional birds such as the Gray-crowned Crane, Giant Kingfisher, Amazing Shoebill, Giant Heron, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, Back-bellied Bustard, Nightjars, Marabou Stork, and Black-headed Lapwing, among others. Click here to see our recommended mountain gorilla trekking tour

 

Murchison falls national park birds can be best viewed on a traveler’s game drive, on nature walks, hiking to the top of the falls through the savannah grasslands, or on a boat cruise to the River Nile and Lake Albert Delta. Bird species like the blue-naped mouse birds, weaver birds, and silver birds can be spotted within the Paraa and Red Chili areas through the dry shrubs of this national park. 

 

Murchison falls national park bird watching can be done throughout the year, but it's best done during the dry season in the months of December, January, February, and March. Another great session starts in the peak seasons of June, July, August, September, and October each year.

Murchison Falls National Park protects over 600 chimpanzees surviving in the mahogany tree-lined forests. Murchison Falls National Park is the second-best hub for chimpanzee trekking experiences in Uganda after Kibale Forest National Park.

 

For any standard chimpanzee trekking encounter in Uganda, you will meet your guide at 7 a.m. for a morning briefing and safety talk in the forest. Your guide will then lead you into the forest as you search for the habituated chimpanzees. Most chimpanzee treks take around 3 hours, but they can be longer depending on the location of the chimpanzees. Once contact is made with the chimpanzees, you are allowed to spend an hour observing the chimpanzees and watching how they behave in their natural environment.

 

For the chimpanzee habituation experience, travelers will meet the guide at 6 a.m. to set off so that they can still find the chimpanzees still sleeping in their nests before they get up at around 6.30 a.m. You're spending your time throughout the day in order to discover the chimpanzee’s daily habits, from eating to playing to male patrolling. Your tour guide will give you all the detailed information about these chimpanzees before they set up their new nests for the next day, which is done before you set off.

 

Hiking and Trekking

Tourists can hike to the top of Murchison Falls or participate in a nature walk through Kaniyo Pabidi or Rabongo Forest. Travelers are only allowed to walk through the designated trails.

 

The top of the falls hike begins with a boat ride to ‘The Baker Point’, which was named after the British explorer Sir Samuel Baker. The top of the Falls guided hike takes about 45 minutes. You will be amazed by the rolling hills as you hike to the top of the falls.

 

After witnessing the dramatic Murchison Falls, explore the diversity of African wildlife species found in Murchison Falls National Park as you hike through Kaniyo Pabidi and Rabongo Forest. Besides chimpanzees, you are likely to spot olive baboons, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, and white and black colobus monkeys.

 

Game drives

Murchison Falls National Park protects over 76 species of mammals and 451 bird species, which can be explored in a 3- to 4-hour game drive. Your drive will mainly take place on the northern banks of the park, which are mainly occupied by open savannah grassland. To begin with, the game drive will take you to the Albert Delta Track, which offers many water birds, crocodiles, buffaloes, lions, and giraffes.

 

The famous Buligi Peninsula track is also rich for game viewing, as it has open grassland that is hugged by the Nile. Here you will see elephants, leopards, buffalos, hippos, and giraffes by the water shores.

 

Boat Cruise

Murchison Falls offers two boat cruises to choose from at Murchison Falls National Park, each heading in different directions along the Nile that cuts through the park.

 

The Albert delta starts off from Paraa and takes travelers down the Nile towards the shores of Lake Albert. It travels between 28km, taking approximately 4-5 hours. The morning session is best for bird watching with rare birds like shoebill storks. Travelers can also take part in an afternoon cruise to watch the sun slowly set over boundless grasslands.

The second boat cruise leaves Paraa, heading upstream towards the mighty Murchison Falls. Once you reach the falls, you will watch water cascading through the narrow 7-meter gorge, creating an almighty, endless splash and carrying mist.

 

Bird watching can be done throughout the year, although the best time to do it is in the dry months of June–September. This is regarded as the high season in Uganda, but birding is so rewarding. From March to May, the rains begin, and bird watching can still be done.

 

The rare shoebill is Murchison Falls National Park’s most outstanding key attraction, although it is so rare that it can be spotted between December and February during the dry season. Murchison Falls National Park migratory birds can be spotted from November to April.