Game drive in Murchison falls national park
Game drive in Murchison Falls National Park: “Game drives” refer to the activity carried out in national parks or reserves, which engages tourists in viewing the different wildlife species and other attractions in the national park.
Time for game drives
Game drives take place at different times of day and they include morning game drives, evening game drives, and full-day game drives.
During the morning game drives, a variety of wildlife species can be seen since the wildlife species are more active at this time of day.
Evening game drives provide a wonderful opportunity to explore the beauty of Murchison Falls National Park and see the wildlife species while enjoying the sunset in the wild. These game drives take up to 3 to 4 hours as tourists explore the savannah plains in Murchison Falls National Park.
Full-day game drives take the whole day and tourists are able to study the wildlife species while enjoying the game-viewing activity. This approach increases the chances of seeing the wildlife species since tourists get to explore different parts of Murchison Falls National Park in search of wildlife.
Wildlife species seen during game drives
A variety of wildlife species can be seen during game drives in Murchison falls national park and they include four of the big five that is the lions, leopards, elephants and buffalos. The rhinos can be seen on the way to the national park at Zziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
Other wildlife species in Murchison Falls National Park include hartebeest, jackals, hyenas, waterbucks, bushbucks, hippos, warthogs, and oribis. Chimpanzees can be seen in the Budongo Forest as well as other primate species such as black and white colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and many others.
Routes followed during game drives in Murchison falls national park
Game drives are best done on the northern banks, where a high concentration of wildlife species can be seen. The different routes followed during game drives in Murchison Falls National Park include the Buligi track, albert track and the Victoria track.
The Buligi track is the commonly used track during game drives and it is found in the northern direction from Paraa. Different bird species can also be seen along this trail and they include bee eaters, weavers, gonoleks, seed eaters, warblers, fish eagles, African skimmers, grey crowned cranes, herons, kingfishers and many others.
The Victoria track is located near the Victoria Nile, which is the location where the boat rides in Murchison Falls National Park take place. A variety of wildlife species can be seen as they drink and graze along the shores of the Nile.
Another wildlife viewing track is the Albert track, which is found near the Albertine delta.
About Murchison falls national park
Murchison Falls National Park is located in the northwestern region of Uganda and is Uganda’s oldest national park. This national park is famous for its thunderous falls, which the national park is named after.
Other activities in Murchison Falls National Park, which can be done alongside game drives, include a boat cruise on the Victoria Nile, spot fishing, top of the falls, hiking, bird watching, chimpanzee tracking in Budongo Forest, and a delta boat cruise.
Murchison Falls National Park is characterized by woodland, wetland, tropical forest and savannah, where the wildlife species can be seen during game drives.
Fees paid at the Murchison falls national park
There are fees paid at this national park for the different activities within the park as well as entrance fees. These payments vary depending on the nationality of the visitors, age of the visitors (that is, children are charged differently from adults), and number of visitors.
Best time for game drives
Game drives in Murchison Falls National Park are best done in the dry season during the months of June to September and December to February. During these months, the grass is shorter, making it easier to spot the wildlife and bird species.
How to get to Murchison falls national park and entrance gates
Murchison Falls National Park can be accessed by tourists using both air and road transport means.
By road: Murchison Falls National Park can be accessed from Kampala via Masindi and alternatively from the Kampala-Karuma-Pakwach route.
By air: This national park can be accessed by flights to the airstrips in Murchison National Park such as Pakuba Airfield and Bugungu airstrip where domestic and chartered flights are available from different flight operators such as Aerolink Uganda and Fly Uganda.
Entry gates into Murchison Falls National Park include Chobe Gate, Wankar Gate, Tangi Gate, Mubako Gate, kichumbanyobo gate and Bugungu Gate.
Visit Murchison Falls National Park and get the best wildlife viewing experience in Uganda’s oldest national park.