The Murchison Falls National Park
The Uganda Wildlife Authority
oversees Murchison Falls National Park, which is located in the country’s northwest. The park’s territory stretches from the Karuma Falls to the Victoria Nile and Lake Albert shorelines. The 740 square kilometer Bugungu Wildlife Reserve is connected to Murchison Falls National Park.
Nwoya, Bulisa, Kiryandongo, and Masindi are the four districts that surround Murchison Fall National Park. The national park is located 80 kilometers from Masindi district, which is the closest significant town to Kibanda area.
The distance from Kampala, the capital of Uganda, to the northwest is 300 kilometers via road.
Sir Samuel Baker, the discoverer, gave the park the name “Murchison” in honor of the geologist Roderick Murchison. There were people living on more than 13,000 square kilometers of land between 1907 and 1914, but they had to be evacuated owing to sleeping sickness, which was carried by tsetse flies in the park.
In the districts of Masindi, Bulida, and Kiryandongo, the land that matched to the portion of Murchison Falls National Park was designated as Bunyoro Game Reserve, south of the River Nile. The limits reached the present-day Nwoya district, which is located north of the river.
Murchison Falls National Park sits on the shore of Lake Albert, in northwest Uganda. It’s known for Murchison Falls, where the Victoria Nile River surges through a narrow gap over a massive drop. Park wildlife includes elephants and hippos, and there are chimpanzees in the Kaniyo Pabidi mahogany forest. The Lake Albert Delta is home to rare shoebill storks. There are game fish in the cascades of Karuma Falls.
WHAT TO DO IN THE MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK
Game drives
This can be done either in the morning or evening around the Buligi game tracks on the Northern bank with a ranger guide. Explore the length of around 120-170km driving through the savannah grasslands, woodland, acacia and riverine vegetation viewing different animals for example: the elephant, lion, herds of buffaloes, jackals, Uganda kob and so many others as well as different bird species. The evening game drives will help you spot leopards at dusk. The idea of moving with a game ranger is that they know different hideouts for different animals.
Cultural Encounters
Discover the luos people’s culture and way of life. As you unwind in the evening, enjoy the dynamic Mubako dancers’ performance. The Boomu Women’s Group provides lodging, a craft store, and village tours where visitors can observe the Luo people’s way of life and regular daily activities in rural areas.
A huge tree provides shade for the town, which is made up of a collection of traditional thatched cottages where locals congregate to avoid the midday sun. With the lovely sound of the “adungu,” an instrument made of cowhide and string, and harmonies of all sizes, the local cultural groups play at dusk by the campfire of the local lodge.
Although farming is difficult due to the environment and the lack of economic prospects in the area, the community can buy products at local markets and pay for other expenses with the money made from tourism.
