Detailed Tour Itinerary for the 3 Days Murchison Falls National Park Safari

Day 1: Start your Murchison Falls Safari from home or hotel in Entebbe or Kampala, driving to Murchison Falls National Park (with optional rhino tracking at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for $50)

On this day, we have it programmed that your designated Murchison Falls safari guide/ driver should be meeting you at the home or hotel you are staying to start off the tour at 8 am. Or, if you are planning to arrive in Uganda today (at Entebbe Airport), we shall be meeting you at the airport, but your flight needs to arrive not later than 11 am.

The tour guide shall then give a brief about the tour to Murchison Falls NP before you embark on your panoramic drive of about 5 hours. Murchison is about 380 kms from Kampala, mostly on surfaced roads traversing traditional Ugandan farmlands, and expansive savannah ranges.

Along the way, you might want to choose the option to track the white rhinos at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. Please let your tour guide know if you would like this, so that bookings can be made. The extra cost is USD50 per person. On arrival at Ziwa Rhino sanctuary, you will be given a briefing from your ranger guide on how to behave while on this Rhino trek. It is very critical that you heed to the ranger’s instructions while on the trek because Rhinos can be aggressive if they sense a need to defend themselves. Depending on the location of the Rhinos, you may need to drive closer to their location before you start the trek to reduce the distance. Your ranger guide will share different information on the behavior of Rhinos and how you ought to behave while as you trek.

Once you locate the Rhinos, you can stay a maximum of one hour in their presence. Sometimes different families are within a distance of each other, in which case you will get an opportunity to visit more than one group. You also have a chance of other animal sightings on this nature walk, they include Waterbucks, Bushbucks, Kobs, Leopard (rarely), duikers etc.

As we enter Murchison Falls, we first drive through Budongo Forest, sighting monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees along the way. We traverse the park's savannah rangelands and then visit the top of the falls (a point from where we can best view the Murchison Falls from its top).  From this point, the entire River Nile, the longest river in the world, squeezes itself through a very narrow gap (which is only about 7 meters wide!) and then furiously immediately after, furiously plunges 43 meters downwards over rock. This is a scene to die for indeed! We shall have as much time here as possible as you have to take lots of photos at all the angles before driving to your camp/ lodge.  

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Up-market: Baker's Lodge |  Paraa Safari Lodge (or upgrade to Nile Safari Lodge)

Moderate:  Pakuba Lodge

Budget: Fort Murchison Lodge (tents) | Murchison River Lodge (tents) | Red Chilli Rest Camp

Day 2: Safari in Murchison Falls National Park - Game Drives and Boat Trip

Today, you should be ready for memorable African wilderness experiences in Murchison Falls National Park. The first of these shall as always be the songs of hundreds of birds that wake you up in the morning. And then the amazingly beautiful sunrises.

For an enriched game drive experience, we recommend setting off from the lodge/ camp as early as 6:30 AM or before. Our target is to be in present in the wild at the time when the leopards, lions and hyenas are still in hunting action. Leopards are especially rare to see in Murchison Falls but with a bit of luck, early risers often locate them. We shall ensure you have the best knowledgeable tour guide for your safari, one who knows how to locate the wildlife in Murchison. We also provide a well-facilitated safari vehicle, so that the windows open really wide, and the roofs can pop-up for you to see so much of the park.

A wildlife game drive in Murchison Falls National Park could even go on for as long as 7 hours if you like. There is just so much to cover in the expansive park.

The park has a variety of vegetation ranging from riparian forests and swamplands to broad savannah and provides visitors the opportunity of seeing large concentrations of wildlife including lion, leopard, civet, hyena, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, a host of smaller game, small primates and many bird species, including the rare shoebill stork.

After our extensive and eventful game drive, we shall be having a 2-3 hours' boat trip to the bottom of Murchison Falls. Expect to see lots of the Nile Crocodiles Baskin in the sun over rocks, hundreds of hippopotami basking on the riverbanks as well as a variety of birds. There are at least 6000 hippos in this section alone. Along the banks of the river, visitors can also spot Rothschild giraffe, herds of African elephants, Cape buffaloes, and many other wildlife grazing or watering.

The boat trip to the base of the falls is by all means the highlight of the safari to Murchison Falls. You will be taken to the closest point to view the falls at the best angle. At this point, you will see how the entire River Nile waters squeeze through a narrow passage of fewer than 7 meters radius while plunging over a 40-meter depth. This one rare creation wonders, so amazing and so wonderful to behold. You will be blown away by the awesome scenery as you appreciate the natural wonder only in Uganda (and this is partly the reason why Uganda is referred to as the Pearl of Africa. When Sir Winston Churchill visited the falls in 1907, he advised that "Ten pounds would throw an iron bridge across the river at this point." Needless to say, a footbridge was built in 1960 (we can't really ascertain how much it cost though). The bridge provided superb views into the chasm for close to two years before being washed off during the famous 1962 floods. A single concrete pillar still remains to show for this ten pound bridge.

While there, you could actually choose to hike to the top of the falls (costs USD20 extra) but you need to arrange with your tour guide to meet you on the other side of the river. Otherwise, you can just remain on the boat for the splendid return cruise back. Hiking to the Baker's point takes about 15 minutes to the top and rewards you with marvelous views of the Murchison gorge and a secondary waterfall, Uhuru Falls.

After our hectic day out, relax in the evening and have overnight at the lodge as we prepare for the next day's drive.

Accommodation Options (Full Board)

Up-market: Baker's Lodge| Paraa Safari Lodge (or upgrade to Nile Safari Lodge)

Moderate: Pakuba Lodge

Budget: Fort Murchison Lodge (tents) | Murchison River Lodge (tents) | Red Chilli Rest Camp

Day 3: Optional chimpanzee Tracking in Budongo (for $80) and End of Murchison Falls Safari, return drive to Kampala or Entebbe 

We shall be ending our Murchison Falls National Park tour today by driving back home. You can choose to spend the morning at the lodge/ camp ensuring that you can depart at 10 am.

You might also be interested in tracking the chimpanzees in Budongo forests, still within the park but on your drive out. Budongo Forest is an undisturbed jungle and has hundreds of wild and habituated chimpanzees that are not so hard to find. But there are also other 9 primates' species you could come along when walking to the chimps in Budongo. You will certainly see many forest birds, including the white-thigh hornbill, chocolates-backed kingfisher and Puvel's illadopsis found nowhere else in East Africa. Either way, it is a great option to add on to your tour to Murchison Falls National Park.

Afterwards, you will be transferred back to Kampala.