Wildlife Animals Found in Murchison Falls National Park: The primary tourist attraction of Murchison Falls National Park is the wildlife. Murchison Falls National Park is home to a variety of wildlife species, including the Big Four, which include lions, leopards, African elephants, and Cape Buffalo. If you want to see rhinos, you may stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary near Masindi.
Murchison Falls National Park is located towards the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment meets wide, palm-dotted grassland. It is Uganda’s largest and oldest conservation area, having been designated as a wildlife reserve in 1926.
The park is divided in half by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45 meters over the rift valley wall to form the magnificent Murchison Falls, the park’s highlight and the culminating event in an 80-kilometer length of rapids. The massive cascade drains the river’s final force, changing it into a wide, tranquil stream that glides peacefully across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert.
This section of river is home to one of Uganda’s most spectacular wildlife displays. Elephants, giraffes, and buffaloes are frequent visitors to the riverbanks, while hippos, Nile crocodiles, and aquatic birds are permanent inhabitants.
Wildlife Animals Found in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.
Big Game
The national park is home to 76 creatures, including the big four mammals: lions, leopards, buffaloes, and elephants. Visitors who wish to see the big five mammals can also stop at the Ziwa rhino sanctuary, which is on the way to the park.
There are also Rothschild giraffes, warthogs, bushbucks, Jackson’s hartebeest, waterbucks, hippos, and oribis in the park. Big game animals can be spotted during a game drive, which is best done in the northern sector due to the high concentration of animals. During the game drive, you will travel paths such as Buligi, Victoria, and Albert, among others, and you will see various animals feeding in the savannah.
The park’s big game species may also be seen on the boat ride, which goes upstream to the foot of the falls and downstream to the Victoria Nile Delta. Boat cruises are scheduled and last between 2 and 4 hours. On the boat excursion, you will see hippos and crocodiles in the water, as well as a big concentration of elephants, waterbucks, and buffaloes, among others, sipping water along the water banks.
You may also go on a nocturnal wildlife drive in the park, which involves exploring the area at night with a park guide and spotlight lamps for clear viewing. During the night game drive, you will see predators like as lions and leopards hunting, hippos grazing, and other nocturnal species such as genets, hyenas, civets, porcupines, bush babies, and night jars.
Primates
Murchison Falls National Park is home to around 600 chimps, olive baboons, blue tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and red tailed monkeys, among other primate species. Primates may be monitored in the park’s Kaniyo Pabidi Budongo forest, which is located in the park’s southern part. The chimps are the main attraction of the park’s southern section, thus guests on a wildlife safari can go chimp trekking in the morning or afternoon within the forest.
Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National Park begins with a briefing at the headquarters and lasts between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the position of the chimps, who tend to go deep into the forest in search of food, especially during the dry season.
During chimp trekking, you will be able to see other primates such as baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, and others. Once the chimps are located, you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat learning about their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors, as well as taking photos and recording the moments. Chimpanzee trekking provides exciting activities that will make your Uganda safari unforgettable.
The national park also has nocturnal monkeys like as the Bush baby and Potto, which sleep during the day and become active at night. These nocturnal primates may be seen during a night nature walk with an armed park guide.
After mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga gorilla national parks, chimps are Uganda’s second most popular attraction. At addition to Kaniyo Pabidi Budongo woodland, chimps may be monitored in Kibale forest national park, Kyambura Gorge in Queen Elizabeth national park, and Kalinzu forest, which is next to the park.
Wide variety of Bird Species
Birds are among the many species of animals seen at Murchison Falls National Park. The national park is home to approximately 450 bird species, including migratory and indigenous species, making it a birder’s dream for bird enthusiasts. The park’s bird species are classified according to their environment, such as water birds, woodland inhabitants, savannah birds, and Albertine birds.
Bird watching in the park can be done while on the boat ride upstream to the bottom of the falls and downstream to the Nile Delta. Look out for the prehistoric shoebill stork and water birds such as goliath heron, black headed lapwing, blue headed coucal, fish eagle, saddle billed stork, dwarf kingfisher, blue spotted dove, malachite kingfisher, African black crake, African jacana, great blue Turaco among others.
Birds such as the olive breasted greenbul, guinea Congo, pygmy crake, African pied wagtail, Cassin hawk eagle, yellow crested wood pecker, African shrike flycatcher, swamp flycatcher, blue napped mouse bird, African pied wagtail, Abyssinian ground hornbill, secretary bird, open billed stork, marabou stork, black bellied bustard, and others can be seen.
Visitors who want to see a variety of wildlife animals in Murchison Falls National Park may do so by booking a game drive, boat cruise, nature walk, or birding safari. Wildlife viewing is possible throughout the year, although savannah wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park is best seen during the dry season, which runs from June to September and December to February.
