The 3 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife Safari is a private tour offering an immersive African Big 5 wildlife experience along with an epic boat cruise safari on the mighty River Nile. Top of highlights include a guided nature walk along the White Rhinos in their natural habitat at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Onwards into the expansive Murchison Falls NP, embark on interpretive game drives up close other mega game and a boat cruise safari along the River Nile to behold the mighty Murchison Falls, to which the park is named. You will visit the top of the falls, where you will witness the roaring Victoria Nile squeezing through the rift valley rock crack to create the world’s most powerful waterfalls. On return to Kampala, take an optional chimpanzee tracking experience at the nearby Kaniyo Pabidi Forest near the southern park gate on your exit day.
Tour Highlights
- Guided nature walk along the White Rhinos at Ziwa
- Visit the Top of the Murchison Falls
- Take a Boat Cruise on River Nile
- Wildlife Game Drives
- Optional Activities: Chimpanzee tracking at Kaniyo Pabidi and Private Boat Safari
3 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife Safari Includes
- 4WD tourist car with a guide/driver
- Park fees, local taxes and mentioned activity fees
- Accommodation and meal plan mentioned
- Boat cruise fees
- Drinking water in the car
3 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife Safari Excludes
- Activities mentioned as “Optional”
- Tips and gratuities
- Accommodation plan on Arrival and last Day
- Other drinks and meals other than mentioned
Detailed Itinerary: 3 Days Murchison Falls Wildlife Safari
Safari Day 1: Rhino Tracking on transfer to Murchison Falls NP
This morning our driver guide will pick you up from your residence/hotel for Murchison Falls NP. En route you will pass by Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary for a guided nature walk along the rhinos in their natural wilderness habitat. At this high-security complex, a breeding program is on-going with a target to re-introduce this Big 5 species in the wild after going extinct in early 1980’s following years of poaching. On arrival at the sanctuary, ranger guides will take you through a short briefing about the ongoing breeding program, the nature walk experience, and safety. The guided walk will lead you up close to the resident rhinos as they feed, with guides sharing insights on social behavior, interpreting tracks, and pointing out various birds and vegetation.
From the walk, you will have a hot lunch break before driving onto Murchison Falls NP. On your way to the lodge, you pass by the top of the falls, where the magnificent Nile roars through the escarpment rock, creating the magnificent Murchison Falls. Your lodge sits on the banks of the White Nile in the heart of the game-stocked golden savannas of Murchison Falls NP and offers chances of starting drives early and staying till late. Accommodation: Pakuba Lodge, FB
Day 2: Game drives in Murchison Falls NP, Afternoon Boat Cruise
After an early breakfast, your guide will lead you out for a game drive across the savanna woodlands, targeting local carnivores, including lions, leopards, and hyenas, as they return from night activities. The cool morning provides a short window of opportunity to watch these nocturnal specialists before they retire to thickets and secluded areas to escape the hot sun on the savannas. Murchison Falls NP is a stronghold of Uganda Kob and Nubian Giraffe, but African Elephant, Waterbuck, Cape Buffalo, Oribi, Bushbuck, and Common Warthog occur. The savannas are also patrolled by the terrestrial Patas monkey and baboon troops, along with the gigantic Abyssinian ground hornbill. Driving along the delta area, you have views of schools of hippos resting in the shallows of the Nile.
The savannas and woodlands teem with a diversity of birdlife, including up to 4 species of vultures, tawny eagles, martial eagles, and a wide range of seasonal migrants. After a hot lunch, you will head out for a 3-hr scheduled boat cruise safari upstream the River Nile along the quiet riverbanks teeming with the thousands of semi-aquatic hippo schools, Nile crocodiles, and a variety of waders. The boat cruise safari draws near to the bottom of the falls, offering you stunning views from below. The mighty Murchison Falls, to which the park is named, are formed as the Victoria Nile squeezes through a 6m-wide, then tumbling over 40m canyon to create the world’s most powerful waterfalls. Accommodation Plan: Pakuba Lodge, FB
Day 3: Morning game drive and exit the park
This morning you will have an option to start early to catch the golden sunrise over the plains and wildlife experience on a morning game drive on your way to exit the park or have a late breakfast and leave at your pleasure in mid-morning. Here you can opt to have lifetime trek expereince along the chimpanzee at Kaniyo Pabidi of Budongo Forest. This activity sets off at 8am in the morning lasting about 5-6 hrs. Note that trek permits for this expereince ought to be purchased in full in advance before the trip.
Drop off will be at your convenience in Kampala or Entebbe.