Murchison falls National park wildlife

Murchison falls National park wildlife

Murchison falls National park wildlife  : Wildlife is the main attraction in Murchison Falls National park and a reason to why the park is popular and visited by millions of travelers from all over the world.

Murchison Falls National park is a home to more than 73 animals species among which are four of the Big Five including buffaloes, leopards, lions and elephants. The park also hosts three – quarters of the world’s population of Rothschild giraffes plus a health population of herbivores including the Uganda, there also primates living in the verdant forests of Budongo including over 610 chimpanzees and over 451 bird species including 23 Albertine rift species.

About Murchison Falls National Park

Also known as Kabalenga national park, Murchison Falls National Park is a popular safari destination in Uganda famous for having the most powerful waterfall in the world that is the Murchison Falls National Park which emits large volumes of water about 300 cubic meters per second at a very powerful pressure which causes the surrounding to tremble.

Murchison Falls National park was the first national park to be gazetted in Uganda in 1927 and it is the largest park with an area coverage of 3840 square kilometers.

Murchison Falls national park is located in North western Uganda in Masindi, the park extends its boundaries to a number of districts within and beyond the Bunyoro escarpment including Kiryandongo and Buyisa. Murchison Falls national park is found on the northernmost reaches of the Albertine Rift Valley and it’s terrain is bisected by the Victoria Nile.

BIG GAME ANIMALS

Murchison Falls National Park is a home to about 76 species of animals with 4 of the big Five (only rhinos are missing), however for visitors who wish to see the full members of the Big Five, you can have a stopover at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary which is situated along the way to Murchison Falls national park.

The Big Five members found in Murchison Falls National Park include lions, leopards, cape buffaloes and elephants.

Other animals found in Murchison Falls national park include Rothschild giraffes, warthogs, bushbucks, Jackson’s hartebeests, waterbucks, hippos, oribis among others.

Murchison Falls national park’s big game animals can be viewed during the game drives which are best done in the northern sector of the park which hosts the large concentrations of animals. Game drives are done following several trails. Tracks like Buligi, Victoria, Albert tracks among others. Game drives in Murchison Falls National Park are offered as morning game drives, afternoon game drives and night game drives and from open windows and rooftop of your vehicle, you will be able to view as many animals as possible as they graze in the savannah grasslands.

Also, these animals can be seen during the boat cruise done up stream to the bottom of the falls and downstream to the Victoria Nile Delta. The boat cruise is done in morning and afternoon sessions and each lasts about 2- 4 hours, on the boat cruise you will view hippos and crocodiles in the waters and large herds of elephants along the banks of the river, waterbucks, buffaloes among others drinking water.

On the night/ nocturnal game drive in Murchison Falls national park you will see predators such as lions, leopards as they hunt, hippos grazing and other nocturnal animals like genets, hyenas, civets, porcupines, bush babies, night jars among others .

PRIMATES

Murchison Falls National park is another great primate destination in Uganda hosts a number of primates including over 600 chimpanzees, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, red – tailed monkeys among others. Primates in Murchison Falls national park can be tracked in Kaniyo Pabidi – Budongo Forest which is found in the Southern sector of the park.

Chimpanzees are the trademark attraction in the Southern sector of the park and visitors can go chimpanzee treeking either in the morning or afternoon.

Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National park is the second popular safari activity starting with briefing at the park’s headquarters and last about 2 to 4 hours depending on where the chimpanzees spent their previous night and their movement, chimpanzees tend to move deeper into the forest in search for food most especially during the dry season.

Other primates you will see in Murchison Falls national park include olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys and Patas monkeys which are endemic to Murchison Falls National Park.

Primates in Murchison Falls national park are found in Kaniyo – Pabidi  Budongo Forest and Rabongo Forest.

 Water animals

Murchison Falls national park is a home to largest population of crocodiles in Uganda, other water animals found in the park include hippos.

Birdlife

Murchison Falls National park is a great birding destination with over 450 bird species including migratory and endemic species, the park hosts water birds, forest birds, savannah birds and Albertine birds.

Birds found in Murchison Falls National Park include Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, African Darter, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, African Quail-Finch, African Skimmer, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Beautiful Sunbird, Black Crake, Black Scimitarbill, Black-billed Barbet, Black-billed Wood-Dove, Black-faced Waxbill, Black-headed Batis, Black-headed Gondola, Black-headed Gonolek, Black-headed Plover, Black-lored Babbler, Blue-headed Coucal, Blue-naped Moosebird, Bluff-bellied Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Denham’s Bustard, Double-toothed Barbet, Eastern Grey Plantain-Eater, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Giant Kingfisher, Goliath Heron, Gray Crowned crane, Green-winged Ptyilia, Grey Crowned Cranes, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Hugli’s Francolin, Long Tailed Nightjar, Long-toed Plover, Malachite Kingfisher, Martial Eagle, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Nothern Crombec, Osprey, Pel’s Fishing Owl among others.

Birds in Murchison Falls National park can be seen during a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls and downstream to the Nile Delta, also during game drives using several trails.

The best time to visit

  Murchison Falls National Park is equatorial thus having a tropical climate and it is hot throughout the year, this makes it to be an all year round destination. However the best time to visit the park is from December to February which is a dry season, the best time to spot wildlife is from June to Septembers and from January to March. In these months, animals tend to congregate around the Nile and other water sources.