Murchison Falls National Park is dominated by the River Nile running roughly east to west, dividing the park in two. Sometimes called the Victoria Nile, the river empties from Lake Victoria in the east, runs through Lake Kyonga and a series of rapids through the eastern section of the park, and culminates in the impressive Murchison Falls. From there the river has a gentler journey westwards before emptying into Lake Albert where it forms a rich papyrus delta with many waterbirds and important nesting sites for shoebill storks. On leaving the park, the river continues its long journey to the Mediterranean, changing its name to the White Nile before joining the Blue Nile at Khartoum in Sudan.
Chimpanzees can be tracked at Budongo in the heavily forested southern sections of the park. The forest cover diminishes as you head into the northern sector where savannah is mostly found. There you can enjoy excellent game drives to see large numbers of Rothschild’s giraffe, elephant and buffalo. Specialities include Jackson’s hartebeest, the tiny oribi antelope and large herds of Uganda kob. Lions are regularly seen while leopard and spotted hyena less so.
