Murchison Falls National Park is perhaps the most favorite savannah park for most Uganda visitors. Whether you planning a gorilla safari or looking for a chance to see the Big Five, Murchison will be a great add on. To make the most of your time in Murchison Falls, you need to have information about where action takes place. Action revolves around game drives and this is to introduce you to how to explore Murchison Falls National park in Uganda.
Game Drive Tracks In Murchison Falls National Park
Game drives are mainly done in the Buligi Penisula along the Albert shores with a number of different track heads. The game drive tracks are; Victoria track, Pakuba track, Chobe track, Tebito track, Honeymoon track and the buligi track and Delta game viewing circuit.
- The Buligi track is the most commonly used track for game viewing. The track is 7kms from the Paraa area and stretches though dense thickets, acacia forest patches borassus palms and savannah grasslands. This area is perfect for viewing game like elephants, buffalos, lions, giraffes, elands, Uganda kobs, bushbucks and warthogs. You can also spot numerous birds like the martial eagle, abyssinian ground hornbill, palm nut vulture, secretary bird and long crested eagle along this track on tree tops and figs. Many tracks connect to Buligi and it leads to the Delta game viewing circuit. This place has many antelope breeding grounds which attract several lion prides and other predators. While at the delta, you can see waterbucks, hartebeests, oribis, at least one lion pride, herds of elephants and buffalos, and hippos grazing by the lake shores.
- The Victoria Nile track is a 17km stretch from between Buligi and Queens Track connecting to the Delta area. This track offers the best opportunity for sighting lionesses and their cubs. Expecting lions come around this area to hide in the thick bushes while they give birth and to hide their cubs from enemies. Other wildlife like elephants, hartebeests, waterbucks, buffalos and birds can be sighted.
- The Queens Track is the shortest yet most rewarding for game viewing. The 10km stretch connecting with the Victoria Nile and Albert tracks offers amazing views of lions, buffalos, giraffes and Jackson’s hartebeests along with numerous woodland birds like black-billed barbets, colorful bee-eaters, cattle egrets and ox-peckers.
- The Pakuba track is a17km stretch connecting Albert delta and the Buligi game tracks. The track also connects to the Tangi gate which makes it very accessible for visitors sleeping outside the park.it links the Pakuba airstrip making it easy for dropping off and picking up of visitors. Along the track, you can sight lions or an occasional leopard around the Pakuba Safari Lodge or along the road that joins to the Albert delta track.
- The Tebito track is located near the top of the falls and is mainly used to drop off or pick up visitors at the top of the falls. The Chobe track is the longest connecting Tebito track and Chobe Safari Lodge to Karuma falls. The chobe track is also used to connect the southern sector to the northern sector and olive baboons, elephants and buffalos can be spotted. Both Tebito and Chobe tracks are good for bird watching.
The southern sector also known as the Heart of Murchison does not offer prolific game viewing and for one to tick off sighting four of the the big 5, they have to do the game drive in the northern sector. This sector is mainly connected by the honeymoon track along which giraffes, elephants and buffalos can be spotted. The hartebeests, Uganda kobs, waterbucks and oribis are sighted in this area together with some lions and anibus baboons.
Best Time For Game Drives In Murchison Falls
There are three scheduled game drives in Murchison falls National Park. The morning game drive, the afternoon game drive and the night game drive. All these schedules offer great game viewing opportunities.
- The Morning game drive usually starts at 6:30am when the park gates are opened and you are advised to wake up early and be there on time especially if you stayed in a lodge outside the park. You are usually assigned a game ranger for safety purposes. The morning game drive is the best for spotting wildlife as the lions and leopards are getting out of their hiding places to go and hunt while the grazers are trying to maximize the morning before the scorching sun comes up. Birds are also abundant in the morning hours as they leave their nests. Some of the animals to expect are elephants, buffalos, hartebeests, waterbucks, bushbucks, oribis, Uganda kobs, lions, warthogs among others and the birds include; grey crowned crested cranes, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Cattle egrets, ox- peckers and secretary birds. The sunrise usually comes out around this time and offers perfect opportunities for photography and the morning game drive can go up to 10 am. After the game drive, you can choose to go back to the lodge for breakfast or enjoy a bush breakfast at the top of the falls.
- The afternoon game drive starts in the heat of the day at 2 or 3pm when the heat of the sun is at its peak. This game drive can go up to 6pm. This game drive offers best game viewing opportunities as many animals gather around the shores of River Nile and Lake Albert to quench their thirst while lions can be spotted lying under big tree shades or prying around their prey. This game drive can last until the sunset with beautiful scenic and photographic views as the sun gets lost behind the hills.
- The night game drive starts at 7pm and can on for about two hours. This game drive offers opportunity for spotting nocturnal animals like Aardvarks, Genets, civet cats and bush babies. Leopards are less shy and can easily be spotted, hippos move out of the water to graze along the shores and even lions can be spotted on a night game drive.
What To Wear On a game drive in Murchison Falls National Park
While on a game drive, you are advised to wear long sleeved trousers and trousers with neutral blending colors like khaki and comfortable shoes for hiking like boots or snickers. Carry a sweater or scarf as the weather can change and an insect repellant. Sunscreen, a hat and sun glasses are recommended for the sunny weather.
Best Time To Visit Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park can be visited all year round and game drives can be done all year round. The preference is for dry seasons of June to September and December to February because the tracks are dry and easily accessible. Also during this time, game viewing is at its peak with most of the animals gathering near watering holes to quench their thirst in the heat of the day. Although some track can get inaccessible in the rainy seasons and the grass is tall, scenic views are best at the beginning of the rainy seasons as the fresh grass springs up and birds are everywhere.