Murchison Falls is Uganda’s oldest and largest national park, covering about 3,840 km². It was first protected as a game reserve in 1926 and became a national park in 1952. The Victoria Nile cuts straight across the middle, and that one fact shapes everything about a visit: which bank you sleep on, when you cross, and what you can fit into a day. Here’s how we think about the park’s different areas.
The northern bank: Buligi and the game-drive country
North of the river is where most of the big game lives. The Buligi peninsula, a wedge of rolling grassland between the Victoria Nile and the Albert Nile, is the park’s main game-drive area. A network of tracks leads out to Delta Point, where the Nile flows into Lake Albert. Expect elephants, buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribi and big herds of Uganda kob, with a real chance of lion and, with luck, leopard.
Further east, the savanna around the Pakuba area and the Wankwar and Chobe gates is quieter. Chobe, near the Karuma end of the park, is handy if you’re arriving from the Kampala–Gulu highway or continuing north.
Paraa: the crossing point
Paraa, whose name is often translated as “home of the hippo”, is the park’s hub. It sits on both banks of the Nile, linked by a vehicle ferry that runs to a timetable. The launch trips to the base of the falls leave from here, and the lodges near the ferry are the most convenient base for doing a bit of everything.
The southern bank
South of the river the landscape is more wooded, and there’s less big game. But this is the side you drive in on from Masindi, through the Kichumbanyobo gate, and it holds the road to the Top of the Falls. Several of the park’s best riverside lodges are here, looking over the Nile.
The Top of the Falls
The falls themselves are on the southern side, reached by road or on foot from a boat landing below. The whole Nile forces its way through a gap only about seven metres wide and drops some 43 metres. There’s a UWA campsite nearby for anyone who wants to stay close to the roar.
Budongo and Kaniyo Pabidi
The wider Murchison Falls Conservation Area includes Budongo Forest Reserve, East Africa’s largest mahogany forest, on the southern approach. Chimp tracking starts from Kaniyo Pabidi, right beside the Masindi–Paraa road. Budongo is managed by the National Forestry Authority, not UWA, so its permits are booked separately. The conservation area also takes in the Karuma and Bugungu wildlife reserves.
Rabongo Forest
In the park’s south-east, well away from the main circuits, Rabongo is a patch of riverine forest surrounded by savanna. It’s visited for ranger-guided forest walks, black-and-white colobus and other primates, and forest birds. Very few people go, and facilities there are basic, so we check current arrangements with UWA before we build it into a trip.
Where to stay, sector by sector
- North bank, close to the game drives: Pakuba Safari Lodge. You’re on the right side of the river at dawn, with no ferry to wait for.
- Paraa, for a bit of everything: Paraa Safari Lodge, a classic hotel above the river, or Baker’s Lodge, with tented suites on the riverbank.
- South bank, for views and quiet: Nile Safari Lodge (upmarket) or Murchison River Lodge (good mid-range cottages and tents).
- On a budget: Red Chilli Rest Camp, a popular, simple camp near the Paraa ferry.
- Budongo: a forest lodge at Kaniyo Pabidi, ideal if you’re tracking chimps first thing.
Practical tips
- Plan around the ferry. If you sleep south of the river, the first crossing sets the start of your morning game drive.
- Two nights is the minimum. Three lets you do a game drive, the launch, the Top of the Falls and either the delta or Budongo without rushing.
- Park entry is per 24 hours. Under UWA’s 2024–2026 tariff, entry for foreign non-residents is US$45 per day. New tariffs start in January 2027, and we’ll confirm the fees for your dates.
- Getting there: about 305 km from Kampala, 4 to 5 hours to the southern gate, or a scheduled flight to Pakuba, Chobe or Bugungu airstrip.
Putting it together
For most first visits we suggest two nights on the north bank or at Paraa, with a stop at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary on the drive up, and chimps in Budongo on the way in or out. See our guide to the top things to do in Murchison for the activities. When you’re ready, tell us your dates and budget and we’ll match the lodge to the sector that suits you best.
