Murchison Falls National Park sits in the northwestern corner of Uganda, spanning an impressive landscape where the Victoria Nile River carves through rugged terrain. The park stretches across savannah, woodlands, and wetlands, covering nearly 3,900 square kilometres.
The park’s namesake, Murchison Falls National Park, named in the 19th century by British explorers who honoured Roderick Murchison the then president of the Royal Geographical Society, is where the Victoria Nile crashes through a six-metre-wide gorge and plunges with deafening force into the frothy waters below. This spectacle creates a permanent mist, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and churned water.
Beyond the falls, the park teems with life. Herds of elephant move slowly across grasslands, lion prowl the open plains while Rothschild’s giraffe, tall and graceful, move languidly among acacia trees. The Nile River and its surrounding areas support significant wildlife populations. Hippo congregate in large groups, submerging and resurfacing throughout the day. Nile crocodile bask on riverbanks, their prehistoric forms unchanged for millions of years.
