Murchison Falls National Park

Uganda's largest national park, where the entire Nile River is squeezed through a narrow 7-metre gorge and explodes into the Victoria Nile below.

The morning launch cruise runs to the base of the falls past hippo, crocodile and shoebill habitat; the afternoon hike to the Top of the Falls delivers the view that sells the park.

The northern circuit holds lion, giraffe, elephant and buffalo, and the drive up from Kampala pairs naturally with rhino tracking at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

Highlights

• The Nile launch cruise to the base of the falls
• Top of the Falls hike
• Northern-circuit game drives for lion, giraffe and elephant
• Rothschild's giraffe, one of the world's largest populations
• Delta cruise for shoebill stork

Best time to visit

December–February and June–September for the easiest game viewing. The falls themselves are at their most violent at the end of the rains, in November and May.

Getting there

Five to six hours by road from Kampala, breaking the drive at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Scheduled flights serve Pakuba and Bugungu airstrips inside the park.