A spectacular 12-day journey through Uganda's finest national parks tracking endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys experiencing thrilling game drives on the savannah and cruising the iconic Nile on the ultimate East African wildlife adventure.
We planned a 12-day tour which covered most of the south-western part of Uganda.
For Uganda, we decided to use a tour company, who provided a car and driver for our 12-day itinerary. We decided to not self-drive in Uganda to give us some time to adjust to what being on the road in Africa might be like. It turned out to be a good decision!
Uganda: Murchison Falls National Park
🚗 The Road to Murchison Falls — Buckle Up, It’s Quite a Ride
The drive from Entebbe to Murchison Falls National Park clocks in at around four and a half hours, which doesn’t sound too bad until you’re actually doing it. This was our very first journey out into Uganda — our inaugural road trip, if you like — on what we were grandly calling our six-month grand tour of Africa. No pressure then.
For Uganda, we made the sensible decision to go with a tour company rather than wing it on our own. We chose Matoke Tours, and honestly, we can’t recommend them highly enough to anyone thinking about visiting the country. Matoke sorted us out with a car and driver for our entire 12-day itinerary, which took a considerable amount of faff off our plates. We could have self-driven — and Lord knows we considered it — but in the end we decided against it. We wanted a bit of time to ease ourselves into what driving on African roads was actually going to feel like before committing to doing it ourselves. As it turned out, that was one of the better decisions we made on the whole trip.
🏍️ Uganda on the Road — People, Villages and Those Blessed Motorbikes
Uganda isn’t a small country by any stretch. It covers roughly 241,000 square kilometres — about the same size as the United Kingdom, funnily enough — and sits right on the equator in East Africa. But what really catches you off guard is the sheer number of people. The population has shot up to around 68 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries on the continent, with one of the youngest populations in the world — a median age of around 16 — which, if you think about it, explains rather a lot of what you see out of the window.
As you drive along, you pass through a village or town every five kilometres or so, and these aren’t sleepy little hamlets either — they’re absolutely bustling with people going about their business in that wonderfully chaotic way that East Africa does so well.
And then there are the motorbikes. Good grief, the motorbikes. It seems as though every man in Uganda has acquired one of these cheap Chinese-made motorcycles, known locally as boda bodas — a term that comes from the word “border,” since these bikes were originally used to ferry people across the Uganda-Kenya border crossings back in the 1980s and 90s when proper transport was scarce. These days they carry absolutely everything. We’re talking three or four passengers balanced precariously on a single seat. We’re talking livestock — including, and we are not making this up, large pigs strapped across the back. If it exists, a boda boda has probably carried it somewhere. Driving around surrounded by hundreds of these things, weaving in and out of traffic with cheerful disregard for the Highway Code, is genuinely a bit hair-raising. We were very glad indeed that we had a professional driver behind the wheel and not one of us.
To break the journey up a bit, we stopped off at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary — well worth the detour, as it turned out — and grabbed lunch in the town of Masindi before pushing on. Once inside Murchison Falls National Park itself, we drove through kilometre after kilometre of magnificent primary rainforest, the kind that’s been there for thousands of years and feels like it knows it. It’s home to baboons, monkeys, and chimpanzees, and though we could have quite happily stopped, that was for another day. We pressed on to Murchison River Lodge, our base for the next two nights.
🌅 Into the Park — Rangers, Rifles and Some Very Odd-Looking Antelope
We woke early the next morning around dawn — which, as it turned out, was going to become our routine for the next several months — and headed out for our first proper game drive. Getting up at that hour wasn’t exactly a hardship though; there’s something rather special about an African sunrise.
We’d travelled barely five kilometres from our lodge when we stopped to pick up a park ranger who’d be accompanying us for the four-hour drive. Now, having a ranger along wasn’t in itself particularly alarming — it made perfect sense. What did give us a slight pause was the fact that he settled himself into the front seat with a semi-automatic rifle resting casually between his legs. Despite having lived in the United States for 19 years, seeing someone with a firearm at that range first thing in the morning is still, shall we say, a bit of a wake-up call.
The landscape inside Murchison Falls National Park was a revelation after the day before. We’d spent much of the previous journey passing through dense rainforest, so the park itself came as quite a contrast — flat, open savannah stretching out in every direction, with long pale yellow grasses rippling in the early breeze and the occasional acacia tree or scrubby bush dotting the horizon. It looked, in short, exactly as we’d always imagined Africa would look. Tick.
The wildlife didn’t disappoint either. We spotted plenty of antelope along the way, including two species we’d never encountered before. The first was the Jackson’s Hartebeest — a wonderfully strange, gangly-looking creature that moves as though it’s been assembled from spare parts. The second was the Ugandan Kob, which is actually Uganda’s national animal and features on the country’s coat of arms. It resembles an impala at first glance, but the two aren’t related at all. The Kob is typically a rich reddish-brown, with a white underside, neat white rings around the eyes, and a white patch at the throat. The males carry distinctive lyre-shaped horns — shorter and thicker than you might expect, ringed almost all the way to the tip.
We ventured into the National Park, which was a complete contrast to the rainforest we’d driven through the day before — flat, savannah-like, with long pale yellow grasses and the occasional tree. Exactly as you’d picture Africa.
Along the way we spotted plenty of antelope, including two we’d never encountered before — the rather gangly-looking Jackson’s Hartebeest and the Ugandan kob, Uganda’s national animal as it happens. The kob is a stocky, reddish-brown creature, a bit like an impala to look at but not actually related, with distinctive white markings around the eyes and throat and lyre-shaped horns on the males.
We also came across large herds of cape buffalo wandering about, and these are not animals to be taken lightly. Back in the day, hunters used to call them “Black Death” — which tells you everything you need to know really. They’re considered one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, responsible for more hunter fatalities historically than just about anything else on the continent. Unlike most wildlife, which will generally give you a wide berth if you leave them alone, cape buffalo have a rather different outlook on life. They’ll charge pretty much anything that looks at them funny — lions, elephants, and yes, cars included. We kept a respectful distance, and our driver, who clearly knew his stuff, made sure we didn’t outstay our welcome. Magnificent creatures to watch from a safe distance though — just don’t get any funny ideas about stepping out for a closer look.
We hadn’t spotted any elephants yet, which was frankly getting a bit nerve-wracking — after all, seeing the largest land animal on earth is pretty much the whole point of being out here. Then, as we were driving past a thick stretch of bush, they simply appeared out of nowhere, right alongside us. No fanfare, no warning, just suddenly — elephants. African bush elephants, to be precise, which can stand up to four metres tall and weigh in at around seven tonnes, and trust us, when one materialises a few metres from your window, you feel every single one of those tonnes. It was, if we’re being honest, a little alarming at first. But these magnificent creatures were completely unbothered by our presence, going about their business with that wonderfully unhurried dignity that elephants do so well. We stopped, we stared, we probably said some embarrassingly soppy things, and we loved every second of it.
We’d been warned that the big cats are always the trickiest to track down, and Murchison Falls was no different. Lions and leopards both call the park home, but spotting them is another matter entirely. This is where having a ranger or guide alongside you makes an absolute world of difference. The rangers tend to stay in constant contact with one another — a sort of bush telegraph, if you like — radioing back and forth to share the location of any interesting sightings. So if someone on the other side of the park has clocked a lion lazing about in the shade, word gets around pretty sharpish.
Leopards are a particularly tricky proposition. Secretive by nature, they have an almost supernatural ability to melt into the background — tucked up in the fork of a tree or pressed flat into dense scrub — and you can be looking directly at one without having the faintest idea it’s there.
🚢 Getting Up Close with the Nile — The Murchison Falls River Safari
If there’s one thing you absolutely must do at Murchison Falls National Park, it’s the boat cruise along the Victoria Nile. And we don’t say that lightly — we’ve done a fair few wildlife experiences between us, but this one genuinely stopped us in our tracks.
The cruise departs from the Paraa jetty and heads upstream along the Victoria Nile towards the base of the falls themselves. There are two departure times — around 9:00 am in the morning and 2:30 pm in the afternoon — and we’d strongly recommend the afternoon slot. There’s something rather special about drifting back down the Nile with a sundowner in hand as the light turns golden. Trust us on this one.
A couple of practical tips worth knowing before you go. Several boats leave from Paraa, and if you can, try to get yourself onto one of the smaller vessels — they carry around ten people maximum and can nudge much closer to the riverbanks than the larger launches. Also, grab a seat on the left-hand side of the boat on the way out, as that’s your viewing side as you head upstream. Little things, but they make a real difference.
The whole journey takes about three hours in total. The first two hours heading upstream are wonderfully unhurried — the boat slows right down as the guide points out everything along the banks. And there is plenty to see. Giraffes picking their way through the trees, warthogs trotting about looking tremendously pleased with themselves, antelope, elephants, and an almost absurd number of hippos wallowing in the shallows. The guide stops regularly to let you get your photos and to explain what you’re looking at, which we found genuinely fascinating rather than the usual rushed commentary you sometimes get.
Then, as you round the final bend, there it is — the base of Murchison Falls, crashing down through a gap in the rock just six metres wide. It is, without question, one of the most powerful waterfalls on earth, and seeing it from the water rather than from above is something else entirely.
The Victoria Nile doesn’t just attract the big game either — the birdlife along its shores is absolutely spectacular. We’re talking bee-eaters darting about in flashes of electric colour, African fish eagles perched imperiously overhead doing their extraordinary haunting call that, once heard, you never forget. Add in kingfishers hovering over the water before plunging in with pinpoint precision, and all manner of waterfowl going about their business along the banks, and you’ve got a proper ornithologist’s dream. We’re not twitchers by any stretch of the imagination, but even we found ourselves reaching for the camera every few minutes. And here’s a little tip — if you can, try to get yourself out on the water during the afternoon. That soft, golden late-day light does something magical to the colours of the birds against the river, and you’ll come home with some genuinely stunning photographs. Trust us on that one.
As we rounded the final bend on the upstream cruise, Murchison Falls came into view — and what a sight it was. The sheer force of the water is something else entirely. The entire volume of the River Nile — one of the greatest rivers on earth — gets squeezed through a rocky cleft just seven metres wide before thundering down a 43-metre drop. The current is so ferocious that getting the boat anywhere close simply isn’t possible, but even from a respectful distance you get a very real sense of just how much raw power is on display. The spray, the roar, the whole spectacle of it — genuinely impressive stuff.
If you want a proper close-up look at the falls themselves, you’ll need to make a separate trip up to the top — and we did exactly that, which we’ll be covering later in this blog. It’s absolutely worth doing, so don’t skip it.
Once we’d taken it all in, it was time to turn the boat around and head back downstream to Paraa. The return leg takes roughly an hour, which gave us a chance to sit back, keep an eye out for any wildlife we’d missed on the way up, and reflect on what had been a cracking morning on the water.
💧 Murchison Falls — Where the Nile Goes Absolutely Berserk
On the morning we left, we made sure to squeeze in a 40-minute drive up to the head of Murchison Falls for a proper close-up look, and blimey, it was worth every minute.
Also known as Kabalega Falls, this is where the mighty River Nile does something quite extraordinary. The entire force of the river gets squeezed through a gap in the rock face just 7 metres — that’s barely 23 feet — wide, before hurling itself 43 metres (141 feet) down into the gorge below, then flowing westward into Lake Albert. It’s an absolutely astonishing thing to witness. The noise alone is something else entirely.
The falls were named by the English explorer Sir Samuel White Baker, who rocked up here in the mid-1860s and, in the grand tradition of Victorian travellers, promptly named everything in sight after someone back home — in this case the geologist Sir Roderick Murchison.
What we hadn’t realised beforehand is that Murchison is actually two falls, not one. The main drop thunders through that famous narrow gorge in a long cascading run of around 320 feet. But a portion of the river diverts northward and plunges over a broader, more vertical drop known as Uhuru Falls, which can spread to over 200 feet wide. Uhuru came into being in 1962 — the very same year Uganda gained independence on the 9th of October — when exceptionally heavy rainfall forced the river to carve out this second channel. The name Uhuru, meaning “freedom” in Swahili, was a rather fitting tribute. Together, they’re often referred to as the twin falls, and standing between the two of them, you can absolutely see why.
About Murchison Falls
Murchison Falls itself is something else entirely. We’re up at the northern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley — one of Africa’s great geological features, formed millions of years ago as the continent slowly tore itself apart — where the Bunyoro slopes ease down into these vast, open savannahs. It’s here that the Victoria Nile, having meandered its way north from Lake Victoria, suddenly loses its composure completely. It thunders down through some 80 kilometres of rapids before squeezing itself — all of it, the entire river — through a gap just seven metres wide. Seven metres. That’s narrower than a London bus is long. The locals call it the Devil’s Cauldron, and you can see why. The mist that billows up from the bottom catches the sunlight and throws up the most extraordinary rainbow just hanging there in mid-air. Quite breathtaking.
If you can get yourself up to the viewpoint at the top of the falls, do it. The view from below is spectacular enough, but standing up there with the noise and the spray and the sheer brute force of all that water is something you won’t forget in a hurry.
The falls sit within Murchison Falls National Park, which is part of the wider Murchison Falls Conservation Area — a patchwork of wilderness that takes in the Budongo Forest Reserve, the Karuma Falls Wildlife Reserve, and the Bugungu Wildlife Reserve among others. The park itself has been protected land since 1926, when it was gazetted as a game reserve, and it received full national park status in 1952. It was Uganda’s very first conservation area, and at 3,840 square kilometres, it remains the largest in the country to this day.
Planning your visit to Murchison Falls
| 📍 Location | Northern Uganda, along the Victoria Nile, approximately 305 km north-west of Kampala |
|---|---|
| 🕖 Opening Times | Daily, 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM |
| 📞 Phone | +256 414 355 000 |
| 🚁 By Air | Charter flights available to Pakuba and Chobe airstrips within the park from Entebbe or Kajjansi |
| 🚗 By Road | Approximately 4–5 hours from Kampala via the Kampala–Gulu Highway; 4WD recommended, especially during rainy season |
| 🛥️ By Boat | River cruise from Paraa to the base of the falls — a key part of any park visit |
| ℹ️ Notes | All visitors must enter through designated gates. Paraa is the main hub. Book accommodation in advance during peak season (Dec–Feb and Jun–Aug). |
🎟️ Entry Fees
| East African Citizens | Foreign Residents | Foreign Non-Residents | Children (under 15) |
|---|---|---|---|
| UGX 30,000 | USD 25 | USD 40 | USD 15 |
The Best Time to Visit Uganda
☀️ June to September — Long Dry Season (Peak Season)
The best overall time to visit. Clear skies and firm trails make gorilla trekking in Bwindi and Mgahinga ideal, while thinning vegetation improves game viewing in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks. Temperatures range from 20°C to 28°C, though highland areas are cool at night. This is peak season — permits and accommodation must be booked months in advance and prices are at their highest.
What to pack: Neutral-coloured long-sleeved shirts and trousers, waterproof jacket, sturdy ankle-support hiking boots, warm fleece for highlands, wide-brimmed hat, SPF 50+ sunscreen, DEET insect repellent, gaiters, binoculars, dry bag, and a Type G plug adaptor.
☀️ December to February — Short Dry Season
The second-best time to visit, with good trekking conditions and a lush green landscape following the October–November rains. Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park is excellent. The Christmas and New Year period brings more visitors, so book ahead. Kidepo Valley in the far north can be very hot and dry.
What to pack: Lightweight breathable clothing, light rain jacket, sunscreen, hat, DEET insect repellent, sturdy trekking boots, neutral safari clothing, fleece for highland evenings, binoculars, and a water bottle with purification filter.
🌧️ October to November — Short Wet Season
Shorter, less intense rains — often afternoon downpours rather than all-day drizzle. Fewer tourists mean easier permit access and lower lodge rates. Birdwatching is superb as European and Asian migrants begin arriving, swelling Uganda’s 1,000-plus species count. Forest trails can be very muddy, making treks more demanding, and a 4WD vehicle is advisable on unpaved roads.
What to pack: Waterproof jacket and overtrousers, waterproof boots and gaiters, quick-dry clothing, extra socks in a dry bag, warm evening layer, DEET repellent, antimalarials, compact umbrella, waterproof camera cover, and robust binoculars.
🌧️ March to May — Long Wet Season (Low Season)
The most challenging time to visit. Heavy sustained rain makes roads difficult, trails slippery, and game viewing harder. Some remote lodges close for maintenance. Gorilla permits are easiest to obtain and lodge rates are at their lowest. Birdwatching is outstanding, the landscape is strikingly green, and national parks feel wonderfully quiet. Best suited to experienced tropical travellers with flexible itineraries.
What to pack: Heavy-duty waterproof jacket and overtrousers, fully waterproof boots, gaiters, multiple changes of quick-dry clothing, large dry bags, trekking poles, DEET repellent, antimalarials, waterproof camera case, waterproof document wallet, and a portable power bank.
📊 Uganda Season Summary
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🌍 The Best Time to Visit Uganda — Overall
For most travellers, June to September is the clear choice — reliable weather, prime gorilla trekking, and excellent game viewing outweigh the higher costs and need to plan early. Budget travellers or keen birdwatchers will find October–November and December–February strong alternatives. March to May rewards those who come prepared and prize solitude over convenience.
Murchison River Lodge
There are many lodges and places to stay around Murchison Falls. We were booked into the Murchison River Lodge, which as the name suggests is on the Victoria Nile. The lodge offers en-suite thatched cottages that are open plan with two single beds downstairs and a double bed on a mezzanine floor. The cottages are perfect for families or alternatively a maximum of 4 adults who know each other well.
The drinks here are very reasonable. Whilst we are vegan usually we decided that in Africa it would be almost impossible to stick to a strict vegan diet for our 6-month tour. The Murchison River Lodge had a vegetarian option at meal times – which was very good (we had a lot of Indian style dishes!)
The beds were comfortable, but beware there is no fan or air-conditioning so you might get hot at night!
The lodge is small and intimate so you will not feel overcrowded here. From the bar and dining area, you get spectacular views of the river – a perfect place to relax and enjoy a sundowner or two!
There is also a pool to relax by and a small lounge by the pool, which is the only place where you can get wi-fi (which as you might expect is not great – no streaming Netflix here!)
More to Explore
