“The sharpest minds often ruin their lives by overthinking their next step while the dull win the race with eyes closed” Do you really have to think twice about Murchison-falls-Motorcycle-Adventures?
Bike To Murchison Falls
Murchison falls are found in Uganda’s largest national park Murchison falls National park. The park was named after these iconic and strongest falls in the whole world. The park is gifted with a number of wilderness activities that you do along your motorcycle adventure in Uganda.
The park entrance will cost you US$40 per person in case you are a foreign non-resident and US$30 in case you are a foreign resident. Along with the entrance fees, the only other activities you might have to pay for within the park include; Boat cruise to the bottom of Murchison falls at US$35 per foreign resident adult.
There is also another option of getting off the boat at the bottom of the falls. Then hike to the top of the falls for better views. The hike costs US$15 per foreign non-resident adult and US$10 per foreign adult. You can also bike to the top of Murchison Falls.
Along with the above top entrance fee paid activities; the park also offers an opportunity to spot chimpanzees in Budongo forest. This is actually less than half of what is charged in Kibale forest national park. A chimpanzee permit in Kibale forest national park goes for US$200 per non-foreign resident while that of Budongo forest cost US$80 per foreign adult.
Why Drive to Murchison Falls National park?
Motorcycle adventures in Murchison fall national park offer great opportunities to spot a number of wildlife species in their natural habitats. This includes but not limited to; African Elephants, Buffaloes, Giraffes, Jackson’s hartebeest, oribis, Impalas, waterbucks among several antelopes.
Besides the game drives, you can do a few hikes, bird watching, forest walks, community tours, and primate tracking in Budongo forest.
How Far is Murchison Falls National Park from Kampala and other parks?
Murchison falls National Park is about 300 kilometers from Kampala. It might take you about 5 hours from Kampala to Murchison falls national. Aruu falls is located about 250kilometers from Murchison falls while Kidepo valley national park is located about 300 kilometers to Kidepo valley national park.
The closest tourist attraction to Murchison falls national park is Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. This is located about 140 kilometers from Murchison falls national park and located about 180 kilometers from Kampala the capital of Uganda.
It is often recommended that whenever you set off from Kampala to head to Murchison falls national park, you should consider Ziwa Rhino sanctuary as your first stop. The sanctuary has the highest population of Rhinos in Uganda. It is the only place after Uganda wildlife conservation education center Entebbe where you can spot the southern white rhinos in Uganda.
Another common route is usually to transfer to fort portal after your motorcycle adventure in Murchison falls national park. This might take you between 340 kilometers and 400 kilometers depending on the route you use. The journey will likely take you 6 to 7 hours depending on how fast you can drive. If you are fast enough, it will take you less than 6hours to transfer from Murchison falls national park to Fort portal.
To avoid the 6 hours drive stretch, we recommend a stop in Hoima tour where you may engage in a few cultural tours to get in-depth knowledge of the Bunyoro tribe. Most of Uganda tribal history is founded on the Bunyoro Kingdom thus an in-depth knowledge in the history of this kingdom is a wonderful adventure.
What should I know about Responsible Tourism in Murchison Falls National Park?
Like most of the other parks in Uganda, Murchison falls national park has a number of organized communities offering a community experience through music and dance. Whenever you support such activities, you empower mostly the women and children in the communities.
These activities are sometimes organized along with campfires. For instance; inside the park; Mubako cultural campfire performances are the most popular. There also craft shops for your Murchison fall souvenirs.
Outside the park, there is Boomu women’s group. This group was formed in 1999 with the aim of reducing the poverty strains in the villages. They started with craft shops, as of today, they run restaurants, accommodation, well-maintained gardens for relaxation and guided tours.
Whenever you support such groups, the money goes directly to the community beneficiaries. It has helped reduce poverty in these communities as well as giving the locals an opportunity to develop the community by themselves reducing issues of profit repatriation.
Key Facts About Murchison Falls National Park
- Murchison falls is the largest national park in Uganda seated on a land expanse of 3840km2
- It is one of Uganda’s oldest national parks in Uganda having been opened in 1952
- Murchison falls is the source of the controversial Uhuru falls just a stone throw from Murchison falls
- The southern part of the park is mainly composed of woodland and forest patches
- The Northern part of the park is mainly composed of savannah grasslands, acacia trees, and riverside vegetation
- Murchison falls was gazetted as a game reserve in 1926
- The park has 76 mammal species and 451 bird species
- Murchison falls are the strongest falls in the whole world
