History of Murchison Falls National Park.

Information on Uganda Safaris, Murchison Falls National Park’s History, and Facts About the Park: The largest and oldest protected area (or “PA”) in Uganda is Murchison Falls Conservation Area. It includes several popular tourist destinations in Uganda, including Karuma Wildlife Refuge, Bugungu Wildlife Refuge, and Murchison Falls National Park.

In addition, the total area of Murchison Falls National Park is 3,893 square kilometers. The nearby Karuma Wildlife Refuge (678 sq. km) and Bugungu Wildlife Refuge (501 sq. km) serve as buffer zones for the park. Furthermore, Budongo Forest Reserve, which spans an extra 591 square kilometers and shares portions with both wildlife reserves, is home to a diverse array of animals, similar to other parks in Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Consequently, 5,663 square kilometers of territory are protected to some extent via limited use. The Uganda Wildlife Authority, or “UWA,” is in charge of managing Murchison Falls National Park and two wildlife reserves. The National Forestry Association is in charge of protecting the Budongo Forest Reserve, with the exception of areas that are part of the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s “managed lands.”

Tsetse flies spread sleeping sickness, which led to the evacuation of people in an area of roughly 13,000 square kilometers between 1907 and 1912. This paved the way for the 1910 evaluation of the Bunyoro Game Reserve, which included the present-day Masindi district park and about the territory south of the Nile River. The Bunyoro-Gulu Game Reserve was created in 1928 when the borders were expanded north of the river into the Gulu area.

It was feasible to establish this wildlife reserve for the benefit of the park without uprooting any locals because of the human population that had previously been evacuated due to sleeping sickness. The Budongo Forest Reserve was established in the region in 1932.

It was Uganda’s first commercial logging concession and is currently one of the world’s most extensively researched working forests. Over the following thirty years, the forest’s limits grew until they reached their present extent of roughly 825 square kilometers. Due to the constant changes that occurred in the area, this procedure caused a great deal of resentment in that instance as the people lost land and never fully recovered.

The National Parks Act of Uganda was later created by the British government in 1952. The animal populations in the Bunyoro Gulu Game Reserve had increased to the point that the reserve was renovated after forty years of less hunting, making Murchison Falls National Park one of the first two game parks, along with Queen Elizabeth National Park.

With more than a million visitors annually by the middle of the 1960s, Murchison Falls had emerged as East Africa’s top safari attraction.

Activities in the National Park of Murchison Falls

Among these are sport fishing, bird watching, game drives, cultural exchanges, and boat cruises on the Victoria Nile.

Observing birds

The rare shoe bill, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Denham’s bustard, long-toed lapwing, black-billed barbet, yellow-fronted tinker bird, and black-headed lapwing are just a few of the more than 451 bird species that can be seen in Murchison Falls National Park, which is a popular destination for birdwatchers.

Game drives

One of the main ways to discover the park’s splendor is to go on a game drive, which is available in the morning, evening, and night. In Murchison Falls National Park, every game drive is a rewarding experience.

Numerous wildlife species, including the “big four,” lions, buffaloes, elephant herds, leopards, and other creatures like hartebeests, oribis, waterbucks, warthogs, hyenas, Uganda kobs, bushbucks, and giraffes, are available for you to explore.

Boat cruise

This is an exciting four-hour life experience on the Victoria Nile that offers a breathtaking moment for each individual and a great chance to see many water species, including hippos, Nile crocodiles, and other animals like elephants, buffalos, and waterbucks. You can also go on adventures along the water’s shores and see a variety of water birds, including rare shoebills, cormorants, kingfishers, and cattle egrets, among others.