Murchison Falls National Park Safari Tips

Murchison Falls is a fantastic National Park to visit for abundant wildlife with safari lodges located in near proximity to gaming locations. Along the Nile river around the park, you will find safari lodge dotting the river banks. Choosing one can be a bit tricky, but here are some tips for what I would recommend. When you come into the park, if you are arriving from the South entrance, you may find yourself eager to stay on the South side of the ferry at Paraa, thinking then you don't have to hit the ferry 'on time' to get across for the night. I would strongly recommend however that you take the extra time to cross the ferry, as then every morning you will not have to wait for that ferry to open to get across the river and start your game drive. Most of the wildlife and game drives occur on the North side of the river where the savannah is open and wide and easy for spotting wildlife. The areas in the park on the South Side are much more heavily forested and while you may spot an occasional monkey on the road, you will not likely see much wildlife along the south side anyway and will thus feel as though you may be wasting your time in transit. 

A bonus however to being at a river lodge along the south side, is that the river bank edge here is not as steep, and hippos may come on shore at night right up to your safari bungalow. If you opt to stay on the south side of the river, be sure to choose an accommodation that has this smooth river bank edge so at least you may get a glimpse of this special evening event. If you are on the south side then, be sure also to select a safari operator that will boat you across to start early AM game drives without having to wait for the ferry to open later in the AM. Game are best spotted in early AM when it is coolest and in the later evenings at the end of the day.