Murchison Falls

Following a lovely respite at Lake Bunyoni, Rita and I said goodbye to our friend Virginia and headed for Murchison Falls in northern Uganda. The Kampala based backpacker's hostel, Red Hot Chili Hideaway, offers a 3 day budget safari of the National Park that had been recommended to us by friends and that I now recommend to you. 

Our first stop was at the actual falls, which are pretty spectacular. We took a small walk around the top and caught fantastic views of the water and some rainbows. Fun facts: there are actually two falls—Murchison (named after the British Royal Geographic Society President), which has existed for centuries; and Uhuru, which formed around the same time the country of Uganda declared its independence (hence the name, uhuru Swahili for freedom) after floods forced a second path for water. In the 1950's, Ernest Hemingway was flying over the falls and crashed in the bush nearby.

 

In another life, I hope to come back to earth as an animal in Murchison Falls National Park. The largest park in Uganda, it is split down the middle by the Nile River. The southern side of the park is densely forested and home to lots of warthogs, baboons, and beautiful birds. On the north bank the park is much more savanna-like; allowing us to enjoy views of giraffe, elephants, several antelopes, and more beautiful birds. There are some lions in the park, but our arrival towards the end of rainy season (when the grass is very long and starting to yellow) made seeing them difficult. 

Floating down the Nile

Red-throated bee-eater

We took a fabulous boat safari along the Nile River up to the site of the falls, careful not to run into any of the many hippo families and crocodiles that line the shores. Again, I can’t rave enough about the beautiful birds—particularly the colorful bee-eaters that look like rainbow popsicles and the Pied Kingfishers that look like ballet dancers twirling over the water as the fly. 

Sunrise at Murchison Falls 

up close and personal with the elephants