5 Days Murchison falls safari takes you to the famous Murchison Falls National park for an amazing set of activities including game drives, a boat cruise, chimpanzee trekking and visiting the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. We believe that in 5 days, you will have all the time needed to explore this amazing park without feeling like you are in a rush to complete activities.
The Murchison Falls National is the largest wildlife conservation area in Uganda. Most of it consists of savannah grasslands, woodlands, swamps and tropical rain forests like Budongo. The river Nile cuts the park into two as it leaves the amazing Murchison falls behind. The park is home to most of Africa’s famous wildlife including buffaloes, lions, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, leopards and various species of antelopes. Murchison falls National Park is a birders paradise with species like the rare shoebill stork and others that we will mention later on. There are six species of primates found in the park including baboon and chimpanzees. In general, the main activities in Murchison Falls National Park are visiting the Murchison Falls, game drives, nature walks, fishing, chimpanzee trekking, boat cruises and birding.
While on our 5 Days Murchison Falls tour, you get a chance to see all the big five mammals – lions, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and rhinos at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary. You will also visit the Murchison falls to see the point where the Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge before continuing its journey to Egypt. There is also a boat cruise down the river Nile for an opportunity to see many of the park animals drinking by the river banks. You can check out our shorter 3 Days Murchison falls tour or the 2 Days Murchison Falls wildlife safari package. If you are interested in both Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Park, then our 6 days Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth Safari could be interesting.
Highlight of the Tour
- Visiting the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
- 2 Game drives
- A boat cruise along the River Nile
- A boat cruise along the Nile Delta
- Chimpanzee tracking in Budongo
- Visiting the bottom and top of the Murchison Falls
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and pickup from Entebbe
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls with stops at the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary.
Day 3: Morning game drive and afternoon ride along the Nile
Day 4: Boat cruise along the Nile Delta – Afternoon game drive
Day 5: Chimpanzee trekking in Budongo – Transfer back to Kampala or Entebbe International Airport
Full Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and Pickup from Entebbe Airport
Our company Guide will be waiting for you at the airport and take you to a suitable hotel in Entebbe or Kampala depending on your arrival time. In case you arrive early in the day, the driver will take you for a short tour of Kampala city. Alternatively, you can remain in Entebbe and check out the amazing attractions like the zoo, the botanical gardens and Lake Victoria.
Dinner and overnight will be at Anderita Beach Hotel, Papyrus Guesthouse Entebbe and Gately Inn Entebbe.
Day 2: Transfer to Murchison Falls National Park – Ziwa Rhino sanctuary – Visiting the top of the falls
Wake up early from your hotel and start the 5-hour journey to Murchison Falls National Park. The journey takes you through interesting Ugandan countryside, small towns, districts and small peasant farms. You will pass Luwero district. Luwero is where the current Ugandan government launched a guerilla warfare before grabbing power under its leader Yoweri Museveni. The driver will make stops at key point and the main markets to check out some sweet fresh fruits.
You will then proceed to the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary for an encounter with Uganda’s last remaining rhinos. Both black and white Rhinos were hunted to extinction in Uganda decades ago. The Ziwa Rhino sanctuary was opens to protect the few remaining white Rhinos and allow them increase in number such that they could be reintroduced back into the wild. While at the sanctuary, a ranger will take you to see the rhinos in the vast facility while sharing information about their conservation and status. The sanctuary is home to other wildlife species including birds, antelopes and small primates. After your time at the sanctuary, you will head for lunch in Masindi town before proceeding to take photos at the top of the Murchison Falls.
Dinner and Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge for Luxury accommodation. The mid-range hotels will be Murchison River Lodge and Fort Murchison. The Budget hotels are Red Chilli, the tents at Fort Murchison and Murchison River Lodge.
Day 3: Game drive and Afternoon Launch cruise
Wake up early and take breakfast as you wait for the driver to take you for an early morning game drive at the Nyamsika plateau. The purpose of this game drive is to catch the early morning risers and 
predators retiring back into their dens after hunting in the night. Expect to spot warthogs, the Uganda kob, sitatunga antelope, Rothschild’s giraffes, oribi, Hartebeest, Cape buffaloes, bushbucks, bush pigs, bush duikers and Bohor reedbucks. The predators to look out for are lions, spotted hyenas and leopards.
After the morning game drive, the Driver/Guide will take you back to the hotel for lunch and refreshment as you prepare for the boat cruise along the Nile. The boat cruise starts from the bottom of the park and goes on upstream up to the bottom of the falls. The starting point has an amazing collection of wildlife. Expect to see crocodiles, water bucks and hippos in their thousands. You can see many of the park animals gather to drink and bath along the river Nile. This section of the Nile is one of the best places for birding in Uganda. You can spot saddle-bill storks, shoebill storks, pelicans, kingfishers, hornbills, goliath herons, Egyptian geese, cormorants and bee-eaters. The journey continues upstream and close to what is known as the “Devil’s Cauldron”. This is an excellent place for taking photos of the beautiful falls from a great angle. After viewing the falls from this angle, you will disembark from the boat and climb up to the top of the falls.
Dinner and Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge for Luxury accommodation. The mid-range hotels will be Murchison River Lodge and Fort Murchison. The Budget hotel are Red Chilli, the tents at Fort Murchison and Murchison River Lodge.
Day 4: Boat cruise along the Nile Delta – Afternoon game drive around Paraa
Our company Driver will pick you up after breakfast and take you for the boat cruise along the delta area of the park. This particular activity is not popular with tourist because many come to the park for a shorter time. The cruise goes deeper into the Nile to discover amazing scenery and wildlife. If you are a birder, you will be very impressed with the variety of species on offer especially when you reach the vast papyrus swamps. Expect to see more crocodiles, hippos, elephants, buffaloes, antelopes and the illusive shoebill stock. You will reach the point where the Nile deposits any waste before proceeding to what is known as 
the Albert Nile. After enough time at the delta, you will head back to the hotel for lunch.
After lunch, you will go for the second game drive around the Paraa area to check out more of the animals and those that you may have missed out during your first game drive.
Dinner and Overnight at Nile Safari Lodge or Paraa Safari Lodge for Luxury accommodation. The mid-range hotels will be Murchison River Lodge and Fort Murchison. The Budget hotel are Red Chilli, the tents at Fort Murchison and Murchison River Lodge.
Day 5: Chimpanzee Trekking in Budongo forest – Transfer back to Kampala or Entebbe
Wake up very early and prepare for your lost day of the tour. The driver will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to Budongo Central forest for the briefing. The briefing covers topics about the forest, the population of chimps in the area, what to expect and how to act while with the chimpanzees. While tracking the chimps expect to be amazed by the biodiversity in the forest. Budongo forest has the largest collection of mahogany trees in Africa. Many of them are over 100 years old. Expect to see other smaller primates, rare plants, shrubs and birds. The journey to Budongo takes between 1 to 2 hours. After spending time with man’s closest relatives, the driver will start the journey back to Entebbe for late departure or overnight.
Tour Inclusions and Exclusions
The 5 days Murchison falls and Budongo chimpanzee tracking safari includes: –
- Chimpanzee tracking permits
- Park Entrance fees
- Visiting the top of the Murchison Falls
- 2 Game drives in different sections of the park
- Boat cruise at the base of the Murchison falls
- Boat cruise along the Nile Delta
- Visiting the Ziwa Rhino sanctuary
- Transport in a standard 4×4 safari van with a retractable open roof
- An experienced English speaking Guide/Driver
- Fuel for the entire safari
- Full board accommodation for 4 nights
- Lunch and drinking water even when out of the hotel.
- Airport transfers
The 5 days Murchison Falls Safari excludes:-
- All visa fees
- Flight to and from Uganda
- Expenses of a personal nature such as tips, laundry and alcoholic drinks
Accommodation
Fort Murchison Lodge: Fort Murchison is one of the oldest lodges within the Murchison Falls area. It was built in the former Aswa Lolim Reserve – just outside the main park. The lodge is located close to the 
banks of the Albert Nile – a slow flowing section of the river Nile. Guests are rewarded with beautiful views of the Albert Nile and a rarely visited part of the park. One can choose to stay in tents or one of the 12 self-contained hotel rooms. The 12 rooms have their own private bathrooms, hot water showers, a working desk and a private balcony. All rooms are decorated in African style. If one chooses to go for the cheaper tents with a grass thatched roof, they will find a mosquito net, a bed with towels, a bedside table and a power outlet to charge their devices. The tents don’t have private bathrooms. One needs to go to the communal bathrooms and flushing toilets.
Murchison River Lodge: Built on the southern banks of the river Nile, Murchison River Lodge is one of the best mid-range lodges in the park. From all sections, the lodge offers spectacular views of the river 
Nile as it flows past hippos, crocodiles and papyrus swamps. The rooms are in form of thatched cottages, thatched safari tents, river tents and campsites. All the cottages are self-contained and have beds, a verandah and sofas. The thatched safari tents are built among trees and bushes while the river tents are built closer to the river Nile. Other amenities in the lodge include a central lounge area, a bar, restaurant, a swimming pool, a play area for children and free Wi-Fi. Are you planning to travel with young children? Murchison River lodge has baby-sitting services and rooms with toys/kids’ stuff. If you are out on safari, you can leave the kids with trained staff and expect them to be well taken care of.
Nile Safari Lodge: Nile Safari Lodge is a luxury lodge built on the southern bank of the Nile. It was revamped in 2019 and is now second to none when it comes to quality. With its strategic location, Nile Safari Lodge offers majestic views of the Nile river and a real sense of being out in the African 
wilderness. The lodge has only 10 bandas including one which was built for the family and another for honeymooners. Each of the luxury bandas offers a standing bathing tub, a monsoon shower, an outdoor shower, a fan, a verandah, luxury chairs and tables to relax as you watch the fast flowing river Nile. The honeymoon suite is arguably the best among all accommodation facilities in the park area. It has an extra-large bed and a private plunge pool. The family banda has its own private swimming pool and room for relaxation. Other amenities include a bar, a restaurant serving international dishes, a lounge area, a large communal swimming pool and spa. A campfire is set up every evening where all guests gather to share their African experience.
