Embarking on a game drive in the morning in Murchison Falls National Park is the best time to explore the park. This is because it is the best time to capture the predators returning from a night of hunting. It is also a time to sight them feasting after a successful hunt the previous night. The morning is always a time of activity in the African savannah wilderness as the grazers begin their feeding routine.
It is also a time to capture the hippos returning to their watering holes after grazing in the night. What better way to capture and be part of this cycle of events than taking on this morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park. A game drive helps visitors to explore the park and spot different animals while in the safety and comfort of a safari vehicle.
About Murchison Falls National Park
To have a better understanding of a morning game drive in this park, it is wise to first get its brief overview. Murchison Falls National Park is the largest national park in the country. This park is situated in the northwestern region of Uganda. It combines with the Bugungu and Karuma Game Reserves to form the Murchison Falls Conservational Area.
It was established as a national park in 1952, making it one of the oldest parks in the country. It is proud of having the world’s strongest waterfall, the Murchison Falls or Kabalega Falls. It is also known as Kabalega National Park, named after the king of Bunyoro, Omukama Kabalega.
Murchison Falls National Park was named after the president of the Royal Geographical Society, Roderick Murchison. This was done by the early explorers Sir Samuel Baker and his wife, Florence Baker. This park sits on a land mass area of approximately 3,893 square kilometers covering districts of Nwoya, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, and Masindi.
It stretches from the shores of Lake Albert all the way to the Karuma dam. Murchison Falls National Park avails itself as the best park for a morning game drive because of the beautiful scenic views and various wildlife it harbors. Many questions surround the idea of a morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park, and some of these questions can be answered below.
At what times does the morning game drive start?
The morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park starts as early as 7:30 am. This is a time when all animals are active and can be sighted going about their normal routines of grazing and hunting. The known predators of the park, lions and leopards, use this time to hunt their prey since the sun is still down and the temperatures are cool.
The prey is also distracted while feeding, thus these predators easily target them. The morning reveals a new world of activity that was hidden by the cover of darkness. The early sunset in the park paints a perfect art piece framed by the beautiful scenic views of the wilderness landscape.
Which tracks are used for the morning game drive?
A morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park takes place along various tracks inside the park. Some of these tracks include the Buligi track, which was once a vibrant hotspot for game drives but lost its glory after the development of oil deposits in the region. The large concentrations of animals migrated to other parts of the park, fearing the large vehicles on this track. However, animals like antelopes and warthogs are still frequently sighted on this track.
The Albert track is also used on a morning game drive as it captures the best views of the park. This is largely attributed to its positioning on the shores of Lake Albert, where several animals constantly populate. This is one of the best tracks to spot most of the animals in the park.
Queen’s track, located on the northern side of the park, forms a linkage between the Victoria and Albert tracks. It is also best used for morning game drives because there is are high concentration of lions. This is primarily due to the many antelopes in the area.
The Victoria track is popular for leopard sightings during morning game drives because of the many scattered acacia trees. This track is 17 kilometers long between the Buligi and Queen’s tracks.
What animals can be sighted on this game drive?
The size of Murchison Falls National Park, as the largest national park in the country, serves it right to host a large population of wildlife species. The park hosts most of the savannah wildlife species in the country. From the famous Big Four of the Big Five, lions, buffalo, elephants, and leopards, to other species like hyenas, antelopes, topis, waterbucks, warthogs, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles, among others. The rhino is the only missing Big Five animal in the park, but found at Ziwa, a few kilometers from the park. During this morning game drive in the park, visitors are assured of encountering most of these mentioned wildlife species.
What is the delta point stopover?
The morning game drive in Murchison Falls National Park also brings visitors to a stopover at the delta point. This is a popular spot for sightseeing the incredible Murchison Falls and also several wildlife species. This delta point is positioned to capture the beautiful views of the falls calmly merging into Lake Albert, creating a perfect scenic moment.