Private • Uganda
2 Days at Murchison Falls and the Nile
A boat to the foot of the falls, the gorge trail to the top, and a morning in lion country
Overview
About this journey
- Region
- East Africa
- Duration
- 2 days
- Departures
- All year round
- Party size
- Up to 6
Two days is enough to see what makes Murchison Falls Uganda's largest national park. On the first afternoon you take a boat up the Victoria Nile to the foot of the falls, then walk the gorge trail to the top, where the whole river squeezes through a gap a few metres wide. The next morning you are on the northern bank for a game drive before the drive back to Kampala or Entebbe.
It is a long first day on the road, leaving Kampala at six, but the reward is a full afternoon on the water with hippos, crocodiles and elephants along the banks. The morning game drive covers open savannah with giraffe, buffalo, Uganda kob and, with luck, lions.
This is a private journey with your own vehicle and driver-guide, and it suits anyone with a weekend to spare who wants one park done properly rather than several done in a hurry.
Highlights
What you'll experience
Boat ride to the foot of the falls
Three hours up the Victoria Nile, ending in the spray beneath the falls, with fish eagles overhead and crocodiles on every sandbank.
The gorge trail to the top
From where the boat docks, a ranger leads a 45-minute climb along the gorge wall. At the top, the entire Nile disappears into a crack in the rock in front of you.
Northern bank game drive
Some of Uganda's densest wildlife: Rothschild's giraffe moving between borassus palms, buffalo herds raising red dust, and lions on the flats towards the delta.
The Paraa ferry
The small car ferry between the two banks is a five-minute wildlife encounter in itself, with hippos surfacing beside the hull and pied kingfishers rattling past.
Why choose us
Why choose a Private Journey?
Murchison Falls is the kind of place where the landscape does the talking. Here is why this two-day circuit works.
One guide, start to finish
Your driver-guide travels with you from the Kampala pickup to the drop-off, so nothing is lost in handovers and the plan can flex around what the river and the light are doing.
Six guests at most
With no more than six in the vehicle, the pop-up roof never gets crowded and everyone has a clear line of sight when something moves in the long grass.
A UWA ranger on every activity
A Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger joins the game drive and the gorge trail. The park requires it, and the rangers are the ones who spot the birds and plants your guide would otherwise drive past.
Itinerary
Your day-by-day journey
Day 1
Kampala to the Nile, and a boat to the falls
We leave Kampala at 06:00 and drive north through farmland and small towns, with a stop in Masindi, reaching Murchison Falls National Park in the early afternoon. Check in at your lodge and have lunch.
The afternoon is spent on the Victoria Nile. The boat takes about three hours to reach the base of the falls, and the banks are busy the whole way: hippo pods, Nile crocodiles on the sandbanks, buffalo and elephant coming down to drink, monitor lizards and a steady run of water birds. Where the boat docks, a ranger leads you up the gorge trail to the top of the falls, where the river forces itself through a narrow cleft in the rock. Your guide meets you at the top and drives you back to the lodge for dinner.
Meals · Lunch, Dinner
Day 2
Morning game drive, then back to Kampala or Entebbe
An early breakfast, then out onto the savannah north of the river while the animals are still active and the light is soft. Giraffe, elephant, buffalo, Uganda kob, hartebeest, oribi and waterbuck are the regulars; lions are seen often, leopard and hyena less so. Your driver-guide and the ranger pick out the birds and explain what you are looking at, and the pop-up roof gives everyone a clear view.
After the drive you cross the Nile on the Paraa ferry and start south. Lunch is in Masindi, and you are back at your Kampala or Entebbe hotel in the late afternoon or evening.
Meals · Breakfast, Lunch
Inclusions
What is and isn't included
Included
- Private 4WD safari vehicle with pop-up roof
- Professional English-speaking driver-guide
- Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger fees
- All park entrance fees
- Nile boat safari (3 hours) to the base of the falls
- Guided gorge trail hike to the top of the falls
- Paraa ferry crossings
- 1 night accommodation at Paraa-area lodge (mid-range basis)
- All meals as listed in the itinerary
- Mineral water in the vehicle throughout
- Kampala or Entebbe hotel pickup and drop-off
Not included
- International flights to and from the region
- Entry visas and any transit visas
- Gorilla and chimpanzee permits, unless listed as included
- Travel and medical insurance, which is mandatory
- Alcoholic drinks and premium beverages
- Laundry, telephone and other items of a personal nature
- Tips and gratuities for your guide, drivers and lodge staff
- Optional activities not listed in the day-by-day itinerary
Pricing
Available all year round
A private itinerary with no fixed departure dates. Rates are per person in USD.
Journey Details
Essential information
Minimum Age
6 years. Younger children are welcome on the boat; the gorge trail needs reasonable mobility
Safari Duffel
Soft-sided bags recommended. Luggage stays at the lodge during activities
First Group Event
Pickup from your Kampala or Entebbe hotel at 06:00 on Day 1
Last Group Event
Drop-off at your Kampala or Entebbe hotel, or Entebbe airport, late afternoon on Day 2
Guaranteed Departures
This is a private safari. Your departure is confirmed once booked, whatever the size of your party.
Alternate Sightseeing
If high water stops the boat, we substitute a game drive along the riverine forest at no extra cost.