Murchison Falls Uganda Adventure Tour

Murchison Falls Uganda Adventure Tour also formerly known as Kabalega Falls is a waterfall on the Nile River between Lakes Kyoga and Albert. Murchison Falls is formed as the Nile River forces its waters through a 7 meter (23 ft.) gap of rocks and tumbles 43 meters (141 ft.) below to what is referred to as the devil’s cauldron. From here the water flows westward into Lake Albert. Murchison Falls are found in northwestern Uganda.

Sending around 300 cubic meters per second of water from the outlet in Lake Victoria and pouring over the falls as well as squeezing through a rock gorge only 7 meters wide, this is the world’s most powerful falls. The falls form a water spray that forms a beautiful rainbow when the sun shines on it making such a spectacular view to sight from below or as you hike to the top of the falls.

The name Murchison was given to the falls by Samuel Baker and Florence Baker who were the first Europeans who sighted these falls. The falls were named after Roderick Murchison the then President of the Royal Geographical Society that was sponsoring African exploration during the 17^th Century. The Falls lend their name to the surrounding Murchison Falls National Park that is the largest national park in Uganda covering an area of 3,893 square kilometers.

History of Murchison Falls

In 1862, John Speke and James Grant were the first Europeans to see these falls, however, in 1863 Sir Samuel Baker and wife Florence Baker explored the area thoroughly. Sir Samuel Baker named the falls after Roderick Murchison the then President of the Royal Geographical Society an organization in the 17^th Century that was sponsoring the African exploration.

After then, in the reign of the then Uganda’s President Idi Amin Dada, he renamed the falls to Kabalega falls. Kabalega is the cultural leader title of the people of the Bunyoro kingdom, an area where the falls are found. To date, the falls are still referred to as Kabalega falls by the people in the area. Unfortunately, when Idi Amin was overthrown by President Milton Obote, the name of the falls were revived to Murchison Falls and so did the whole park borrow the name.

Activities to do on Murchison Falls.

If you are visiting the park in most cases the activities are wildlife tours, however, the waterfalls alone offer 2 amazing activities to do that you should not miss and these are;

Boat Cruise: A launch trip or boat cruise comes in handy as a great activity to do at the banks of the Nile River at the Falls. You take a boat cruise to the bottom of the falls setting off from the Paraa jetty to have an up-close view of the falls. The boat cruise takes you to below the falls where you see the falls clearly and experience the strength of the rushing waters as they tremble down to the devil’s cauldron.

Hike to the top of the falls: From the bottom of the falls after the boat cruise, it’s always a perfect chance to hike to the top of the falls. Here you have the chance to walk through the trail that Sir Samuel Baker used and a spot he stood up as he named these falls after Murchison. The hike takes about 45 minutes and poses the perfect opportunity to take pictures of the falls and yourself on safari in Uganda. At the top of the falls, their old rocks are politic schist and a few muscovite crystals that have a tendency of sparkling when the sun shines on them.

Murchison Falls is one of the most scenic spots in the world and do not miss to visit this spot while on a Uganda safari.