On the territory of the African continent, despite the arid climate, there are a lot of waterfalls. It is in Africa that the largest waterfall in the world, Victoria, is located, and the famous Tugela Waterfall is also located here. East Africa is famous for Thompson Falls, which is located in Kenya, and Murchison Falls — the largest waterfall park, which is located in Uganda.
The area on which the Uganda National Park is spread is very extensive — almost four thousand square kilometers. The longest river in the world — the Nile — flows through the territory of this park. Remarkably, it divides the entire Murchison Park into two parts and forms those magnificent cascades of waterfalls that tourists from all over the world come to see.
What to see
The main waterfall has the same name as the entire park. Murchison Falls was named by its discoverer Samuel Baker in honor of the famous Scottish geologist Roderick Murchison. For more than a century, from 1864 to 1972, the waterfall was known by this name. But in 1972, as a result of a political coup in Uganda, the waterfall was renamed in honor of the national hero of Uganda. Soon, however, the political regime was overthrown, but even now the waterfall has two names: Kaberega and Murchison. Although he is better known to tourists from Russia by his first name.Murchison Waterfall is very high — it rises as much as 40 meters above the ground. But the water pours in this miracle of nature through a rather narrow gap: the narrowest point of Murchison Falls is only six meters.
In the east of the Uganda Park, the waterfalls are less majestic, but still worth a look. Here, tourists will be delighted with the spectacle that the Nile will present to them — in the area of the Kagima cascades, which stretch for 20 kilometers, the river runs with stunning speed. Of course, remember the safety rules: “not knowing the ford, do not get into the water” — this is just the case.
There are smaller waterfalls in the park than Murchison. So, some of them reach only six meters in height, but this does not detract from their beauty. You can feel the power of water in any case.
Murchison National Park is also famous for its fauna. It is home to the largest number of animals in all of Africa. If you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on which side you look at), then you will meet antelope, giraffes, buffaloes, crocodiles and elephants.
Not to turn off the well-trodden path after all: wild animals are not always happy to meet a person.
The Rabongo Forest, which is very popular among tourists, is located in the southern part of the park. This is an amazingly beautiful place, on the territory of which several families of primates, including chimpanzees, live.
One of the most popular activities in the Uganda Park is fishing. Tourists usually dream of catching Nile perch. Anyone can try their luck — don’t forget to bring a fishing rod with you. In the Nile River you can also fish for bream or tiger fish.