Skip to Content
Est. 1923 · 103 years on the same ground
The whole park in a day

Murchison Falls in One Day

You do not need to move into the park to see Murchison Falls. Leave after an early breakfast and you can be on the northern bank at game-drive hour, on the river in the afternoon and at the top of the falls before the light goes, then back on our veranda by evening. It is a long day, twelve hours or so, but it is one bed, one set of bags and one park entry.

From our gate to the falls and back

The Journey

1
The hotel to the gate

20 km, about thirty minutes. Leave at first light for the Kichumbanyobo gate. We can serve you an early breakfast before you go, or pack one for the road.

2
Through the forest to Paraa, and over the Nile

The road runs through Kaniyo Pabidi forest and down to Paraa. The old ferry has been replaced by a bridge over the Nile, so there is no timetable to wait for.

3
Game drive on the northern bank

About three hours. The morning is the best time for giraffe, elephant, buffalo, antelope and, with luck, lion or leopard.

4
Lunch, then the launch

Take a packed lunch from us, or eat at one of the lodges in the park. The afternoon boat leaves Paraa at 14:00 and travels seventeen kilometres upstream to the foot of the falls, past hippos, crocodiles, elephants at the water’s edge and some of the best river birding in Uganda.

5
Stay on the boat, or walk to the top

Stay aboard for the full round trip of about three hours, and your driver takes you round by road to the top of the falls afterwards. Or step off at the foot of the falls and follow a guide up the forest path to the top, about forty-five minutes and steep in places, while your driver goes round by road to meet you there.

6
The top of the falls

Here the whole of the Nile forces itself through a gap about seven metres wide. It is the loudest place in the park.

7
Back to Masindi

Out through Kichumbanyobo in the early evening, and dinner on the veranda. Hemingway’s Bar will be open.

Approximate

A Day That Works

Times move with the season, the roads and what you stop for. Reception will tell you what that week looks like.

06:00
Leave the hotel
06:30
Kichumbanyobo gate
08:00 – 11:30
Game drive on the northern bank
12:00
Lunch
14:00
Launch from Paraa to the foot of the falls
15:15
Off the boat and up the path, if you are walking
16:00
The top of the falls
18:00
Out through the gate
18:30
Back at the hotel
Before you come

What to Book

Park entry, the launch and the walk to the top are booked with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. We do not sell them and we take nothing from them.

We will arrange your early breakfast or pack it, pack your lunch if you want it, and quote a vehicle and driver for the day. Please give us at least four days’ notice.

Ask Reception

Write to reservations@masindihotel.com or message +256 772 420 130 with your dates, how many of you there are and whether you need a vehicle, and we will come back with the plan and a quote.

Email reservationsWhatsApp usThings to doGetting here