Murchison Falls National Park Uganda Safari Africa, Adventure Holiday Uganda
February 26, 2008
MURCHISON FALLS.
Introduction:
Murchison Falls is situated in the Northern end of Albertine Rift Valley, where the Bunyoro escarpment is located into the Acholi land vast plains. The initially gazetted game reserve was one of the oldest conservation areas in Uganda, used to protect the savannah as described by Winston Churchill in 1907 as Zoo combined on an unlimited scale and Kew Gardens.
In 1907, Murchison Falls hosted many visitors such as Winston Churchill, then Theodore Roosevelt in 1090, who both visited the Falls.
In the Movie “African Queen” of John Huston, the Falls provided a backdrop to Humphrey Bogart in 1951. It was filmed along the Nile and on Lake Albert.
Other visitors include the Prince of Wales in 1930 and 1959 the Queen mother also visited the Fall.
Ernest Hemingway was the happiest couple that visited the falls since he literally dropped in the Falls when he was trying to over fly the Falls.
However, his plane got stranded on a telegraph wire. Hemingway was later rescued with his wife and taken to Butiaba. However, on take off, the rescue plane crushed.
The Victoria Nile bisects the park down 60km of rapids, then plunging 40m over remnant Rift valley walls at the falls.
Sir Samuel Baker was the early explorer who named the Water Falls in 1864 and considered it the Source of the Nile. The Water Falls flows further 55km to Lake Albert on a Rift valley floor. This stretch of the river calls for wildlife spectacles like the hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, elephants, buffalo and giraffe.
The park is one of Uganda’s most protected areas, covering 3893km2 than the Murchison Falls (5072km2), which even extends to Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves.
The lowest area in Uganda is the corridor at Albert Nile (Delta point is 612m).
Maximum temperatures go up to 290C, with the months of mid February and December being the hottest and rain season being April and November.
Advertisement
