Fort Murchison National Park, Boat Safari and Falls

Early Morning to  Murchison Falls National Park

The stars were so bright last night. I think I even spotted a falling star. Pure magic.

We are up ar 5am. After a hot buffet breakfast, we are on our way by 6:20am.

We are barely off the premises when we see a herd of Uganda Kob (deer like animal) and guinea fowl. I love guinea fowl, they are so comical.

A couple minutes later we have to stop the van because an elephant is crossing the road. Oh I do love Africa.

We head into Murchison Falls National Park for our first safari of the day. Bosco opens the roof of the van and we are on our way. Woo Hoo!

Drama in the Park

The park is fantastic. We see a lot of Oribi which is second smallest type of antelope. There are also Waterbucks and Johnson’s Hartebeests.

We hear a panicked bleeting and see a  Uganda Kop mother charging at something. It’s only then that we notice a baboon has caught her baby. The bleeting suddenly stops. The mother leaves and watches from a distance. Two other baboons run over but the killer refuses to share his feast.

Sleep Interrupted

We stop when we find a lioness sleeping in the grass. She lifts her head to check us out. Finally she rolls over, displaying a pregnant belly. She gets up, takes a pee and saunters off into the grass. Click here for a short video.

Park Plumes

In regards to birds we see Kingfishers, The African Jacan, the common fiscal, vultures Watred, Bishop birds, coucals, open billed stork, great cranes. Gray Heron and so many more.

Other Inhabitants

African Buffalo graze in the sun. They have such funny faces. An old male only has one horn. He’s had one too many battles. Many other buffalo have egrets sitting on their backs, hitching a ride.

We see a troupe of common Patas monkeys in the grasses.

We also see lots of mongoose but they move too quickly for me to get a picture.

We stop at a park comfort station for a break. I am horrified to find that the women’s washroom only has squat toilets. I make do.

Late Morning Life

We see less animals in the late morning. We are told of a lion hiding in the grass amongst a large herd of kop.

We watch a group of ten giraffes on the horizon. Near by there are eight more. More keep coming. They are all walking in the same direction. Where are they all going?

Another guide spots a leopard sleeping in a tree in the distance. It is 12:15pm and well over 30 degrees,. I don’t blame him for sleeping.

We spot, my favorites, warthogs as we are leaving the park.

Boat Safari on the Blue Nile River

After lunch we head on a three hour boat safari along the Blue Nile to the base of Murchison Falls; the most powerful falls in the world.

There are only four of us on the boat plus the driver.

There are so many hippos along the route. We are driving along in a small motor boat and the next thing you know a head pops out of the water a short distance away. Then another and another. Next thing you know there are over ten hippos in close proximity. This happens a number of times. 

We get close to a young Nile Monitor Lizard in the bank of the river. After posing for a few pics, he makes an exit.

Stork vs Baboons

We see a lot of different kinds of birds; the iridescent blue kingfisher, knob billed ducks and the saddle billed stork to name a few.

The saddle billed stork is a large bird. At one point we see one being challenged by a baboon. It has its wings full out to scare the baboon but he is not backing down. The stork flies off.

The Bottom of the Falls

The boat takes us to the bottom of Murchison Falls or at least as close as you can safely get in a motorboat. You can really feel the power of the falls. 

We turn around and head back.

Nile Croc

There is a sandy island full of shore and water birds with a Nile crocodile on shore. Not pleased being the centre of all our attention , he gets up and lumbers into the water, eyes peeking out to keep track of our actions.

On Top of Murchison Falls

Once back, we head to the top of Murchison Falls . It’s about an hours drive. Like Niagara, we see the mist of the falls before the actual falls itself. 

I stay on the lower level of the observation walk but John goes to the top viewpoint from whence he returns totally soaked.

As I mentioned before, Murchison Falls is the world’s most powerful falls. Being at the top of the falls, you can feel it’s might and fury. 

Red Chilli Restaurant and Camp

We are both exhausted when we head back to the camp. We are staying in tents with no electricity. There is also no wifi. I am suffering withdrawal . However we do have real beds in the tent. 

A family of wild warthogs are hanging around the restaurant; a mama and four babies. No idea where the dad is 

One of the guys that works at the camp explains to us that if we leave the tent at night we need to use our flashlight and watch out for hippos. At first I think he’s joking but then goes on to say that if we see a hippo we are to stay at least twenty metres away. (No problem on that count). He further states that we are never to keep food in the tent and always keep the tent zipped shut to keep out baboons and warthogs. Lastly, do not feed the warthogs or they will not leave you alone.

We shower and head to supper in the restaurant and lounge area. John, Bosco and I all order the fish and chips. The portion sizes are huge. I also order a glass of milk and a cider. The glass of milk is also humongous.

A gecko observes from the washroom wall as I brush my teeth