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Murchison Falls

Murchison falls national park is Uganda's largest national park. It measures approximately 3,893 square kilometers (1,503square miles).The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile from east to west for a distance of about 115 kilometers (71 miles).

The park is the location of the Murchison Falls, where the waters of the Nile flow through a narrow gorge only 7 meters (23 feet) wide before plunging 43 meters (141 feet).

Also in the park, adjacent to the Masindi-Gulu Highway, are the Karuma Falls, the location of the 600 megawatt Karuma Power Station, which will be Uganda's largest power station when it comes online circa 2018.

Location

The park straddles the Ugandan districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi. The driving distance from Masindi, the nearest large town, to the Kibanda area of the national park is about 72 kilometres (45 mi). This area is about 283 kilometres (176 mi), by road, north-west of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The coordinates of the park near the Kibanda area are 02°11'15.0"N, 31°46'53.0"E (Latitude:2.187499; Longitude:31.781400).

History

The explorers John Speke and James Grant were the first Europeans to visit the present day MFCA in 1862. It was more thoroughly explored by Samuel and Florence Baker in 1863-4. Baker named the falls Murchison Falls after the geologist Roderick Murchison, then the president of the Royal Geographical Society.

Between 1907 and 1912, the inhabitants of an area of about 13,000 square kilometres (5,000 square miles) were evacuated due to sleeping sickness spread by tsetse flies. In 1910, the Bunyoro Game Reserve was created south of the River Nile. That area roughly corresponds to the part of the MFNP that is in the districts of Buliisa, Masindi, and Kiryandongo. In 1928, the boundaries were extended north of the river into the modern-day Nwoya District.

In 1952, the British administration established the National Parks Act of Uganda. The area described above became Murchison Falls National Park.

Activities

below are some of the activies  in the national park

Birding in Murchison Falls. ...

  • Cultural Encounters in Murchison Falls. ...
  • Game Drives in Murchison Falls. ...
  • Hiking and Nature Walks in Murchison Falls. ...
  • Hot air balloons in Murchison Falls National Park. ...
  • Launch Trips in Murchison Falls. ...
  • Sport Fishing in Murchison Falls
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