Murchison Falls National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is the author of the Bradt guidebook to Uganda.

Murchison Falls National Park supports four of the Big Five (only rhinos are absent). Buffalo and elephant are particularly common. A healthy lion population preys on the abundant Uganda kob. Despite being more secretive, leopards are seen with increasing frequency. Other antelope include oribi, Jackson’s hartebeest, defassa waterbuck, common duiker and bushbuck. The Victoria Nile river teems with crocodiles, hippos and waterbirds.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeCommon

HippoAbundant

BuffaloCommon

ZebraNone

WildebeestNone

ChimpanzeeOccasional

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoNone

LionCommon

LeopardOccasional

CheetahNone

Wild DogNone

Wildlife Highlights

Large herds of the localized Rothschild’s giraffe have long been a feature of the plains north of the Nile and now also occur farther south. Leopards, though far from numerous, are most likely to be seen in the vicinity of Pakuba Lodge. Troops of the localized patas monkey can play on the grassy plains north of the Nile, while the forested riverbank is home to black-and-white colobus. Chimpanzee trekking is available in neighboring Budongo Forest.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

Murchison Falls NP offers good wildlife viewing throughout the year. But the best time is during the Dry season (December to February), when animals gather around the Victoria Nile and other reliable water sources.