Murchison Falls Safari: Game Drives & Nile Boat Tour

Game drives, a boat safari, and a hike to where the Nile squeezes through a narrow gorge

A 3-day private safari from Kampala to Murchison Falls National Park in northwestern Uganda, with driver-guide, game drives, a Nile boat ride, and a hike to the falls overlook. You're picked up from your hotel or airport, stay two nights at Pakuba Game Lodge, and return to Kampala on day three. The park spans 3,840 square kilometers and holds 76 mammal species, over 451 bird species, and the falls themselves—water forced through a gorge just 8 meters wide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Transfer and game drive to park

• Pick up from hotel or airport
• Stop at Rhino Sanctuary to track rhinos
• Enjoy lunch
• Game drive en route to park
• Drive to lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 2 — Game drives and boat safari

• Early morning game drive
• Return to lodge for breakfast and lunch
• Afternoon boat safari on the Nile
• Hike to top of Murchison Falls
• Drive back to lodge for dinner and overnight

Day 3 — Return drive to Kampala

• Early morning game drive out of park
• Drive to Kampala with lunch stop in Masindi
• Transfer to hotel or airport

The Experience

The driver-guide picks you up from your Kampala hotel or airport and heads northwest, stopping first at a rhino sanctuary to track black and white rhinos before lunch. Then you enter Murchison Falls National Park with a game drive, watching for warthogs, baboons, and whatever else moves across the savannah grasslands. You reach Pakuba Game Lodge by evening.

Day two starts before dawn. An early morning game drive puts you out when waterbucks, Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, lions, and birds are most active. After breakfast and lunch at the lodge, you board a 2-hour boat safari on the Victoria Nile. From the water you see Nile crocodiles, hippos, buffaloes, and elephants along the banks, plus bee-eaters, colored kingfishers, and the shoebill stork. The boat takes you to the base of Murchison Falls, where you watch the water hit the gorge. Then you hike to the top of the falls for a view of the water squeezing through the 8-meter gap in the rocks before returning to the lodge for dinner.

Day three is an early game drive out of the park, then a drive back to Kampala with a lunch stop in Masindi Town. The driver drops you at your hotel or airport. Your guide speaks English, Spanish, French, German, or one of two additional languages, and all transport and accommodations are arranged—you don't coordinate pickups or book lodging separately.

What’s included

• Hotel or airport pickup in Kampala.
• all ground transport in a vehicle with your driver-guide.
• two nights at Pakuba Game Lodge.
• morning and afternoon game drives.
• a 2-hour Nile boat safari to the base of the falls.
• a hike to the top of Murchison Falls.
• and lunch on day one and day three.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Cream Tours & Safaris

Is this one for you?Book this private tour if you want the flexibility of your own guide and vehicle without coordinating multiple bookings—the driver handles pickups, lodging, meals, and the sequence of game drives, boat time, and the falls hike, so the three days hold together as a single itinerary.

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Top questions

What animals will I see on the game drives in Murchison Falls?

Murchison Falls is home to 76 mammal species and over 451 bird species. On the game drives you're likely to see waterbucks, Uganda kobs, elephants, buffaloes, lions, warthogs, baboons, and various birds including the Great blue Turaco, Goliath heron, shoebill stork, and dwarf kingfisher. The Nile boat ride adds sightings of crocodiles and hippos along the riverbanks.

How long is the boat ride on the Nile, and what happens at the end of it?

The afternoon boat safari lasts 2 hours. It takes you downriver along the Victoria Nile to the base of Murchison Falls, where you see the water hit the gorge and can photograph the falls from the water level before hiking to the top.

What is the hike to the top of Murchison Falls like?

The hike takes you to the overlook at the top of the falls, where you watch the Nile squeeze through an 8-meter-wide gorge. It's described as an amazing experience with plenty of photo opportunities. The hike happens after the boat ride on day two, and you return to the lodge for dinner afterward.

Do I need to arrange my own transportation from Kampala to the park?

No. Your driver-guide picks you up from your Kampala hotel or airport on day one and handles all transport to the park, during the safari, and back to Kampala on day three. A lunch stop in Masindi Town breaks up the return drive.

Where do I stay during the safari?

You stay two nights at Pakuba Game Lodge, which is located in Murchison Falls National Park. Accommodation is included, and the lodge is your base for the game drives and boat safari.

What languages does the guide speak?

Your driver-guide is fluent in English, Spanish, French, German, and two additional languages, so you can request the language that suits you when you book.