Formally and locally known as Kabalega National Park, it sits at the far end of the Albertine Rift, 305km north of Kampala, and can be accessed via road or air. The park was acknowledged and gazetted as a wildlife reserve in 1926 and is therefore the oldest national park in Uganda.
It is additionally the largest national park and together with the neighbouring Bugungu and Karuma Wildlife Reserves, they form the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
The park derives its name from Murchison Falls, a key attraction within it, where the River Nile waters flow through a 7-metre wide gorge plunging 45 metres into an 80km stretch of rapids.
The park is home to the largest crocodile population in Uganda. Hippos, elephants, buffalos and giraffes can also be spottled on the river bank. Other wildlife include hartebeests, oribia, leopards, lions, Uganda kobs and 70 other mammal species. Birding is a highlight within the park, hosting over 450 bird species including the rare shoe-billed stork, dwarf kingfisher, goliath heron, white-thighed hornbill and the great blue turaco.
The park's topography includes savannah, riverine forests and woodlands. Chimpanzees reside within a section of the park, at the only natural forest that has stood the test of time, Budongo Forest. This area is famed for the tracking of these primates.
