The hook
Where the entire Nile is squeezed through a gap in the rocks just seven metres wide and explodes through in a violent, thundering torrent, at the heart of Uganda's largest national park.
01Why it's worth it
At Murchison Falls, the Victoria Nile, already a huge river, is forced through a narrow cleft in the rift escarpment barely wide enough to stand across, and the result is spectacular: the full weight of the river blasting through the gap and crashing down in a roaring, spray-filled chute, one of the most powerful waterfalls anywhere despite its modest height. It anchors Uganda's largest and one of its finest national parks, a rolling savanna and riverine landscape north of the falls that holds elephants, lions, giraffes (the endangered Rothschild's subspecies), buffalo, and, along the water, dense populations of hippos and huge Nile crocodiles. The classic experience combines a game drive on the northern plains with a boat cruise up the Nile to the foot of the falls, watching wildlife line the banks, and, for the energetic, a hike to the dramatic top of the falls. Less visited than the gorilla forests, it offers Uganda's best classic savanna safari alongside a genuine natural wonder.
02How to experience it
Combine a boat cruise up the Nile to the base of the falls with a savanna game drive on the northern bank, and hike to the top of the falls for the full force of the river. Go in the dry seasons for wildlife and access. It pairs with the chimps of nearby Kibale or the gorillas further southwest.