Victoria Nile boat cruise in Murchison Falls which is approximately 2-3 hours is operated on a daily basis. The boat cruise rate is USD 30 for non-resident foreigners and UGX 30,000 for Ugandans, subjected to minimum and maximum numbers and to adjustments accordingly.
This boat cruise runs upriver from the water bank at Paraa docking point on the southern bank to Murchison Falls National Park, at the head of the Fajao Gorge. The trip has been the park’s most popular attraction since 1950s.
Boat Cruise Schedules
Daily morning schedule are in place. The boat has two shifts, that is, the morning and afternoon shifts, where the morning schedule runs from 08:30 am to 11:30 am and the afternoon shift is at 2:00 pm – 4:00pm. All these depend on the demand of the cruise.
However, there is another mid-morning boat cruise that belongs to Paraa Safari Lodge that is scheduled at 11:00 am which is operated at the same price as the one for Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). You can also chatter your own private boat since a number of small engine boats also exist.
The boat contains a small mini bar that sells soft drinks such as mineral water and hard drinks such as Nile beer at a given fee. Eats and drinks are always provided by the lodge of residence if you cleared for full board meal plan. For other meal arrangements, one needs to buy eats and drinks at the park lodge restaurants.
A special waterfall sundowner to the bottom of the Falls can be arranged on request. Guests should please ensure they are at the agreed departure points at least 15 minutes prior to departure time. However, timings may vary slightly depending upon the day’s pickup bookings.
Attractions while on a Victoria Nile boat cruise
Boat cruises along the Nile give you an excellent opportunity to view abundance of wildlife, including mammals such as bushbucks, waterbucks, elephants, buffaloes, and hippos to mention but a few. Don’t miss reptiles such as monitor lizards, crocodiles, and birds like the great white egrets, Egyptian goose, pied kingfisher, red-throated flycatcher, shoebill stork and so much more.
You may opt for a lovely sunset and sundowner, to increase on your experience in Murchison Falls National Park. Its upstream provides mind blowing views to tourists who enjoy witnessing the fight between water and rocks, as it squeezes each other to the bottom, producing thundering sounds, with a lot of foam formed.
Several arrangements are made at the park even for private rides. Booking your space in advance is important because tickets for this boat cruise get filled up easily. If your trip is organized by a travel agency, there is no need to bother because agents book earlier than anyone in order to ensure their clients’ safety. Though you cannot go so close to the falls with a boat, you can visit Murchison Falls on a separate nature walk.
The tour ends with a simple hike to the top of the falls at a point where you can view the entire waterfall and get the best photoshoots ever. This is a bit challenging and requires fitness. It’ll take you to the top of the falls where you can see the huge power at close range – the thundering roar when the water forces its way through the narrow gap. The hike is roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour hike.
However, you can decide to return with the boat if you are an able to hike and later your driver picks you up and drive you to the top of the falls.
In Uganda, interesting boat experiences can be done in other areas. These include the much longed for launch cruise along Kazinga channel, that connects Lake Edward and Lake George in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The other amazing is a boat trip on Lake Mburo which is famous for the greatest population of hippos, making it a very exciting and rewarding experience.