Compare Queen Elizabeth National Park with Murchison Falls, which one is better for safari? When embarking on a safari adventure experience in Uganda, visitors usually compare tourist destinations that have a slight similarity and determine the best. It is on this account that we compare Queen Elizabeth National Park with Murchison Falls National Park and determine the best destination for safari.
Uganda is second to none in terms of incredible safari destinations that can fit any visitor’s bucket list. In his journey across Africa, Prime Minister Winston Churchill the then-British prime minister concluded that Uganda is the pearl of Africa. It has distinctive features and wildlife scattered across its vast ecological systems making it an undisputed safari destination. Comparing these two incredible tourist destinations we need to first describe each in detail so that we understand them better.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Established in 1952 under the British colonial government, it was renamed Queen Elizabeth National Park to commemorate the visit of the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. The park is the most popular destination in the country, meaning it records a higher tourist turn-up than other safari destinations. It was originally named Kazinga National Park after the Kazinga Channel, a water channel that connects Lake George to Lake Edward. Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second biggest park in Uganda.
Queen Elizabeth National Park lies in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley, crossing the districts of Kasese, Kamwenge, Rubirizi, and Rukungiri. The park spans 1,978 square kilometers and harbors over 95 wildlife species and 600 bird species. Queen Elizabeth National Park is famous for hosting the tree-climbing lions of Ishasha.
Murchison Falls National Park
Defined by art and crafted by mighty, Murchison Falls National Park stands out of Uganda’s ecological destinations as the largest national park. It was established and gazette in 1952 by the then government of the British administration into a national park. Before it was gazette, it was a game reserve that was expanded to the River Nile after the evacuation of the locals due to tsetse flies.
Murchison Falls National Park was originally known as Kabalega Falls named after the Bunyoro King “Omukama Kabalega”. In 1863 and 1864 Samuel and Florence Baker visited and explored the park area. They then named the waterfalls Murchison Falls after the then president of the Royal Geographical Society and geologist Roderick Murchison. Its vast nature encircles the districts of Buliisa, Nwoya, Kiryandongo, and Masindi in its 3,893 square kilometers of land mass. The park is divided by the Victoria Nile from east to west for a distance of about 120 kilometers. This creates two ecological systems of tropical rainforests on the east and savannah on the west.
Comparing Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks
Comparing these two formidable safari destinations of Uganda, is done along specific lines and terms as we are to see below.
Scenery
Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks both have impressive sceneries that are unique and offer picturesque views. The former offers a stretched savannah that stretches for kilometers with a backdrop of Mountain Rwenzori. However, the latter Murchison Falls National Park takes the lead in this blanket of scenery as it offers epic views of the longest river in the world, the River Nile, and the strongest waterfall on earth, the Murchison Falls. These two important sceneries land Murchison Falls National Park in the first place.
Tourist activities
Both these incredible parks offer unmatched tourist activities, however, Queen Elizabeth National Park adds a twist to the tale with chimpanzee trekking at Kyambura and tree-climbing lions in Ishasha. These activities propel Queen Elizabeth National Park to lead Murchison Falls National Park in terms of tourist activities. No wonder Queen Elizabeth National Park is the most popular in the country.
Safari experience
Along the safari experience lines, both Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Park offer jaw-dropping experiences matching each other to a stalemate in this round. What one does not have, matches it have it has that the other doesn’t. For instance, Queen Elizabeth National Park has tree-climbing lions, and Murchison Falls National Park has Murchison Falls.
Number of wildlife
Queen Elizabeth National Park rounds this factor as the winner since it has a variety of wildlife compared to Murchison Falls National Park. Though it is smaller than Murchison Falls National Park, it has diverse ecological systems filled with several wildlife species. A large percentage of Murchison Falls National Park is occupied by the Nile rendering that area inhabitable by wildlife though this park is the largest in the country.
Birding experience
Adding to the safari excitement, birding adventures are both exceptional in these two safari destinations. However, in comparison, Queen Elizabeth National Park takes the lion’s share with about 600 bird species over Murchison Falls National Park’s 451 bird species. This provides Queen Elizabeth National Park as the best birding destination for bird expeditions in the country.
Big Five experience
A safari may not be complete without a Big Five experience and both Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks understood the assignment for epic Big Five experiences. Both of these parks harbor 4 of the Big Five animals which include lions, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards. The rhino is the only Big Five animal missing in these two destinations, however, in Uganda, rhinos are encountered at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Due to the proximity of Murchison Falls National Park to Ziwa, this park is the best Big Five destination in the country.
In conclusion, both Queen Elizabeth National Park and Murchison Falls National Park are the best safari destinations in the country. Choosing the best between them depends on what the visitors in interested in encountering or doing in the park.
