Airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park’s accessibility has been made easy with the presence of airstrips near or around the park. These airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park ensure that visitors land safely inside the Murchison Falls National Park upon boarding from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip. Murchison Falls National Park is one of the leading wildlife destinations in Uganda, which sees a large percentage of visitors coming into the park on an annual basis. Therefore, the presence of these airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park helps to relieve the road congestion, especially in peak seasons, as visitors can fly to the park. Some of the airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park include the following.

Pakuba Airstrip

Located in the northern region of Murchison Falls National Park, Pakuba airstrip is one of the airstrips near or around the park. Pakuba airstrip is situated just close to the banks of the Albertine Nile with views of Lake Albert in the distance. The Pakuba airstrip runway stretches for about 1,760 meters and of a marram surface. The Uganda Civil Aviation, a government body in charge of all airstrips and airports in the country, is also the governing body of Pakuba airstrip. Pakuba airstrip is the largest among the airstrips in and around Murchison Falls National Park, and it is situated in the Nwoya district.

Chobe Airstrip

Operated by Chobe Safari Lodge, Chobe airstrip is located inside Murchison Falls National Park. Chobe airstrip overlooks Victoria Nile, a tributary of the longest river in the world, the River Nile, and is a private facility focusing mostly on the visitors flying into the park to Chobe Safari Lodge. This airstrip has a runway that measures 1,555 meters behind making airstrip in being the second longest thus, stretching into Nwoya district with its terminal in Kiryandongo district.

Bugungu Airstrip

Bugungu airstrip is the smallest in all the airstrip in and around Murchison Falls National Park. The airstrip has a gravel runway that runs for about 1,540 meters in the southern region of the park. Bugungu airstrip is managed by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority in Buliisa district of western Uganda.

What is the flight timetable?

A flight timetable outlines the flying plan of the flights going to Murchison Falls National Park. All domestic flights in Uganda are operated by Aerolink, a private aviation company that operates in national park linkages with passengers in the country, and also other countries like Kenya. The flight timetable for flights to airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park takes approximately an hour however, this depends on the routing. The flight timetable also portrays the flight number, the airport it departed from, and where it landed.

What are the airfares to Murchison Falls National Park?

The costs for the flight or airfares from Entebbe International Airport to one of the airstrips near or around Murchison Falls National Park vary between one-way and return for both adults and children. A one-way flight from Entebbe International Airport to Pakuba/Chobe/Bugungu airstrip and vice versa costs USD 284.45 for adult passengers and USD 199.11 for children. A return flight costs USD 474.08 for adults and USD 331.85 for children. Please note that all one-way flights incur a tax of USD 10 and the return flights USD 20.

When is the best time to fly?

Flying requires dry and clear weather, and the dry season offers exactly that. The dry season in Uganda is experienced twice, from June to August and December to February. The weather during this time of the year is humid and clear with no rainfall thus aiding visibility. This ensures that the flights fly smoothly without any turbulences. This is in contrast with the wet season that sees a hike in rainfall levels soaking the runways and misty conditions in the atmosphere that may cut out visibility.

What to see in Murchison Falls National Park?

Murchison Falls National Park is the largest protected area in Uganda and offers some of the unique and jaw-dropping experiences found no way in no the country. Some of the things to see in Murchison Falls National Park include.

Murchison Falls

Without any doubt, Murchison Falls is the face of Murchison Falls National Park. Murchison Falls is the main tourist attraction in the park, located on the Victoria Nile. This epic waterfall is the strongest in the world, and visitors flock to the park to catch a glimpse of this natural wonder. Formed when water traveling at a fast pace squeezes through the rock gorge of about 7 meters and continues to plunge over a rock wall cliff of about 45 meters, falling into a small pool at the bottom. This all happens in just seconds, crafting a spectacular physical feature that places Uganda on the world map. Visitors can fly into the park using the airstrips of Pakuba, Chobe, or Bugungu, scattered in various directions of the park, and connect by road to the Murchison Falls.

Wildlife

Murchison Falls National Park harbors a wide range of wildlife species. These wildlife species can be spotted even as visitors land in the various airstrips in Murchison Falls National Park. The vast landscape and wilderness of Murchison Falls National Park is home to some of the incredible wildlife species like four of the Big Five species, i.e, lions, elephants, buffaloes, and leopards, and other animals like hyenas, giraffes, warthogs, elands, waterbucks, reedbucks, and antelopes, among others.

Birds

Murchison Falls National Park is a birder’s paradise because of the numerous bird species it harbors. Over 451 bird species call this park’s different ecological systems their home, hence making Murchison Falls National Park an important birding area. The park hosts various birds, from endemic resident birds to the visiting migratory birds that are occasional. Giant kingfishers, giant herons, Abyssinian ground hornbills, nightjars, black headed lapwings, African crown eagle, Goliath herons, shoebill stock, and grey-crowned crested crane, among others, are some of the notable birds in Murchison Falls National Park.

Why fly to Murchison Falls National Park instead of driving?

There are several reasons why visitors choose to fly to Murchison Falls National Park instead of driving. Some of these reasons are highlighted below.

Incredible scenic aerial views

Flying to Murchison Falls National Park gives visitors are chance to enjoy incredible aerial views of the park landscape and its occupants, which cannot be offered while driving. Flying safaris in Murchison Falls National Park give a bird’s eye view of the park as far as the eye can stretch. These epic scenes craft an unreal experience leaving visitors with lasting memories.

Quickest means of transport

This is no debate as flying is definitely the quickest means of transport to Murchison Falls National Park compared to driving. Visitors who don’t enjoy long road trips opt for flying to shorten their spent on traveling. Journeying to Murchison Falls National Park from Entebbe International Park by road takes approximately 4-5 hours while by flying or air takes just an hour.

Increases the time spent in the park

By quickening the time lost in traveling, flying to Murchison Falls National Park increases the time to spend in the park and also the activities. The saved time by flying instead of driving to Murchison Falls National Park ensures that visitors can now enjoy an untimely adventure experience.

Sándor Jakubinyi

14:31 22 Feb 24

2019 megigazulás

12:45 21 Feb 24

We went on a two-week trip with my family, organised by Coleb from Standard Safaris.

I had my concerns about organised trips, but this one didn’t justify any of those. Everything went very smoothly, even when some problems arose with one of the cars it got fixed by next morning, the accomodations were clean and comfortable, the programs were exciting and well-balanced - everything was done to a truly high standard.

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Bert Simoens

09:38 08 Jan 24

We recently embarked on a safari adventure with Standard Safaris in Uganda, which was truly exceptional. Our guide, Yonah, was outstanding - his kindness, knowledge, and discretion significantly enhanced our experience. He was the heart of our trip.

The local company's planning was offering a tailor-made journey that matched our interests. We saw an array of wildlife in Murchison, enjoyed rafting at Jinja, and experienced mountain biking at Sipi. A visit to Kidepo National Park was a highlight and comes highly recommended.

The vehicle provided was comfortable and reliable. We highly recommend Standard Safaris for anyone seeking an unforgettable safari in Uganda. Their professionalism and the exceptional guidance of staff like Yonah make them an great choice.

Michał Kostrzewa

00:41 15 Nov 23

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Ivan Nammanda

18:31 27 Oct 23

Very organized travel operator who chose awesome guide to make our trip wonderful.

We booked a nine days trip with Standard Safaris and all was perfect from start to finish. Coleb was very prompt at replying and easy to liaise with ahead of the trip. We had done a lot of research and had an itinerary in mind and Coleb helped us to put everything together to make this happen for a very reasonable price.  On the trip we had a private vehicle for the whole tour which was exactly what we wanted. Bryan was our driver and an amazing guide - really friendly and knowledgable, working hard to find the things that we wanted to see and quickly understanding what was of interest to us/how much information to give.

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MUGAIGA KENNETH

18:01 27 Oct 23

The company has very courteous tour guides with wide knowledge of fauna and frola in the whole of East Africa.
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Game drive security is assured.
Almost The whole of September I was traversing through DRC, Uganda,and Rwanda on a gorilla tour and wildlife expedition.
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travel uganda

16:35 27 Oct 23

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