Murchison Falls National Park, National park in Northern Region, Uganda
Murchison Falls National Park is a protected area in northern Uganda where the Victoria Nile narrows to seven meters (23 feet) and drops forty-three meters (141 feet) through a rocky gorge. The park covers open savannah, riverine forest, and papyrus swamps along the river, with elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and hippos moving through the grasslands.
The area was protected as the Bunyoro Game Reserve from 1910 and became a national park in 1952. Wildlife protection suffered during decades of conflict and poaching before conservation efforts in the 1990s helped restore animal populations.
The 1951 film 'The African Queen' with Humphrey Bogart recorded scenes at Lake Albert and along the Nile within the national park boundaries.
The park lies about 305 kilometers (190 miles) north of Kampala along roads with some rough sections. Visitors will find lodges near the river or simpler camping areas, and guided tours are recommended for game drives and boat trips to the falls.
The falls were used as a filming location in the early 1950s for a movie starring Humphrey Bogart when the area was still hard to reach. Today the site is home to over 500 bird species including rare shoebill storks that can be spotted in the wetlands along the southern shore.
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