Murchison Falls National Park Entry Fees | Park Fees for Murchison Falls

Murchison Falls National Park Entry Fees-2020.

Murchison Falls National Park Entry Fees are always set by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and revised every two years. It is always important for visitors to know about the park entry fees charged in every national park in Uganda in order properly plan your trip to the respective parks.

Brief History on Murchison Falls National Park.

Murchison Falls National Park is known for being the oldest and largest park in Uganda covering an area of 3,893km2 located in the northwestern part of Uganda near Masindi city. Murchison falls park was established in 1952 by the British administration and is now under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority harboring over 76 mammals with a huge population of hippos, species, 450 bird species, During the leadership of Idi Amini Dada, he tried to change the name to Kabalega falls but later after his overthrow, it returned to Murchison falls though some people still call it Kabalega falls. This article explains some basic information including how to access the park, park entrance fees, some activities carried out in the park and where to stay during the Murchison falls safari.

2020 Entrance Fees for Murchison Falls National Park.

The following entrance fees for Murchison Falls National Park are valid till 30th June 2020. Starting 1st July 2020 till 30th June 2022 the tariffs/ entrance fees to the park will be slightly increased for various activities and services that are offered by the national park.

The Entry fees for Murchison Falls national park are charged basing on per person per day and vary depending on the visitor’s residence status, age and the number of days that the visitor will be spending in the park.

Entry Fees for Tourists visiting Murchison Falls National Park.

Foreign Non Residents visiting Murchison Falls national park get to pay USD 40 dollars as entry fees to the park, while foreign residents are charged USD 30 dollars per person and UGX 20,000 for East African Citizens.

Children aged between 5 to 15 years pay a discounted fee as follows;

USD 20 dollars per person for Foreign Non-Residents.
USD 10 dollars per person for Foreign Residents.
UGX 5,000 shillings for East African Citizens.
UGX 3,000 shillings for children from schools within Uganda.

UWA also offers visitors annual park entry passes which are valid for Foreign Residents and members from the East African Community Only. However, to qualify for this annual park entry pass, one must present his/her valid work permit.

USD 350 dollars per person for Foreign Residents and UGX 150,000 for East African Citizens.
Couples get to pay USD 500 dollars for Foreign Residents and UGX 200,000 for East African Citizens.
Corporate persons get to pay USD 1,500 per person for Foreign Residents and UGX 2,500,000 for members from the East African Community.
Family with a maximum of 4 children pay USD 700 for Foreign Residents and UGX 300,000 for East African Citizens.
Tour operators fees are as follows; USD 50 dollars per person for Foreign Resident and UGX 125,000 for East African Community members.
Safari guides and taxi drivers accessing the national park must be citizens from any of the East African Community States. Members are charged UGX 100,000 shillings per person. Tour company drivers get to enter the park for free.

Entry Fees charged on Vehicles entering Murchison Falls National Park.

Entry fees charged on vehicles entering the national park depends on the type of vehicle and its carrying capacity;

USD 150 dollars for all Foreign tour operator vehicles and 4×4 safari vehicles, and UGX 30,000 for Uganda registered tour operator vehicles.
USD 50 dollars for all Foreign registered Pick-up vehicles, Mini-buses and Omni-buses, and UGX 30,000 for Ugandan Registered vehicles.
USD 150 for Foreign owned Over Landers, and UGX 100,000 for Ugandan Registered vehicles.
USD 150 for foreign owned buses and Lorries and UGX 150,000 shillings for vehicles registered in Uganda.
UGx 50,000 shillings for Ugandan Registered School Buses.

Boat Landing Fees in Murchison Falls National Park.

Boats landing in the national park are also charged depending on their carrying capacity.

15 seater Foreign-owned boats pay USD 50 dollars, and UGx 50,000 for Ugandan owned boats.
15 seater Launch/ Speed Boats pay USD 100 for those that are Foreign Registered boats, and UGX 150,000 for Ugandan Registered Boats.
UGX 10,000 per day as parking fees for the boats.

Entry Fees for Ferry crossing in Murchison Falls National Park.

Vehicles using the ferry to cross while in the park are charged depending on the weight of the vehicles, as follows;

Vehicles weighing 2 tons and below are charged UGx 20,000.
Vehicles weighing 2-5 tons pay UGx 40,000.
UGx 80,000 for heavy vehicles weighing between 5 to 10 tons.
UGx 150,000 for vehicles weighing between 10 to 20 tons.
UGx 5,000 for motorcycles using the ferry crossing.
*UGx 5,000 for passengers using the ferry crossing.*

Please note that vehicle drivers and school buses with children are not charged the ferry crossing fees. The above fees are valid for one way transit vehicles till 7 pm. Vehicles in excess of 20 tons are required to get special approval from management at the park prior to using the ferry crossing.

Entry Fees for air crafts landing in the park.

Air crafts landing in Murchison Falls National Park are also charged entry fees into the park as follows;

USD 10 for Foreign-owned glider and microlight aircrafts landing in the park, and UGx 20,000 for Uganda Registered aircraft of the same make.
USD 20 dollars for Foreign Registered three seater planes, and UGx 40,000 for Ugandan owned aircrafts.
USD 40 dollars for Foreign Registered aircrafts carrying between 4-6 passengers, and UGx 60,000 for Uganda Registered aircrafts.
USD 40 dollars for 7-14 seater aircrafts that are Foreign registered, and UGx 80,000 for Ugandan aircrafts.
USD 50 for 15-20 seater aircrafts that are foreign registered and UGx 100,000 for Uganda Registered aircrafts.
USD 60 dollars for 21 seater aircrafts that are Foreign owned, and UGx 120,000 for Ugandan Registered aircrafts.
USD 60 dollars for foreign owned helicopters and UGx 250,000 per landing for those that are Ugandan Registered.

All aircrafts pay a fee of UGx 10,000 per day as parking fees. Landing fees exclude entry fees payable by passengers and pilots en-route do not get to pay entry fees if they are spending less than 2 hours in the national park.

Murchison Falls National Park Entry Fees-2020

Entry fees for activities done in Murchison Falls National Park.

Game Drives:

Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda offers its visitors both day and night game drives.

USD 30 dollars for both Foreign Non Residents and Foreign Residents, and UGx 30,000 for East African Citizens for the day game drives.

USD 40 dollars per person for Foreign Non Residents and Foreign Residents for the night game drives, UGx 40,000 per person for East African Citizens, and UGX 800,000 per day for UWA buses.

In case you need to hire an UWA guide, an addition fee is required as follows; USD 20 dollars and UGx 20,000 for foreign tourists and East African citizens respectively. For the night game drive with an UWA guide, visitors will be charged USD 30 dollars and UGX 50,000 for East African Citizens. Please note that day games in the park are charged basing on per vehicle and night game drives are charged basing on per individual/per person.

Boat Cruise/Launch Trips:

Boat cruises in Murchison Falls national park take roughly 2 hours and take a maximum of 45 persons. USD 30 for both Foreign and Foreign Non Residents, and UGx 30,000 for East African Citizens.

Day Guided Nature Walks:

USD 15 dollars per person for both Foreign and Foreign Non Residents, and UGx 10,000 for East African Citizens.

Night Guided Nature Walks:

Night guided nature walks in the park cost USD 40 dollars per person for foreign non-residents, USD 20 dollars for foreign residents, and UGx 15,000 for East African Citizens.

Birding:

Birding safaris in Murchison Falls national park cost USD 30 both Foreign and Foreign Non Residents, and UGx 10,000 for East African Citizens.

Top of the Falls Walk:

Visitors hiking to the top of the Murchison falls pay USD 15 dollars per person for foreign non-residents, USD 10 dollars for foreign residents and UGx 10,000 for East African Citizens.

Sport Fishing Permits:

Visitors interested in taking part in sport fishing activities in Murchison falls national park cost USD 50 dollars per day for both Foreign and Foreign Non Residents, and USD 150 for four days. The sport fishing permit excludes park entrance fees.

White Water Rafting:

White water rafting activities in Murchison falls national park cost USD 50 dollars per person for both Foreign and Foreign Non Residents, and UGx 50,000 for East African Citizens. Fees exclude park entrance fees.

Where can one stay during the Murchison safari?

There are several lodges and campsites inside and around the park where visitors can relax their minds during the safari. These include budget lodges, midrange lodges and luxury lodges which gives the clear view of the park and some other features like river Nile, Lake Albert and much more.

Some of these lodges include; Paraa safari lodge which is located near Nile River, Nile safari lodge, Red Chili Rest Camp, Sambiya river lodge, Pakuba lodge, Murchison River Lodge, Masindi lodge and many more.

How to access Murchison Falls National Park?

Visitors who wish to visit Murchison Falls national park can access the national either by road or air. The park is located about 260 kilometers from Kampala via Kampala-Packwach highway. There are also air transfers available to transport visitors from Entebbe International Airport to Murchison falls national park. Air transfers to the park can take between 1½ to 2 hours depending on the aircraft routing.