Murchison Falls

Currency budget Uganda

Park entry is charged in dollars per person per 24 hours by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and the launch, the ferry and the vehicle are each charged on top. Bring clean, post-2013 dollar notes for fees and tips, and shillings for everything outside the gate.

ATMs & cards

There are no machines in the park. Draw shillings in Kampala or Masindi on the way in; Stanbic and Absa are the banks that reliably take foreign cards. Lodges take cards, usually with a surcharge, and the ferry and the small payments are cash.

Bring clean, post-2013 dollar notes for park fees and tips; older or torn notes are refused across East Africa.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety all of Uganda

The wildlife is the risk, and the park has plenty of it: stay in the vehicle on game drives, keep to the trail at the top of the falls, and never walk to the river at a lodge after dark, which is when the hippos come out of it. The UK FCDO does not advise against travel to Murchison Falls, but it notes that terrorists have attacked in western Uganda, including in national parks, and an attack in Queen Elizabeth National Park killed two tourists in 2023; travel with a registered operator. Malaria prophylaxis is advised and tsetse flies bite through thin clothing.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa Uganda visa rules

Health & emergencies all of Uganda

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate — required of all arrivals and checked at Entebbe

Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Lodge food, included and plain. On the drive up, the roadside rolex — an omelette rolled in a chapati — and grilled maize at Masindi are the meals worth stopping for. Tilapia and Nile perch come from Lake Albert to the lodge tables.

Getting around

• Safari vehicle — almost everyone comes by road with a driver-guide, five to six hours from Kampala and more from Entebbe
• Light aircraft — scheduled flights land at Pakuba and Chobe airstrips inside the park, which saves a day on the road
• Ferry — the Paraa ferry crosses the Nile between the south-bank lodges and the game-drive circuits on the north bank; it runs to a timetable and stops in the evening
• Boat — the launch from Paraa upstream to the foot of the falls, and the trip downstream to the delta for the shoebill
• On foot — only on the trail at the top of the falls and with a ranger elsewhere; the rest of the park is lions and buffalo
• Airport: Entebbe (EBB) internationally; Kajjansi and Entebbe for the light aircraft

eSIM

A data eSIM for Uganda, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:Works hereWorks hereRevolut No local plan

Must-see

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

English (Uganda)

• Hello (Luganda)Oli otyaoh-lee OH-cha
• Hello (Rukiga, southwest)Agandiah-GAHN-dee
• Thank you (Luganda)Webaleweh-BAH-leh
• Thank you very muchWebale nnyoweh-BAH-leh nyo

English is official and widely spoken; Luganda is the language of the centre and Rukiga and Runyankole of the southwest, where Bwindi is. Greetings are long here — expect to be asked after your family and your journey before anything else, and to ask back.

Religion

Christian, split Catholic and Anglican, with a Muslim minority

Around 85% Christian, divided almost evenly between Catholic and Anglican, with about 14% Muslim. Faith is public and prominent, church services are long and musical, and religious language enters ordinary conversation. It also underwrites some deeply illiberal politics: the anti-homosexuality legislation has broad church backing, and LGBT visitors should understand the legal position before travelling.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet at length — how are you, how is the family, how is work — before getting to the point
• Shake hands, and hold on longer than feels natural; it is warmth, not a mistake
• Hire a porter for the gorilla trek, which is both practical and the most direct way money reaches the community
• Cover shoulders and knees in villages and churches
• Follow the gorilla rules exactly: seven metres, no flash, no visiting if you are ill

Don't

• Do not photograph police, soldiers or government buildings
• Do not show public affection, and be aware that Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law is severe and applies to visitors
• Do not use your left hand to give or receive
• Do not hand money or sweets to children; give to the community projects the lodges work with instead
• Do not go into the forest without a guide, or off the trails at all