Murchison Falls: Uganda's Most Powerful Waterfalls

Murchison Falls, also referred to as Kabalega Falls, is located on the Nile River between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert in Uganda. The waterfall is created when the entire Nile river, which is some 100 to 120 meters wide before the falls, is forced through a narrow gap in the rocks only 7 meters wide, creating one of the most violent waterfalls in Africa with a flow of more than 300 cubic meters of water per second. The huge masses of water that squeeze through the rocks create a constant roar and the ground also tremble continuously. The mist the waterfalls create help sustains rich vegetation throughout the year.

Photo: Rod Waddington/Flickr

The Murchison Falls is one among a series of waterfalls on the Victorian Nile. The waterfall itself is of modest height—about 43 meters—but it is the most impressive in sight. The waterfalls form the central feature of the Murchison Falls National Park, which occupies an area of 3,840 square km of rolling grassland.

There are actually two parallel waterfalls at the site. Just before the walls are reached, the Nile splits into two branches. On the southern branch in the Murchison Falls, and on the northern branch is the Uhuru Falls, which has less water.

Photo: Noel Reynolds/Flickr

It is believed that the waterfalls was first reached in 61 AD when Emperor Nero sent a group of Roman legionaries to search for the source of the Nile. Some historians believe that the Romans never reached the falls because of the immensely difficult route, and instead got stuck in the swamps of Sudd some 800 km to the south. The first Europeans to reach Murchison Falls were Samuel Baker and Florence Baker, who named the waterfalls to honor the president of the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Roderick Murchison. In the 1970s, the name of the waterfalls was changed to Kabalega Falls by then-president of Uganda, Idi Amin, in honor of the former ruler of Uganda, Kabalega of Bunyoro. Nevertheless, this name did not become popular, and after his ousting, the old name returned.