POWERSful Travel: Murchison River Lodge

Best for: families, relaxing, and a variety of activities

Murchison River Lodge (MRL) was the place in Murchison Falls National Park where we stayed most frequently throughout our four years in Uganda. It is affordable, family-friendly, flexible, and conveniently located. What does all that mean?

Convenient Location:

MRL's location is key for flexibility. It is one of the closest lodging locations to the southern park entrance, which makes the top of the falls, fishing trips, boat excursions, and even chimp trekking in the South of the park accessible. However, MRL is across the river from the prime safari area, making it a bit of a drive (45-60mins) from the high-density wildlife zones. It is much easier now that the bridge is there, so you no longer have to wait for the ferry, but we made a point to stay at Murchison when we had a variety of activities planned that involved the river and the falls and maybe one safari. When we had guests that were primarily focused on safari and wanted to do early morning, evening, and night game drives, we would stay at Pakuba Lodge, which is the only lodging in the area near the delta on the north side of the river with the most substantial wildlife population, to avoid all of the extra driving.

Family-Friendly:

We are a family of five with three children of very different ages (Now - 20, 9, & 5). We arrived in Uganda when our youngest was one year. We had to do safaris sparingly to enjoy them, with ample breaks in between or splitting up while others stayed back. Ultimately, most of our time would be spent at whichever lodge we stayed in. Murchison River Lodge was designed with families in mind. The family cottages could comfortably accommodate all five of us with an ensuite bathroom. The pool is fenced for safety and has a baby pool with a sunshade over it and the shallow end of the larger pool. The pool bar area is equipped with a small play area for kids with toys and games, and in between the main dining area overlooking the river, there is a sandbox and a tire swing. There were days when we never left the lodge because the kids were perfectly content to relax and play in the pool. This is a massive win for parents looking to relax!

Flexible:

When kids are involved, flexibility is a priority, and Murchison River Lodge makes it their focus to be flexible. At many lodges, dinner is at a set time, and it is often later in the evening to accommodate evening safari goers, which makes feeding tired, hungry kids challenging. MRL is very accommodating, as we were always able to feed the kids earlier if needed, and on many occasions, they even served lunch and dinner for us at the bar area near the pool so the kids could continue to swim. The accommodations also give many options for families, whether camping or staying in the cottages. As a family of five, it can be hard to accommodate everyone in one space without splitting up the family, but at MRL, they were always willing to add an extra bed so we could keep our clan together. (see pics below)

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+256(0) 714 000085

+256(0) 782 007552

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