Day 6: The Falls and a River Cruise

Our first full day at Murchison Falls, we took the ferry across the Nile into the park to see the highly acclaimed water falls. Now, I’ve seen some pictures of pretty incredible waterfalls, but I think what makes Murchison so spectacular is that the ENTIRE contents of the Nile flows through 7 meters of rock wall. It’s a fairly narrow passage, so you can IMAGINE how the water churns and roars through the chasm, eh? The falls were breathtaking. Even more when I climbed onto a rock (as close as I dared!) near the edge and looked down. And the rainbows were EVERYWHERE! They were beautiful! Pictures don’t even come close to doing this place justice! I could have sat on my rock and watched the water flow for hours, just basking in the beauty of God’s creation...

That afternoon, after a quick lunch, we set sail for the falls again, only at a different angle -- a river cruise! On the cruise, we were able to see even MORE wildlife that hangs near the water. We saw TONS of hippos, crocodiles, beautiful birds (the weaver birds were my favorite! Their nests are so cool!), and another family of elephants. We only spent a few moments at the falls, but it was all we needed to see the falls, snap a few pictures and move back down the river. It was rather odd, really. The ferry ran us directly into a huge boulder in the middle of the river, we climbed out, did what we needed to do, and piled back in. No more than 10 minutes really. Weird.

That night, we had another close encounter with the local wild life. On our way back to our rooms after dinner, we saw a mother and baby elephant eating in the vegetation nearby -- literally no more than 30 feet away! We were enthralled to be so close to such power and beauty, but terrified of the consequences if we startled the mother. Mamas are fiercely protective of their young! I guess after a two-year gestation, you want to keep your hard work around for a while! So we were extra quiet -- even I managed to squelch my squeals of delight -- and before long, they moved away into the night.