Best Place to See Giraffes in Uganda

Best Place to See Giraffes in Uganda

There is one park in Uganda where you can watch giraffe by the dozen, spread across golden savannah beneath a giant sky, and it is not a close contest. Murchison Falls National Park holds the largest wild population of Nubian giraffe on Earth, and a morning on its northern plains delivers the kind of towering, long-necked herds that most of Africa lost decades ago.

This guide explains why Murchison is the definitive place to see giraffe in Uganda, the remarkable conservation story behind those numbers, exactly where and when to look, and how to build the experience into a wider safari.

Meet the Nubian giraffe (formerly Rothschild’s)

The giraffe you meet in Murchison were long known as Rothschild’s giraffe, prized as one of the rarest subspecies in Africa. Modern genetics changed the name: DNA studies found Rothschild’s to be indistinguishable from the Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis), the nominate subspecies first described by science along the Nile. In the IUCN’s 2025 reclassification, which formally recognised four giraffe species, Rothschild’s was folded into the Nubian giraffe within the wider northern giraffe group.

Whatever the label, these are strikingly handsome animals — deep chestnut patches with creamy dividing lines, fading to clean white “stockings” on the lower legs, as though they forgot to pull their socks all the way up. The subspecies is assessed as facing a high risk of extinction, which makes Murchison’s thriving herds all the more significant.

Why Murchison holds the world’s largest population

Uganda is the global stronghold for Nubian giraffe, holding roughly half of every one left in the wild, and the overwhelming majority live in Murchison Falls. In the 1970s the park’s giraffe had crashed to fewer than 200 animals under the weight of poaching and instability. Careful protection reversed that decline dramatically.

By 2019 researchers estimated around 1,690 giraffe here, and recent monitoring by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and Uganda Wildlife Authority puts the northern population at roughly 1,700 individuals — the single largest known concentration of Nubian giraffe anywhere. That one population accounts for close to 87% of Uganda’s total. Nowhere else offers sightings on this scale.

A conservation success story you can witness

Murchison’s giraffe are not only numerous — they have become the source herd that is repopulating Uganda. Because keeping every animal in one place is risky (oil development and snare poaching remain real threats), UWA and partners have moved founder groups to establish new populations elsewhere.

In 2015, 15 giraffe were translocated to Lake Mburo National Park, which had gone without giraffe for over a century. During Operation Twiga in 2016 and 2017, a total of 37 giraffe were ferried across the Nile to the park’s quieter southern bank. In 2018, 14 more were sent north to bolster the tiny, struggling herd in Kidepo Valley. Remarkably, even after removing dozens of animals, the northern source population kept growing — proof the strategy is sustainable. Watching giraffe in Murchison, you are looking at the living engine of giraffe recovery across the country.

Where to see them: the Buligi game tracks

The heart of giraffe country is the Buligi circuit on the park’s northern bank, a web of tracks fanning out across open grassland between the Victoria Nile and the Albert Nile. The loop begins a few kilometres north of Paraa and runs toward the delta, covering well over 100km of prime savannah where you can often find herds numbering 20, 50 or more browsing the acacia canopy.

Giraffe are widespread across the northern sector, but the central Buligi grasslands are the classic scene, with elephants concentrating nearer the delta and lions using the tall grass for cover. A typical circuit takes three to four hours. See our Murchison game drive guide for track details and how the northern sector is organised.

Best time of day and year

For giraffe, the time of day matters most. Gates open for game drives at 06:30, and an early start rewards you with cool air, active animals and soft, low light that flatters those long silhouettes against the horizon. Mid-morning hours on Buligi frequently produce large giraffe groupings.

Giraffe are resident year-round and reliably seen in every season, so there is no wrong month to visit. That said, the dry seasons — roughly June to September and December to February — bring shorter grass, firmer tracks and animals drawn toward water, which sharpens both visibility and photography. In the wetter months a four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential. For the fuller picture, read our notes on the best time to visit Uganda for safari.

Getting there and viewing tips

Most travellers reach the park by road from Entebbe or Kampala, entering the southern gates near Masindi after four to five hours of driving, then crossing the Paraa ferry to the northern bank. Fly-in visitors use the Pakuba airstrip, which sits right in the giraffe-rich northern sector. Our Entebbe to Murchison Falls guide covers the routes in detail.

A skilled UWA ranger-guide, compulsory for self-drivers on the north bank, is worth every shilling for reading the terrain and finding herds. Bring binoculars and a long lens (300mm or more), keep your voice low, and be patient near a browsing group — giraffe are curious and will often watch you as closely as you watch them. Photographers should aim low and use the whole animal against clean sky for the most striking frames.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the best place to see giraffe in Uganda?

Murchison Falls National Park, on its northern Buligi game tracks. It holds the world’s largest wild population of Nubian giraffe — around 1,700 animals — so sightings are almost guaranteed.

Are Murchison’s giraffe Rothschild’s or Nubian?

Both names refer to the same animals. Genetic research merged Rothschild’s giraffe into the Nubian giraffe, so you will hear either term used for the herds here.

How many giraffe are in Murchison Falls?

Recent surveys estimate roughly 1,700 Nubian giraffe in the northern sector, the largest known population of the subspecies anywhere in the world.

Can you see giraffe elsewhere in Uganda?

Yes — smaller populations now live in Lake Mburo, Kidepo Valley, Pian Upe and Murchison’s southern bank, all established or reinforced using giraffe translocated from Murchison’s northern herds.

What time should I go on a game drive to see giraffe?

Start at the 06:30 gate opening. Early morning offers cool temperatures, active animals and the best light, with large giraffe groups often found through mid-morning on Buligi.

Plan Your Safari

Seeing hundreds of the world’s rarest giraffe against Murchison’s open plains is one of Uganda’s great wildlife moments — and it pairs naturally with lions on the Buligi tracks, the thunder of the falls and a classic Nile launch cruise. Talk to us about building a northern-sector itinerary, from a dawn game drive among the giraffe herds to a full Murchison Falls safari, and we will time it to give you the very best of Uganda’s giraffe capital.