Sir Samuel Baker and Lady Florence Trail in Murchison Falls National Park

To many visitors, a visit to Murchison Falls National park is incomplete without an adventurous hike to the top of the falls. This is because of the famed Samuel Baker’s historical trails that offer a breathtaking moment.

Today, it’s obvious that most visitors will ask to include this hike in their itinerary because of the adventurous experience that is guaranteed. The hike is expected to be boosted once the proposed trail from South Sudan is completed.

The trail is estimated to cover a distance of 357 miles and its expected to improve the accessibility of the falls. Many visitors have been excluding the hiking activity in their itineraries due to the poor trails but this is to stop in 2014. Hiking to the top of the falls is a supplement to a morning game drive and boat ride.

While on this boat ride, a visitor can enjoy a magnificent view of the ever-green highlands and a diverse collection of mammals. After the game drive, many visitors instead of returning to the lodge, they opt to continue and hike. After hiking, visitors are picked by the vehicles which use the southern bank route.

The great-great grandsons of Sir. Samuel Baker (Christopher and David) have greatly improved the falls by adding value to the top of Murchison falls trail. They have installed an interpretational signage that gives the details of how Sir. Samuel Baker discovered these spectacular falls, Lake Albert and the source of the River Nile.

Christopher and David are planning to mark the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Murchison Falls and Source of River Nile with new developmental strategies that will lead to an improvement of the Park. This will make Murchison Falls National park known worldwide and make it one of the leading tourism destinations. The Baker descendants sought to retrace their ancestor’s foot steps before planting makers in different areas of Gulu, Fort Patiko and Masindi.

Sir Samuel Baker’s History

Sir Samuel Baker made his first journey in 1864 with an aim of finding the source of the Nile in Uganda. On his way, he met John Hannington Speke and James Grant at a place called Gondokoro (current south Sudan) as they were following the Nile to Egypt.

These two had already discovered the source of the Nile as Lake Victoria and therefore, Baker realized that the source had already been discovered. From Gondokoro, Baker decided to Uganda and he moved up to Lake Albert where he first saw a large elongated lake which separates Uganda from DRC. While at Lake Albert, he was joined by his wife, Lady Florence.

Sir Samuel Baker followed the course of Victoria Nile from Lake Albert and sighted a spectacle of River Nile Volume that roams furiously through a rock bound pass and plunging in one leap of estimated 120 feet. He was impressed with the wonderful view and decided to name it Murchison Falls after the President of the Royal Geographical Society.

The maker that is place at Murchison contains all the details of how Baker, a writer, officer, engineer and a British explorer made 2 expeditions to Africa and how he became the Governor of the Equatorial Nile Basin (the current South Sudan). He established this province between 1869 and 1873 and he is basically remembered as the first European to view Lake Albert which he named after Prince Albert a consort of Queen Victoria.

Baker’s wife (Lady Florence) later joined him on his exploits of Africa after surviving slave trade in central Europe. After experiencing the worst of her life, Lady Florence convinced her husband and together, the couple fought against slave trade in Europe and Africa.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has greatly developed the trail in Murchison Falls National Park and this impressed the Baker descendants. A walk from the bottom to the top of the falls is now user friendly because of the improved surface with concrete stairs and rail guards.

On top of the game drives, nature walks, birding and nature walks, the Baker descendants promised to promote the trail and this will be an additional tourism package. This trail is historic in such a way that it commemorates the Europeans that came to Africa with an aim of finding the source of the River Nile and also helped to stop slave trade in Africa