Defassa Waterbuck in Murchison Falls National Park
- Sightings
- Common
- Best Months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Dec
- Where
- Murchison Falls National Park
This large, sedentary antelope possesses a coarse, grizzled red-brown coat coated in an oily, musky secretion that acts as a water repellent and predator deterrent. Only males carry the long, heavily ridged, forward-curving horns. Highly dependent on water, they graze on protein-rich grasses and readily plunge into rivers to elude predators like lions and leopards.
Defassa waterbuck stay close to water almost without exception, and can be found at Murchison Falls National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Lake Mburo National Park. A shaggy, reddish-brown coat and a distinctive white ring around the rump make them easy to identify at a distance. The musky secretion produced by their skin deters most predators from eating them even after a successful kill.
From Our Guides
Easily identified by their shaggy, water-resistant coats and the solid white ring on their rumps, these large antelopes are highly dependent on water. You’ll find them grazing in small harems along the fringes of the Nile and the swampy channels of the delta tracks, always keeping a sharp eye out for predators.
- What Murchison Falls National Park Is Known For
Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest national park, named for the point where the Nile forces through a gorge roughly seven meters wide before dropping into Murchison Falls itself and the "Devil's Cauldron," creating a deafening roar and a permanent mist bow(looks like a rainbow). It holds the country's largest population of the rare, light-colored Rothschild’s (Nubian) giraffe, alongside elephants, buffalo, and lions on its northern savanna.
A secondary waterfall, Uhuru Falls, split off from the main cataract around the time of Uganda’s independence in 1962 ("uhuru" means freedom in Swahili).
- Best Time to Visit Murchison Falls National Park
The dry seasons, late December through February and June through September, keep park roads in better condition for game drives and give the clearest views from the Nile boat cruise. The wetter months still run both activities, with muddier tracks and lusher scenery along the riverbanks.
Last updated October 23, 2026
· Written by Enoch, Huko Safaris
5.0average traveler rating
Local expert: Enoch
Best Months to See Defassa Waterbuck in Uganda
From our team
Defassa Waterbuck
You will find the highest concentrations along the Kasenyi Tracks and the fringes of the Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They are incredibly habituated there, allowing for spectacular close-up photography. If you smell a pungent, goat-like odor in the brush, a Defassa is likely hiding just meters away in the thicket.
— Enoch, Huko Safaris
Murchison Falls National Park
You haven't truly experienced Murchison until you take the Nile boat cruise toward the Devil’s Cauldron. As you get close, the boat deck literally starts vibrating under your feet, the roar of the water drowns out the engine, and you see a permanent mist bow at the falls: pure adrenaline! My tip: always do the hike to the top of the falls at sunset. It is spectacular under the golden Ugandan sky. Wishing you a fun stay!
— Enoch, Huko Safaris