Lake Mburo National Park

Safari To Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo National Park lies very close to Uganda’s capital Kampala and Entebbe airport making it the easiest to access for wildlife safari and a short 2-day safari into the wilderness. At 371 sq km, this park is the smallest savanna park of Uganda but surprisingly rich and diverse. The undulating hills and valleys and the underlain Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back 500 million years ago endorse the park’s beauty nicknamed as “Whispers of the Wild” The area around the park is sparsely populated because of being traditional for cattle keeping. Local communities include Bahima the Ankole long horn cattle herders and those who cultivate crops. Lake Mburo has a variety of nice activities for an out of the vehicle experience including bike experience, horseback ride and walking safari.

Wildlife

A wide range of habitats in this park including open and woodland savannah, bush thickets, tropical forests, lakes and wetlands make it home to 69 mammals and over 332 species of birds. Lake Mburo is the only park with impalas in Uganda and also the only one with plains zebras and elands in western Uganda. elsewhere zebras and elands are found in Kidepo valley national park. Lake Mburo national park is popular for large number of plains zebras. It also has over 8 species of antelopes which include impala being found only here along with, oribi, eland, topi, Deffasa waterbuck, bushbuck, duiker, klipspringer and reedbuck.

Large mammals found in the park include buffalo, warthogs and Rothschild’s giraffe which were introduced into the park in 2015 and their population is steadily increasing. Elephants don’t exist in the park. Big cats including lion, leopards and hyenas are presenting very few numbers like 1 or 2 and very rare to spot. A safari in Lake Mburo is very rewarding for wildlife sightings with game drive safaris and excellent boat rides on Lake Mburo.

Reptiles

There are five lakes within the park’s borders, Lake Mburo being the largest, is home large schools of hippos, Nile crocodiles, swamp dwelling sitatunga and lots of water birds including the endangered papyrus gonolek.

Birds

Apart from large mammals and antelopes, with over 350 species of birds, Lake Mburo is an excellent birding destination. Birds are attracted to the several lakes, Rubongo forest, wetlands and extensive acacia woodlands. The best way to enjoy birding trip in the park is by boat cruise on Lake Mburo. Most sought after birds include the endangered papyrus gonelock, papyrus yellow warbler, African whistling duck, and African fish eagle that can be seen flying across the water.

Nature walks around Rubanga forest are great for forest bird species including red faced barbet, yellow ramped tinker bird, Abyssinian ground hornbill among others.

The acacia woodlands give way to Rubanga forests on the eastern side of the park where nature walks offer encounter with hippos and several forest species of birds can be spotted there.

Rwonyo rest camp

The park’s tourist center at Rwonyo is where visitors can book and start their activities.

Ankole cultural center

The surrounding cattle keeping communities are known for their rich culture and heritage, the Ankole long horn cow in particular is the pride of the Ankole kingdom. It has been preserved at the Ankole cultural located near sanga

which is the first entry gate into Lake Mburo national park. If you are staying in this park for at least 2 days, consider visiting the center and exploring the community for a cultural experience. From Kampala to southwestern Uganda, Mburo provides a good overnight stopover if you are not staying.

Wildlife Conservation and Education Center

The Uganda wildlife authority center is a resource and information center for the park. there guides offering training to tourists, student groups, researchers and volunteers alike who want to take part in activities that help the park and the community in line with Uganda wildlife authority’s mission- conserving for generations. The center also provides accommodation in form of dormitories and halls.

Wildlife in Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo national park offers unique activities such as game drives, boat cruise, walking safaris, horseback riding, bike experience and community walks.

Birding

Several trails allow birders to access different habitats from the acacia woodlands, Lake Mburo and its papyrus swamps. The African fin foot can be searched out at Rwonyo boat launching point. Trails along Rubongo forest are ideal for spotting forest birds while trails along the lake Mburo’s northern fringe of pyarus are good for searching for papyrus gone lock; also can be searched out on the boat cruise. Trails up Kigarama hill just south of Rwonyo rest camp provide viewpoint where one can see lots birds and enjoy natural beauty that surrounds.

Game drives

Early morning and evening game drives are recommended to ensure that you get the most out of your Lake Mburo safari experience. Also, there are night game drives too for those who love to see nocturnal species with start gazing experience. Day game drives guarantee sightings of zebra, buffalo, impala, eland, topi and giraffes because game tracks pass a variety of habitats such as acacia woodlands, wetlands, grassy hills, rocky outcrop and seasonal flooded valleys.

Bike experience

Those who enjoy outdoors, you go for a bike experience and ride through the bush across hills and valleys with encounters of zebra, impala, topi, eland and warthogs. Family bike experiences are available with bikes for kids. Bike tracks range from gentle suitable for families to narrow tracks that traverse a variety of terrain. Mburo offers the ultimate African mountain bike experience.

Horse riding

Mihingo Safari Lodge offers horse riding experience which is a wonderful opportunity for travelers to see wildlife on the back of a horse.

Nature walks

Game walks can be done in several areas of the park particularly during day time. Visitors must be accompanied by an armed ranger to view animals on foot at close rangers. Visitors can spend 1-5 hours observing animals like Zebra, warthogs, giraffe, impala, topi in their natural surroundings including salt lick at Rwonyo, along the banks of Lake Mburo, Rubanga forest and a hilltop with scenic views of the other lakes in the park.

Community walks

Community walks are also offered to visit the Ankole long horn cattle keepers and farmers surrounding the park. Cultural activities offered by Mbogo Lodge give insight into the culture and traditions of Banyankole such as milking cows and the different names of Ankole cows.

Salty rocks

There are salt licks around Rwonyo tourist center where wildlife congregates to lick mineral salts. At these salt licks one can see a mixture of antelopes, warthogs, buffalo and zebra altogether.

Lake Mburo

Lake Mburo the largest of the five lakes together make up Nakivale wetland. The Lake is home to hippos, Nile crocodiles and also attracts water birds and boat safaris are a good way to see aquatic animals.

Safaris to Lake Mburo national park start from Kampala or Entebbe and your two points of entry are just 228 km about 3-hour drive. The tarmac Kampala-Masaka highway takes you up to Lyantonde town. From this town, the first entry gate Nsharais 13 km and the second at Sanga is 27 km and the dusty road off the main route leads you to the park. Many visitors going to the park make a stopover at the equator monument.

Where to stay

A variety of safari lodges provide accommodation for tourists to spend overnight stay in or outside the park. From luxury, mid-range, budget to basic, every tourist can find a place to stay for his budget and style. Luxury lodges include Mihingo lodge which has a swimming pool overlooking the wilderness. Budget accommodation is provided at Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Mburo Safari Lodge, Mbogo Lodge among others.