Located in Kiruhura district in Western Uganda, east of Mbarara is Lake Mburo National Park dominated by the impressive lake Mburo from which it gets its name. It is the smallest savannah national park with only 260 square kilometers but is a home of a variety of birds that is to say around 350 species including bill storks which are nowhere else in the country. Its mosaic habitats, dry hillside, rocky outcrops, bushes, thickets, savannah forests, lakes and swamps are also homes of a variety of plants and animals like zebras, hippos, impala, warthogs, buffalos, leopards and many others.
Activities In Lake Mburo National Park
Boat trips on Lake mburo
This is the most popular activity in lake Mburo National Park which provides great opportunities to view different animals like crocodiles, buffaloes, hippos and the colorful kingfishers, fish eagles, Hammerkops and their enormous nests, shoebills and others. These motor boat voyages depart from Rwonyo jetty at 8:00a.m. These trips take a maximum of two hours.
Game drives.
The best way to explore the park fully by road is through game drives in the different tracks which include the kazuma track passing through the wooded grassland, Kigambira loop through a wooded wilderness with scattered thicket, the lakeshore track specifically designed to view water plants and animals, impala track as the impala is the commonest animal species viewed along this track and many others. These tracks pass through a variety of landscape features like the acacia woodlands, wetlands, rock outcrops and seasonally flooded valley floors and are usually done in the morning and late in the afternoon
Birding
With the many birding spots like the swampy valleys of Warukiri and Miriti, the roadsides between Rwonyo camp and the jetty, the viewing platforms at the salt lick in Miriti valley and in Rubanga forest, different bird species can be watched in the park in different places. Some of these species include the Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted wood dove, brown Parrot, common Quails, Black-billed Barbet, Blue-napped mouse bird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Green wood-hoopoe, Red-headed lovebird, Nubian woodpecker, long-tailed Cisticola and may others.
Nature walks.
With the company of an armed guide, the tourists get a chance to admire nature as they walk to the salt lick in Rwonyo, shores of lake Idyllic, Rubanga forest and to the hilltop where they get gorgeous lake views and perfect opportunities for photography. They also see various bird species and animals like zebras, impala, buffalos and many others.
Horseback safaris.
Arranged at Mihingo lodge, the horseback safaris are very exciting and also an amazing way to view wildlife for example warthogs, impala, bushbucks, waterbucks, zebras and other very timid animals for example the normally very shy eland curiously look at the horses, keeping their distance, without running away.
Community encounters.
Surrounding lake Mburo national park are the Banyankole people with great heritage who have created the “Ankole Cultural Centre” to highlight the customs and norms of their kingdom, to which the travelers can go accompanied with Ankole guides. Different handcrafts can also be purchased from these communities as souvenirs and the visitors can as well participate in traditional hand milking (okukama), brushing the cows (okuragaza), playing grazing instruments like flutes (omubanda) and many other interesting activities.
Sport fishing.
With variety of fish species in lake Mburo, tourists can involve in the exciting activity of sport fishing at a designated fishing spots at Mazinga with tilapia as the commonest type of fish caught. The tourists are advised to carry their own fishing gear and have to also obtain a permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority.
To inquire or book a safari in Lake Mburo national park, simply send us an em ail to info@ugandasafaribookings.com or call us now on +256-700135510 to speak with the reservations team.
