Lake Mburo national park is Uganda’s smallest savannah national park located in the western part of Uganda. Lake Mburo national park boasts of its bio diversity. The vegetation is dominated by open and wooded savannahs, lakes and swamp which are home to different plants and animal species.
Lake Mburo national park was founded in 1933 as a controlled hunting area and after upgraded into a reserve in 1963 and later into a park in 1983. It spans to 270 square kilometres and this makes it the smallest national park in Uganda.
Lake Mburo national park lies in the rain shadow between Lake Victoria and Rwenzori mountains and revives an average of 800m of rain a year. Being near the equator, the rainfall pattern is bimodal, with long rains occurring from March to June and the short rains from September to December.
Lake Mburo national park is covered by lakes, swamps, grasslands and acacia woodland, with low hills rising from the lake shore. Lake Mburo national park is home to several species that although common elsewhere in Africa, are only found here. Lake Mburo is the only park in Uganda with impala and klipspringer. Lake Mburo national park is home to largest population of zebras in Uganda estimated to be about 5000 and probably contains the highest concentration of leopards in Uganda. There are 68 mammal species in addition to buffalo, hippo, giraffe, warthog, Topi, reedbuck, bush pigs, hyena, genet and white tailed mongoose among others.
When to Visit Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo National Park can be visited all year round but the dry season is the best time for wildlife viewing as animals can be seen gathered around the lake and water sources in the park. The dry season is in the months of June – August and December – February. Wildlife viewing is still OK in the Wet seasons from March to May and from September to November and at this time the park is lush and scenic.
Tourist activities in Lake Mburo national park
Game drives in Lake Mburo national park.
Despite being the smallest, lake Mburo national park is one of the best destinations to visit for game drives while on your safari in Uganda. Be sure to spot animals like zebras, which are commonly seen here, buffaloes, topic, Impalas, waterbucks, Oribis, warthogs, giraffes, Ugandan kob and several others. Lake Mburo national park offers both day and night game drives to see nocturnal animals and hunters.
Birding in Lake Mburo national park.
Lake Mburo national park boasts of more than 350 bird species this bird watching is one of the most enjoyable activities while on a Ugandan safari. They include; barefooted go away bird, Ross’s turaco, papyrus gonolek, jacana, yellow ramped tinker bird, yellow breasted Apalis, brown chested lapwing, African fish eagles, blue-breasted kingfisher, white headed barbet, greater painted smipe, white parrot, finfoot, Red-shouldered cuckoo-shrike, emerald-spotted wood-dove, grey crowned cane, long-tailed-fin foot, Red-shouldered cuckoo-shrike, emerald-spotted wood-dove, long-tailed cisticola,black-bellied-bustard,conquiFrancolin,green-wood-hoopoe, rufous-bellied heron, red-headed lovebirds and many more.
The major birding spots in Lake Mburo national park include; Rubanga forest where forest birds are easily spotted, along Wairuiki valley and Miriti valley viewing points, along bodies where one is able to watch birds.
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo national park.
Lake Mburo national park has a number of lakes, some are situated within the park and the rest outside the park thus taking a boat cruise along one of these lakes is such a fascinating experience. During the boat cruise, you have an opportunity to spot hippos, crocodiles and several water birds among others. The best time of the day to enjoy a boat cruise is during the afternoon when several animals are seen gathering along water bodies.
Sport fishing in Lake Mburo national park.
All the fishing activities in Lake Mburo national park are at Lake Mburo because it’s filled to the brim with over 6 different species like cat fish, tilapia, lung fish, barbell and others.
The most used spot for fishing is Mazinga and when fishing on Lake Mburo hooks are used, visitors can spend sometime catching fish, a shade is provided at the campsite to ensure maximum relaxation for visitors while at the lake.
Biking tours around Lake Mburo national park.
While on a Uganda safari of Lake Mburo national park, tourists can get to enjoy mountain biking activities. The lovely activity will keep you busy as you paddle around the park in search for wildlife as you explore the bush. If you are adventurous and like to keep fit, you can as well ride with your entire group or family. Lake Mburo national park is the only savannah park that you can take a family biking safari with no worries as you sight wildlife at a close range.
Horseback riding in Lake Mburo national park.
A great and unique opportunity to catch sight of animals while riding on a horse in Lake Mburo national park. This is the only park that offers horseback riding safaris in Uganda giving you a close moment with the animals.
Forest walks in Lake Mburo national park.
The national park authorities can also arrange forest walks through Rubanga forest. Such forest walks around Lake Mburo national park are particularly ideal for birders and nature lovers. Rubanga forest has over 40 bird species and several tree species.
Nature walks round Lake Mburo national park.
The guided nature walks can be taken anywhere in the park with an armed game ranger and get a close encounter with animals. Lake Mburo is the only national park that offers walking safaris within the park.
Guided nature walks are the major highlight of visiting lake Mburo and a great addition to your boat cruise. A walking safari in Lake Mburo national park allows you to get close to wildlife like the Impalas and zebra herds on foot.
Salt Lick: Taking a walk to the adjacent salt lick area in company of an armed guide is a great Experience within Lake Mburo. You will stand at the well located viewing wooden platform (Observation point) for breath-taking landscape views and there you will have an opportunity to see a minimum of four different animal species licking the salty soil. Really fascinating here is that these animals are actually observed without them knowing, therefore they aren’t destructed as they lick the salt. The walking trail to the platform that overlooks the salt lick is about 2 kilometres from Rwonyo camp.
Where to Stay in Lake Mburo national park
This national park has got accommodation options ranging from Budget to Luxury. The most up market lodge is Mihingo safari lodge, the semi luxury lodge is Mantana tented camp, Mid-range lodge is the Mburo safari Lodge, Rwakobo Rock.
The budget options include; Eagle’s nest tented cottages, Rwonyo rest camp that is operated by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
How to Get to Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park can be accessed by both road and air transport.
By road: The journey to the park takes about 4 hours and the travelers can access the park through three different entrance gates like Sanga gate, Kyanyanshara gate and Nshara gate. The best mean of road transport to use is a 4×4 car. It is about 2 kilometers from each of the gates to arrive Rwonyo where the park headquarters are found.
By air: Visitors can opt to fly from Entebbe airport Kajjansi airstrip to Mbarara airstrip which will take you less than an hour. This is the easiest means of transport and the quickest.
