Lake Mburo national park is one of the best wildlife destinations in Uganda and the smallest savannah national park, this park is the closest wildlife destination to Kampala the capital of Uganda and it is situated along the Kampala – Mbarara Highway making it a perfect stopover while on a Uganda safari to Bwindi impenetrable national park, Kibale forest national park, Queen Elizabeth national park among others.
Lake Mburo national park is a great Uganda wildlife safari destination to your safari itinerary to southwestern Uganda safari circuit.
Lake Mburo national park is the only place in southwestern Uganda hosting zebras and the only park in Uganda with impalas, slender mongoose and giant bush rats.
Lake Mburo national park is a hidden gem dominated by a chain of lakes with Lake Mburo as the biggest lake, the lakes are fringed by forests on the shores. The park is also dominated by rolling green hills creating scenery which is a reminiscent of Lake Naivasha found in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
Lake Mburo national park lacks big savannah players such as elephants, leopards and lions, because of their absence the park offers exhilarating walking safari experiences for game viewing on foot and on the back of the horse. Lake Mburo national park is the only park in Uganda where you can view animals on foot.
Location
Lake Mburo national park is located in the western part of Uganda in the Kirihura district next to Mbarara District.
Vegetation & Climate
Lake Mburo national park covering an area of over 260 square kilometers of undulating territory with an altitude range from 1,220m to 1,828m above the sea level, the park receives an annual rainfall of around 800 mm which is relatively, however 20% of the park’s surface area is dominated by wetland habitats.
The park is dominated by 5 large lakes with Lake Mburo being the largest lake of all lieing within the park boundaries and is also part of a cluster of 14 lakes fed by the Rwizi River and connected by several permanent and seasonal swamps.
Lake Mburo national park mainly consists of open savannah and acacia woodland, some of the common tree in the park are Acacia hockii, Acacia gerradi, Acacia sieberiana, and Acacia polyacantha. The western part of the park is savanna interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges – patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of the lush riparian woodland line on the verges of the various lakes.
Wildlife & Animals
It habits several wildlife species which are not easily seen else where in Uganda, the park is the only Uganda wildlife destination where you can spot impalas and one of the only 3 parks with Burchell’s Zebra, the other 2 are Pian Upe and Kidepo national park.
Other animals found in Lake Mburo national park include topis, bushbucks, common duiker, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, Bohor reedbuck, cape buffaloes, warthogs, bush pigs, vervet monkeys, olive baboon, spotted hyenas, white – tailed mongoose, 3 otter species present in the lakes, side –striped jackal and hippos. There is also the Klipspringer which is occasionally seen in the rocky areas.
Birds
Lake Mburo national park is one of the great birding areas in Uganda and is recognised as an Important Birding Area with approximately 315 species of Birds. One of the great places to spot birds in Lake Mburo national park most especially Mosque Swallow, black bellied bustard, bare faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long tailed starling is the Rwonyo camp.
Other birds recorded include southern ground hornbill, black-collared and black-throated barbets, green-capped eremomela, brilliantly colored papyrus gonolek, the striking blue-headed coucal, the highly localized white-winged, and papyrus yellow warblers among others.
Lake Mburo national park hosts 6 papyrus endemics which are recorded nowhere else in Uganda.
Activities at Lake Mburo
Quad biking
Quad biking is one of the most exciting Uganda safari activities, this activity is run by All Terrain Adventures and offers you an opportunity to explore the Eland Track .
Quad biking is a 4 hours experience starting at either09:00 am or 02:00 pm, due to the absence of elephants and lions in the park, it is very safe to explore the park on a quad bike. (The maximum size for a group is 5 people).
While on this safari experience, you are provided introductory training, helmets, goggles, overalls and refreshments.
Horseback safaris
It is one of the few spots and the only national park in Uganda where this eco friendly safari activity is done, horseback safaris where introduced in the east of the park by Mihingo Lodge. While on this experience you get an opportunity to get close to animals such as zebras, waterbucks, buffaloes and also enjoy scenic views of the rolling hills of the park.
Boat trips
Boat trips are exciting Uganda safari activity in Lake Mburo national park, this activity is done in a small boat carrying up to 8 people, and there is also a bigger boat. The boats leave from the jetty at the main campsite 1 kilometer from Rwonyo Camp.
During Boat trips you will have a pleasure of enjoying good sightings of hippo, crocodiles, buffaloes, waterbucks and bushbucks. You will also enjoy 3 species of resident otters and conspicuous water birds such as African fish eagle, Marabou stork, pied kingfisher, egrets, herons, Ross’s turaco and Narina trogon which are frequently seen in the lakeside thickets.
Bird watching
Lake Mburo national park is one of the Important Birding Area in Uganda and one of the best spots to see the elusive African Fin foot which is associated with still water below overhanging branches.
Birds watching in Lake Mburo national park offer an opportunity to spot bird species such as elusive African finfoot, Mosque Swallow, black bellied bustard, bare faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long tailed starling, southern ground hornbill, black-collared and black-throated barbets, green-capped eremomela, brilliantly colored papyrus gonolek, the striking blue-headed coucal, the highly localized white-winged, and papyrus yellow warblers among others.
Game drives
Regardless of its small size, the park is a home to several species of wildlife recorded to be 68 mammal species with a growing giraffe family and a healthy hippo population. Game drives are done along tracks such as Impala and zebra tracks connecting Sanga Gate and Nshara Gte to Rwonyo Rest Camp. There is also Lakeside Track, Ruroko tracks, Kazuma tracks and Kigambira Loop.
During the game drives you get an opportunity to see a number of animals in the savannah plains including impala, zebra, waterbucks, topis, buffaloes, Klipspringers among others.
Accommodations
There is a limited accommodation facilities and this is due to the limited size of the park, these accommodations options range from luxury, midrange and budget.
Upmarket/ luxury accommodations
- Mihingo Lodge
- Rwakobo Rock
- Acadia Cottages
Midrange accommodations
- Mburo Eagle’s nest
- Kimbla Mantana Camp
- Hyena Hill Lodge
Budget accommodations
- Rwonyo Rest Camp
- Lake Mburo Campsite
Getting There
From Kampala, Lake Mburo national park is accessed by two main roads between Masaka and Mbarara, from the west the best road to use branches south at Sanga, 37 kilometers East of Mbarara. From Kampala, the easier route to use branches south from the 50 kilometers marker for Mbarara about 20 kilometers past Lyantonde.
From Kampala to the Park, it takes about 4-5 hours
