Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks, but it does not lack natural beauty and amazing attractions. It is located in the western part of Uganda in the Kiruhura district, covering only 370 square kilometers
After being a restricted hunting area, Lake Mburo was designated as a game reserve in 1963 and then as a national park in 1983.
The pastoralists known as the Banyankole Bahima were relocated from the reserve to the national park but were never allowed to stay. This Park provides a range of wildlife and offers a unique safari experience. Lake Mburo National Park is the park’s principal lake where you can see large crocodiles hiding along the shoreline, and a lot of hippos lazing in the lake.
The Acacia, Olea, and Boscia species predominate in Lake Mburo’s woody vegetation. You wouldn’t want to miss the rare opportunities to see papyrus specialists like the red, black, and yellow papyrus gonolek that are located in the park’s bordering swamps. One of the park’s most distinctive features is the presence of five lakes, which not only provide a stunning backdrop for game viewing but also offer opportunities for boat safaris and fishing. You can also take guided nature walks, wildlife drives, and horseback rides through the park, allowing you to fully experience the terrain savannah of the park.
All About Lake Mburo National park
Wildlife in Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park has more than 68 mammal species and it is the only park in Uganda, with elands, impalas, and klipspringer, and other notable mammal species include plain zebras, buffaloes, warthogs, leopards, bushbucks, jackals, hyenas, and many more. The Park has a variety of mammal species where leopards can only be seen at night, and lions and elephants are found anywhere in the park.
Lake Mburo National Park hosts over 315 different species of birds including Abyssinian ground hornbill, African fish eagle, saddle billed stork, white-winged warbler, great snipe, brown chested wattled plover, African finfoot, papyrus yellow warbler.
Attractions in Lake Mburo National Park
Wild animals
Lake Mburo National Park is one of the top parks in Uganda with the highest concentration of wild animals. There are approximately 68 different species of mammals in the park, the only park in the nation that provides the greatest place to see pain zebras, elands, and impalas. The five lakes within the park make up the wetland system that supports sitatunga.
Other animal species that inhabit the park are; waterbucks, crocodiles, giraffes, buffaloes, hyenas, hippos, oribi, topi, bushbucks, impalas, topis, and many more. Experience all these animal species via quad biking, boat cruises, game drives and horseback riding.
Birds in Lake Mburo
With over 350 different bird species identified inside its boundaries, lake mburo national park is an excellent spot for birdwatching as well. More specifically, the park’s marshes provide as homes for bird species that live on papyrus. For those who enjoy watching forest bird species, the Ruhanga and Rwonyo forest areas offer a fascinating perspective. Many different bird species find the acacia woodlands that are all over in the park, to be a suitable home. Some of the bird species that are seen with in the park are; colored papyrus gonolek, blue head coucal, papyrus yellow warbler,
green pigeon, double toothed barbet, crested crane, crested francolin, long tailed cisticola, Nubian woodpecker, white winged swamp warbler, hairy breasted barbet, emerald spotted wood- dove, African fish eagle.
Activities /What to do in Lake Mburo National park
Game drives/game viewing
Game drives are of the popular activities in Lake Mburo National Park way where you can explore the park and observe its diverse wildlife, with the help of a professional driver guide in a comfortable safari vehicle. Guided game drives in Lake Mburo national park are done early morning or late afternoon, when animals are most active. A night game drive is specifically done at night to spot nocturnal animals like leopards.
While on a day game drive, you have a chance to spot impalas, elands, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, hyenas, hippos, oribi, topi, bushbucks, and some bird species including white winged warbler, great snipe, brown chested wattled plover, African finfoot, papyrus yellow warbler. The park’s network of well-maintained roads allows you to view wildlife and have photography opportunities.
Bird watching
Bird watching is another enjoyable activity in Lake Mburo National Park. Lake mburo is one of the greatest locations for birdwatching because the park is home to over 350 different bird species, including savannah, aquatic and woodland birds. At Lake Mburo National Park, you can go bird watching in the swampy lowlands of Miriti, the Ruhanga Forest, and alongside Rwonyo, the park’s headquarters.
Some of the notable bird species in Lake Mburo National Park are blue breasted kingfisher, red chested barbet, white headed barbet, white winged tit, brown parrot, papyrus gonolek, green pigeon, double toothed barbet, crested crane, crested francolin, long tailed cisticola, Nubian woodpecker, white winged swamp warbler, hairy breasted barbet, emerald spotted wood- dove, African fish eagle. These birds can be even spotted during a boat ride, and guided nature walks as well.
Guided nature walks
This is a fun activity in Lake Mburo National Park that gives you the opportunity to go about the park and learn about its smaller residents, while accompanied by an armed park ranger and knowledgeable park guide. You will follow various trails during the guided nature walk, such as the trail to Kazuma hill where you will a bird’s eye view of the park and its surrounding lakes, the trail to Miriti swampy lowlands where you will see a variety of bird species, the trail to the salts lick where you will see the animals that come to lick the salt.
You also have an opportunity of getting personal and up close with many animal species including warthogs, plain zebras, giraffes, impalas, elands, buffaloes, and bushbucks, as well as several bird species, such as African finfoot red-chested warbler, Nubian woodpecker and many more.
Boat cruises
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park, is also an exciting activity. There are five lakes in the Lake Mburo National Park, and boat cruises are available in each of those lakes. The boat trip departs at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
The boat cruise takes 3 hours, and during that time, you can see a lot of aquatic animals such as crocodiles, hippos, waterbucks, warthogs, and a lot of water birds including African fish eagles, cormorants, African finfoot, herons, and the endangered shoebill. Normally, the boat cruise leaves from the rwonyo jetty.
Sport fishing
Another tourist activity in Lake Mburo National Park is sport fishing. Sport fishing is only permitted in certain regions, such as Mazinga, and to participate, you must get a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and have your fishing gear. You will be assigned an expert guide to assist you with the sport fishing procedure when participating in sport fishing. 5 different types of fish may be found at Lake Mburo National Park; lung fish, mudfish, tilapia, catfish, and tilapia fish are the most frequently encountered fish.
Horseback riding
Horseback riding is an exciting activity at Lake Mburo National Park. This offers you the chance to see and interact with various animals while mounted. You will get to see buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, topi, bushbucks, waterbucks, duikers, and many more creatures as you ride across the savannah plains. You will also have a chance to spot some bird species such as red-chested barbet, African fish eagle, African finfoot red-chested warbler, Nubian woodpecker, and many more.
The best time to visit Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is open year-round and offers you opportunities to observe large numbers of animals that can be seen in the open valleys during the wet seasons that start from March to May and September to November, animals that live in water can be seen along the banks of rivers and waterholes during the dry season that runs from June to August and December to February.
How to get to Lake Mburo National Park
You must travel the 202 km four hours’ worth of travel while using the Mbarara Masaka route when driving from Kampala. The Inshara gate and the Sanga gate are the two gates that lead into the park. The distance between each of the gates and the park’s headquarters is roughly 2 km.
You can also choose to travel by air, by scheduling a domestic flight from kajjansi airport to Nyakisharara airport, which takes approximately one hour. From there, you can use a safari car to get to the park.
Where to say in Lake Mburo Lake Mburo National Park
There is a variety of accommodations for you on your safari in Lake Mburo National Park, these include;
Eagles nest Mburo(budget)
Rwakoba Rock(midrange)
Mihingo Lodge(luxury)
How many lakes are in Lake Mburo National Park?
Lake Mburo National Park is home to a total of 14 lakes, and it forms part of a wetland system. It is a wildlife haven and a birdwatcher’s dream come true, where it is fed up by river Rwizi on the western side of the park. These lakes come in a variety of shapes and sizes, where some are bigger those being permanent water bodies, while others are tiny those being seasonal water bodies.
The largest of these lakes is Lake Mburo itself, after which the park is named, and it covers a significant amount of its total area.
These lakes not only enhance the park’s beauty appeal but also serve as vital habitats for a wide range of aquatic animals, such as crocodiles, hippos, and a variety of water birds such as African fish eagle, dwarf kingfisher, red-chested warbler, and many more.
Boat cruises are also available on some of these lakes and this provides you with an opportunity to spot wildlife from different viewpoints.
