Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is the smallest Uganda national park, and is the nearest from Kampala that one day lake Mburo safaris are possible. Lake Mburo is a great Uganda national park that tourists can visit for Uganda wildlife safaris, birding safaris, boating safaris among so many more. The Park is a compact gem located approximately 240km from Kampala and only 30km from Mbarara city. Lake Mburo is in Kiruhura district, along the highway from Kampala thereby easily accessed, and covers about 370 square kilometers.
The Park has a vast ecosystem with forests that inhabit various wildlife. The Park is rich with acacia trees, valleys, grasslands with different types of grass which provide food to the various wildlife species, as well as habitat. The park has both seasonal and permanent swamps thereby providing constant water supply to wildlife as well as inhabit water animals and birds.
Wildlife in Lake Mburo
The Park has a variety of wildlife, with the park being renowned for inhabiting large populations of zebras and impala. Other wildlife species that can be seen in Lake Mburo include eland, buffaloes, oribis, waterbuck, hippos, hyenas, reedbucks, leopards, among so many others. All these can be spotted during a game drive or a walking safari.
Birds of Lake Mburo
Lake Mburo is labeled an important birding area, with more than 300 bird species recorded to inhabit the park. Some of the bird species travelers can spot include the rare shoebill stork, African fin foot, pelican, heron, and crested crane, among so many others.
Lake Mburo National Park Activities
There are a number of wildlife species that travelers visiting Lake Mburo can do and they include;
Boat Cruise
A boat cruise can be done on Lake Mburo, giving travelers an opportunity to spot various bird species and wild animals like crocodiles, hippos, shoebill storks, among so many others. A boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park can be done all day long, and can last about 2 hours.
Game drives
With the wildlife in Lake Mburo National Park, game viewing with game drives are a perfect way to spot the various wildlife species in the park. Game drives in Lake Mburo can be done all day, with early morning game drives and evening or night game drives being the most rewarding for you are able to see even the hard to see wildlife like jackals, serval cat among others.
Sport Fishing
Sportfishing in Lake Mburo can be done on Lake Mburo, with travelers interested doing so in the company of locals who also do the same for their own consumption or sometimes sell. Sportfishing requires prior permission acquisition, be sure to do that with your tour operator.
Cultural tours
Travelers can also engage in cultural tours while visiting Lake Mburo. Travelers can get to learn about the way of life of the locals, their traditions and also how they do different activities say cattle keeping, milking a cow, how they locally process yoghurt, among so many other activities which travelers can choose to take part in.
Getting to Lake Mburo National Park
Getting to Lake Mburo National Park is easily given its location and short distance from Kampala. Most travelers get to Lake Mburo by road, by driving from Entebbe or Kampala for about 4 hours covering a distance of approximately 290km. Travelers can also fly from Entebbe or Kajjansi to Mbarara airstrip for about 1 hour, and then transfer for not more than one hour to the park. Scheduled charter flights by Aerolink are available for booking, at a cost.
The Park can be visited all year long. The best time to visit Lake Mburo is during the dry season however, when the roads are more passable perfect for game drives.
Accommodation in Lake Mburo
The Park accommodation are very affordable as compared to most other lodging options in other Uganda national parks. There are luxury, mid-range as well a budget accommodation options in Lake Mburo National Park, and they include among others Rwonyo Rest Camp, Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Mantana Tented Camp and Arcadia Cottages.
Visiting Lake Mburo on a Uganda safari tour is highly recommended. In fact, most travelers include Lake Mburo on their itinerary for western Uganda safaris to say Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Kibale National Park, among others, given that it brings about a stop on the long drive. One day Lake Mburo Safaris are common, as well as 2 days or more. Have Lake Mburo park included on your Uganda safari itinerary for an opportunity to visit, and be amazed at its beauty despite its size.
