Top Things to do at Lake Mburo National Park
Top Things to do at Lake Mburo National Park
Top things to do at Lake Mburo national park : Lake Mburo national park is the smallest national park located in western Uganda in Kiruhura district. The national park covers a total area of 260 square kilometers which is comprised of open savannah vegetation, forests, acacia woodland, swamps, lakes, rocky outcrops among others which act as habitat for different wildlife species including 68 mammals such as buffaloes, impala, elands, topi, reedbucks, oribi, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, waterbucks, bush pigs, bushbucks, hyenas, jackals and variety of bird species including the prehistoric shoebill stork, African fish eagle, white backed heron among others.
Top things to do at Lake Mburo national park
Game drives in Lake Mburo national park
Game drive is one of the major activities in Lake Mburo national park where you will be able to explore the park in a comfortable 4WD pop up safari vehicle with a professional safari guide. Game drives in Lake Mburo national park can either be done early in the morning or in the afternoon following different trails like zebra track which offer great views of animals like giraffes, buffaloes, impalas, elands, topi, oribi, waterbucks, zebras, warthogs, bushbucks and different bird species.
Night game drive in Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park also offers the night game drive where you will be able to explore the park at night with spot light torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals. During the night game drive which is usually done after dinner you will get a chance to view nocturnal animals such as hyenas, bush pigs, genet cats, white tailed mongoose, porcupines, jackals, serval cats, civet among others.
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo national park
Boat cruise is another interesting activity in the park which shouldn’t be missed during your safari. Boat cruise is done in two sessions that is the morning session which starts at around 9:00am and the afternoon session which starts at around 2:00pm and each session takes about 2 to 3 hours.
During the boat ride you will be able to view animals like hippos and crocodiles in water, waterbucks, buffaloes among others drinking water along the shores, water birds such as African fish eagle, the elusive shoebill stork, cormorants, wood peckers, king fisher’s, jacana, handsome francolin, herons, pelicans among others. During the boat cruise you will also be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and view fishermen along the shores who will be preparing their fishing gears for night fishing.
Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park
The park is a home of more than 315 recorded bird species including water birds, forest birds, Savannah birds and migratory birds which make Lake Mburo national park one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. There are several birding areas in Lake Mburo national park for example Rubanga forest, Rwonyo camp, swampy valleys of Mariti, salt lick area among others.
During bird watching which can either be done in the morning or evening with a bird guide, you will be able to spot different bird species such as the elusive shoebill stork, black bellied bustard, Nubian wood pecker, African fish eagle, red shouldered tit, white headed barbet, rufous bellied heron, grey crowned cranes, bare faced go away bird, Ross’s turaco, yellow breasted apalis, long tailed cisticola emerald spotted wood dove, red faced barbet, emerald spotted wood dove among others.
Nature walk/ Hiking in Lake Mburo national park
Nature walk is an interesting activity in the park where you will get an opportunity to get out of the comfort of a safari vehicle and explore the park on foot with an experienced park guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger.
During the guided nature walk you will follow different trails to the salt lick, Rwonyo and Rubanga forest where you will be get up-close and personal with different wildlife species such as zebras, giraffes, impalas, elands, warthogs, variety of bird species, beautiful scenery, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, enjoy the cool breeze among others.
Sport fishing in Lake Mburo national park
Sport fishing is an interesting activity in Lake Mburo national park which is carried out at Mazinga area. Visitors who want to engage in sport fishing activity should first obtain a permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority and also carry their own fishing equipments.
During sport fishing you will be accompanied by a well trained guide who will help you to avoid bad areas and also teach you different fishing methods. You will be able to catch different fish types such as tilapia, lung fish, mud fish among others.
Best time to visit Lake Mburo national park
The park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February. During the dry season the national park receives little or less rainfall therefore access roads / trekking trails will be passable and vegetation will be thin which makes wildlife viewing easy.
The park can also be visited in the wet season during the months of March to May and November because that’s the best time for bird watching where you will be able to view migratory bird species.
Where to stay during your safari in Lake Mburo national park
There are a number of accommodation facilities in Lake Mburo national park where you can stay during the safari. The accommodations range from luxury, midrange, budget and campsites including Mihingo Lodge, Eagles Nest Lodge, Rwakobo Rock, Mantana Tented Camp, Arcadia Cottages, Lake Mburo Safari Lodge, Rwonyo Rest Camp among others.
How to get to Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala or Entebbe via Masaka-Mbarara road to the park headquarters which takes about 3 to 4 hours drive in a 4 WD safari vehicle.
The park can also be accessed by air transport means whereby you can book charter or schedules flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mbarara airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road.
