Activities in Lake Mburo National Park

Activities in Lake Mburo National Park

Activities in Lake Mburo National Park: Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park in Uganda located in western region along the Mbarara-Kampala highway. The national park was gazetted in 1983 and it covers a total area of 370 square kilometers which is dominated by savannah vegetation, acacia woodland, swamps among others which act as habitat for different wildlife species including   buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, hippos, waterbucks, bohor reedbucks, oribi, topi, duikers, klipspringer, impalas, bushbucks, sitatungas, leopards, different bird species like the prehistoric shoebill stork, black bellied bustard, saddle billed stork, bare faced go away bird, red faced barbet among others.

Activities in Lake Mburo national park

Game drives in Lake Mburo national park

Game drives in Lake Mburo national park can be done early in the morning and in the afternoon in 4WD pop up safari vehicles. During the game drives which are best done in the morning you will follow different game tracks such as Zebra track, Kazuma track and Kigambira loop where you will be rewarded with scenic views of the park, animals like zebras, oribi, bushbucks, reedbucks, bush duikers, variety of bird species like black bellied bustard, herons, kingfishers among others. 

Lake Mburo national park also offers night game drives where you will be able to explore the park at night with a park ranger in a 4WD safari vehicle with spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals. During the night game drive you will be able to view nocturnal animals like genetic cats, bush pigs, leopards, white tailed mongoose, grazers like hippos among others.   

Boat cruise in Lake Mburo national park

Boat cruise is another interesting activity that you shouldn’t miss during your safari in Lake Mburo national park. The boat cruise is done in different schedules for example the morning game drive which starts at around 9:00am and the afternoon boat cruise which starts at around 2:00pm. During the boat cruise which takes about 2 to 3 hours drive you will be able to enjoy great views of the beautiful scenery, animals like hippos, crocodiles in water, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs drinking water along the shores, aquatic bird species like cormorants, kingfisher, herons, pelicans, African fish eagle, elusive shoebill stork, African finfoot among others.   

Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo national park is a home of more than 350 recorded bird species including endemic species, migratory birds, water birds, savannah birds and forest birds hence making Lake Mburo national park one of the birders paradise. Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park is done in different areas such as Rubanga forest, swampy valleys of Miriti and Warukiri, roadsides between Rwonyo camps among others. During bird watching which can be done during the game drives, boat cruise and guided nature walks you will be able to spot bird species like the prehistoric shoebill stork, saddle billed stork, African wattled lapwing, African finfoot, papyrus gonolek, red faced barbet, brown chested lapwing, blue headed coucal, blue breasted kingfisher, white winged swamp warbler, hairy breasted barbet, Nubian wood pecker, African fish eagle, white headed barbet, grey crowned cranes, long tailed cisticola, emerald spotted wood-dove, white winged tit, brown parrot, African finfoot, Ross’s turaco among others. 

Nature walks/hiking in Lake Mburo national park

This is an exciting activity which gives you a chance to explore the park on food with the company of an armed park ranger and an experienced park guide. During the guided nature walk you will follow different trails such as trails to the salt lick where you will encounter animals that come to lick the salt, trails to Kazuma hill where you will have panoramic view of the park and lakes around the park, trails to Rubanga forest where you will view variety of bird species among others. During the guided nature walks you will be able to get up close and personal with wildlife species including buffaloes, zebras, waterbucks, warthogs, hippos, different bird species, colorful butterflies, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, enjoy the cool breeze among others. 

Sport fishing in Lake Mburo national park

Sport fishing is another tourism activity carried out at Lake Mburo national park.  Sportfishing in the park is carried out on designated areas Mazinga and visitors who want to take part in the activity must first obtain a sport fishing permit from Uganda Wildlife Authority and also carry their own fishing equipments. During sport fishing activity you will be given an experienced guide who will help you during the sport fishing process. Lake Mburo national park has six species of fish including lung fish, mud fish, tilapia, cat fish, tiger fish among others and the most common fish species caught is tilapia fish.

Horseback riding in Lake Mburo national park

Horseback riding in an adventurous activity in Lake Mburo national park which gives you an opportunity to view and interact with different animals on a horse. During the horseback safari you will ride across the savannah plains where you will get a chance to view animals like buffaloes, zebras, topi, warthogs, bushbucks, waterbucks, elands, impalas, duikers, variety of bird species among others.

Cycling in Lake Mburo national park

Cycling is an interesting and adventurous activity in Lake Mburo national park where visitors get to explore the park on bicycles. Bicycle rides in the park are guided by game rangers to protect you from dangerous animals. During the cycling activity you will follow well established cycling routes which go through open plains of savannah grass lands, swampy valleys and forested hills where you will get a close encounter with animals like zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, warthogs, impalas, elands, different bird species, vegetation types among others.

Best time to visit Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo national park can be visited anytime throughout the year though the best time is during the dry season/peak season in the months of June to September and December to February. During the dry season there is little rainfall in the national park therefore vegetation will be thin, animals will gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives you an opportunity view large concentrations of animals and take beautiful pictures.  

How to get to Lake Mburo national park

Lake Mburo national park is located in western Uganda and can be accessed by both road and air transport means. When using road transport you will drive from Kampala via Masaka-Mbarara road to the park headquarters which takes about 4 to 5 hours drive in a 4WD safari vehicle.

Lake Mburo national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you can book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport or Kajanssi airfield to Mbarara airstrip and then connect to Lake Mburo national park.