AFRICA PHOTO TRAVEL

LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK

BEST TIME TO GO

June to August and December to February

HIGH SEASON

June to August and December to February

LAKE MBURO ANIMALS

Zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi, and reedbuck

Notably blessed with over 315 bird species and probably the best place to view acacia-associated birds, Rwonyo is a good zone to see the mosque swallow, black-bellied bustard,bare-faced-go away bird, and Ruppell’s starling.

The parks’ precarious past has seen wildlife virtually eliminated several times: firstly, in various attempts to rid the region of tsetse flies, then to make way for ranches, and finally as a result of subsistence poaching.

20% of the park’s entrance fee is used to fund local community projects such as building clinics and schools.

Lake Mburo National Park is a compact gem, located conveniently close to the highway that connects Kampala to the parks of western Uganda. It is the smallest of Uganda’s savannah national parks and underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks which date back more than 500 million years. It’s a home to 350 bird species as well as zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and reedbuck.

Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the park’s borders. Once covered by open savanna, this supports the healthy population of Buffalos, Wathhog,bushpig, and hippopotami. Lake Mburo National Park now contains much woodland as there are no elephants to tame the vegetation. In the western part of the park, the savanna is interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line many lakes.

The Best Time to Visit Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is open year-round, but the Dry seasons from June to August and December to February are the best times for general wildlife viewing as animals gather around the lake and other water sources.
 

BEST TIME TO GO

June to August, December & February

HIGH SEASON

June to August and December to February

COMMON LAKE MBURO ANIMALS

Zebras, impalas, elands, buffalos, oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi, and reedbuck.

Lake Mburo National Park Gallery.

How to Get to The Park?

By Road

Lake Mburo National Park is the closest of all Uganda’s national parks to the capital city; located between Kampala and Mbarara City. The park is mainly accessed by road over a journey of approximately 228 kilometers (about 3 ½ hours).

From Kampala, the park can be accessed through two gates. If traveling from Kampala the first branch off on the left leads you to the Nshara Gate for a distance of about 5 kilometers. The second is at Sanga Trading Center for a distance of about 13 kilometers to the park’s Sanga Gate.

Both gates are only about 2 kilometers from the park’s headquarters at Rwonyo.

By Air

Whereas there aren’t any direct flights into the park, tourists can charter flights from either Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airstrip to Mbarara airstrip through one of the domestic carriers. The flight is approximately 1 ½ hours. You will then transfer by road to the park for a short distance.

Things to Do in Lake Mburo National Park

Nature Walks

Nature walks in Lake Mburo National Park are unlike any other. Often accessible every day of the week, tourists are led by one of UWA’s expert ranger guides bringing them a lot closer to the wonders of the wild. A safari on foot presents a whole new perspective and appreciation of the wild. It is an opportunity to see the calmness of the wildlife away from the conventional safari jeep.

Day Game Drives

Our finely-knit trail of game drive tracks is deliberately designed to immerse you in the wildest spots of this compact gem. During the game drives, you will be able to enjoy the park’s various landscapes and vegetation. Some of the wildlife to expect includes giraffes, zebras, impalas, klipspringers, buffalo, hyenas, mongooses, oribis, reedbucks, and more.

Night Game Drives

Lake Mburo National Park is one of the few national parks where we offer night game drives. From underneath the cover of the night come some of the park’s most sought-after wildlife. Accompanied by our ranger guides the game drives start at 7:00 pm and last up to 3 hours. Some of the wildlife to expect to see include nocturnal celebrities like the leopard as well as spotted hyenas, genets, bushbabies, porcupines, and more.

Boat Cruises

We operate daily boat trip schedules on Lake Mburo, the waterbody after which the park is named. Launch trips depart every 2 hours and last up to 2 hours allowing guests to relax while viewing wildlife much closer than they would in a safari jeep. Some of the wildlife to expect includes hippos, crocodiles, as well as plenty of water birds like the African fish eagle, several types of kingfishers, and the only place to see the African finfoot.

Birding

Lake Mburo National Park is a famous birding spot with over 350 bird species in this rather small protected area. Birding adventures can be enjoyed in the car, on a boat, or even more exciting on foot. Birds are not hard to find and some of the species that top the list include the White-winged Warbler, Papyrus gonolek, Red-faced Barbet, Abyssinian ground hornbill, Verreaux’s eagle, Saddle-billed stork, and the only place to spot the African finfoot.

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