Size 371 Sq Kms
Overview:
Zebras in Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is located in Kiruhura district in western Uganda. It is situated about 35km by road, east of Mbarara. It was originally gazetted in 1933 as a controlled hunting area. It was upgraded to the national park status in 1963 and later re-gazetted by the government in 1986. It is the smallest of Uganda’s Savannah parks.
It has seasonal and permanent water bodies and swamps with a rich acacia – woodland and grassy valleys which all support the existence of wildlife within it’s boundaries. Lake Mburo plus the other lakes in the area, form part of 50km long wetland system linked by a swamps and therefore attract hippos and crocodiles while the papyrus hide harbor a variety of wildlife, plus a good number of birds including the Papyrus Gonolek.
A few years the Ugandan Government through the Uganda Wildlife Authority, re-introduced Giraffes in this park as one of the measures to control the growth of it’s acacia vegetation which was becoming untamed, turning most of this Savannah park into a forest one. Lake Mburo national park has a tropical climate found in the Ankole southern climatic zone and two marked seasons. (Rain and dry seasons). It also has a variety of habitant types which gives it a high diversity of wildlife and vegetation for it’s size.
One of the problems hindering this park is the local farmers that use it as a source of pasture for livestock and at many occasions, while on game drives, herds of Ankole cattle are seen grazing in the park, especially during drought in the dry seasons. It’s also used by the locals as the source of materials for crafts and thatching. The park authorities also allow a small number of the locals fishermen to go fishing in the lake on particular days of the week.
Activities and attractions in the park.
Crested Barbet at Lake Mburo National Park.
There is a number of tourism activities to be done while in Lake Mburo national park like:
Game drives:
This is an exciting activity where visitors get a chance to explore and see wildlife as they drive around the designated game viewing tracks in their own vehicles. These include the gigantic eland (the biggest antelope in Africa), impala, zebras, acacia associated birds, buffaloes, oribi, defassa water-bucks, leopards, hyenas and one lion.
Nature walks:
This park offers some of the best nature walks among the savannah park in Uganda, conducted on foot with a help of ranger guides who are well versed with the park’s various flora, fauna and bio diversity interpretation. While taking a nature walk, a visit to a natural salt lick frequented by the wild life is worth.
The boat cruise:
This is another interesting activity in Lake Mburo national park where the tourists/visitors get a chance to see a variety of water loving wildlife like crocodiles, hippos, and birds like African Fish Eagle, Kingfishers, Herons, Cormorants and Warblers enjoying the Pearl of Africa. The eastern shores of Lake Mburo national park can be explored by the boat, departing from a jetty at the lakeside campsite near rwonyo. Water lovers like Crocodiles, Hippos and a variety of birds can be seen during the two hour voyage.
Horse back riding:
This is also one of the life time experiences conducted within the park. It gives spectacular views of the park’s wildlife. Visitors get a closer views of wildlife as they explore their natural environment.
Rwonyo rest camp:
This is at the center of tourism where the park headquarters are and the starting point for nature walks and game drives and all the other activities done in this park.
Rubanga forest:
This also provides a taste of the tropical forest with closed canopy and a home to a variety of forest bird species and primate species.
Accommodation:
The park has a number of deferent classes of accommodations in and around it’s boundaries, plus the conservation education Centre, 1km west of Sanga gate which provides accommodation and an education hall for school groups, visitors, seminars and workshops. So you totally feel at home when you visit it.
Accessibility.
Lake Mburo national park is 228kms from Kampala. It lies between the towns of Masaka and Mbarara in the western Uganda and therefore can be easily accessed by road.
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Here are some of our tours; Lake Mburo Wildlife Safaris – Lake Mburo Birding Tours – Lake Mburo Boat Cruise – Lake Mburo Nature Walk.
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