Overview
Lake Mburo National Park is the fourth smallest savanna national park located in western Uganda covering an area of about 370 square kilometers. The park’s 20% of the total area is covered with swamps. This national park is so unique in the way that is the closest national park to Kampala the capital city of Uganda. Lake Mburo was established in 1933 to control excessive hunting that was leading to the extinction of some wildlife. In 1963 it was upgraded into a game reserve and by 1983 declared a national park. The park is 240 kilometers away from Kampala which takes about 4 hours to drive with a lot of exciting features on the highway including the equator stopover for a photo moment. The park has unique activities for example cycling and horseback riding, and these activities are only found in this park in Uganda. This draws visitors closer to the wildlife which is a breathtaking experience that can hardly be gotten in other national parks of Uganda.
The park adopted its name from the 2 brothers Kigarama and Mburo. One night Kigarama had a dream that it rained heavily and the place they occupied with his brother Mburo was flooded and they drowned. When Kigarama told Mburo about the dream and advised him to shift, Mburo refused, Kigarama collected his belongings and shifted and went up the hill, but Mburo refused and stayed in the lowland. The unfortunate dream came to pass as one night it rained so heavily and the whole place was flooded and the home of Mburo sank and he drowned. The water stayed in the valley, making the present-day Lake Mburo, and the hills where Kigarama stayed, were named Kigarama Hill. The park has over 14 lakes however it is only Lake Mburo that is famous and all the water activities are done on it.
Lake Mburo National Park can be an en-route to other national parks for example Queen Elizabeth National Park for open savanna safaris, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for gorilla trekking and golden monkey trekking. After you have left Lake Mburo National Park and headed to Queen Elizabeth National Park, take part in a game drive where you will encounter the tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, and a boat cruise on the Kazinga Channel. This channel is a water body that connects Lake Edward and Lake George, harboring various wildlife species like hippos, buffaloes, and elephants.
What to do in Lake Mburo National Park?
Game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
The park being a savanna park is home to over 68 mammals including impalas, zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, leopards, and elands among others. These can only be discovered during a game drive. Game drives in Lake Mburo can be done in the morning at around 6:30 am to 10 am to encounter the diurnal and evening game drive that starts from 6-10 pm to encounter nocturnal animals.
Boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park
This is another fascinating activity while you visit the lake and it should not be missed. You can decide to engage in a morning launch cruise which starts at 8 am, 12 pm, and 4 pm taking about 2 hours. You should expect to see hippos, buffaloes, impalas, and birds to mention but a few. The boat cruise on Lake Mburo is so amazing and it will give you an extraordinary experience as you will enjoy the sunset for the evening launch cruise.
Birding in Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park harbors over 350 bird species of which some are endemics, migratory birds, open savanna birds, and forest birds. This makes the Lake Mburo National Park one of the birding places in Uganda. The most birding spots in Lake Mburo National Park are the Rubanga forests, Miriti, and Warukiri forests. Some of the birds you will have to encounter are African wattled lapwing, African Finfoot, red-faced barbet, papyrus Gonolek, African fish eagle, saddle saddle-billed stork to mention but a few.
Guided Nature Walk in Lake Mburo National Park
This is an amazing activity where you come closer to nature in the park as you explore different corners with a game ranger who is always there to protect you and give you more directions. On this exciting activity, you will be closer to many animals and the feeling is just magical. On this tremendous activity, you will spot different animals, for example, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, impalas, elands, birds, and butterflies.
Cycling in Lake Mburo National Park
This is another breathtaking activity where you have to explore the park while you ride a bicycle which is not found in other national parks of Uganda. Cycling in Lake Mburo National Park is done alongside the ranger guide who is there to protect you from dangerous wild animals. You have to follow what he tells you so that you do not land in trouble.
What is the best time to visit Lake Mburo National Park?
Lake Mburo National Park can be visited all year round, however, it is better to visit Lake Mburo National Park during the dry season in June to September and December to February. This is the peak season when the park has a high number of forests.
