This question of how to get to Lake Mburo National Park is answered by two methods: road and air transport. Getting to Lake Mburo National Park is quite easy with the recent improvement in the transport sector of the country, by developing the routes to the park. Lake Mburo National Park is the closest park to the capital Kampala, thus making its access a quick one for both air and road transport means.
Getting there by road transport
Lake Mburo National Park is located about 257.5 kilometers west of the capital Kampala. This park is the closest national park to Kampala. Traveling by road to Lake Mburo National Park from Kampala takes about 4 hours. The road to the lake is developed and tarmacked, thus making the journey seamless. Lake Mburo National Park has different gates of Nshara and Sanga, with the Sanga gate being the closest gate to the capital. Other routes lead to the park from other destinations.
By air transport
For the visitors who would wish for a more convenient and quicker way to get to Lake Mburo National Park, air transport is the best means of travel. The park is located approximately 36.8 kilometers from the closest airstrip of Mbarara or Nyakisharara. This distance means visitors can connect to the park upon landing at the airstrip by a 50-minute drive. Traveling by air to Lake Mburo National Park takes about 45 minutes with a connection by road. Flights to Lake Mburo National Park are scheduled from Entebbe International Airport or Kajjansi Airport. However, flights can also be arranged from other destinations to the park as agreed with the flight company.
About Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is one of the best national parks in the country. It was established in 1983 as a national park during the government of Obote II. It was, however, gazetted in 1933 as an area for covered hunting by the colonial government. Later, this area was turned into a game reserve in 1963, though it was also used by the community of the Banyankole-Bahima pastoralists as a grazing area. In 1981, the government of Obote II decided to evict these pastoralists from the reserve, a move that was seen to be politically motivated, as these pastoralists were believed to be in support of the rebels. Their eviction led to the establishment of Lake Mburo National Park from a game reserve.
What attractions are in Lake Mburo National Park?
Lake Mburo National Park holds its ground as one of the best wildlife destinations in the country, having diverse species of both flora and fauna. These make up the largest percentage of the attractions in the park. Below are some of these attractions.
Wild animals
Lake Mburo National Park has a wide number of wildlife species dotted across the vast landscape of the park. The wild animals in the park include buffaloes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, topis, hyenas, warthogs, giraffes, and leopards, to mention but a few. Lake Mburo National Park also has a significant population of primates, such as vervet monkeys and olive baboons, among others.
Birds
About 350 bird species call Lake Mburo National Park their natural haven. These bird species have made the park to become a highly cherished important birding area. The vast ecological systems of the park, characterized by the savannah grassland and woodland plains and the riverine vegetation, host these bird species. Some of the bird species to look out for in Lake Mburo National Park include African fish eagle, African skimmer, shoebill, African fin foot, red-faced barbet, papyrus gonolek, grey-crowned crane, African wattled lapwing, emerald wood-dove, and coqui francolin, among others.
Vegetation
Lake Mburo National Park is positioned in the semi-arid climatic region of the country since it is in the cattle corridor. With these climate conditions, the park is dominated by a savannah grassland and woodland with a scattered riverine vegetation on the shores of the lakes. This vegetation type is interesting for nature lovers, and is the top of the others in the park. Explore this vegetation on a nature walk in the park.
What are some of the activities in Lake Mburo National Park?
Lake Mburo National Park has a variety of activities that visitors can engage in on an exploration adventure. They include the following.
Game viewing
Like most savannah protected areas of Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park offers an unmatched game viewing experience. Visitors in the safety and comfort of their safari 4×4 vehicles come close to the game out in the savannah and spend some time there. Large mammals like giraffes, buffaloes, topis, hartebeests, zebras, leopards, hyenas, impalas, and waterbucks, among others, can be spotted.
Walking safaris
Lake Mburo National Park offers the best walking safaris and is the best destination for this particular activity. This is because the park does not harbor dangerous animals like lions and elephants that can be a threat to visitors on a walking safari. Professional armed rangers guide the visitors along the designated walking safari trails, where they encounter several wildlife species. Buffaloes, zebras, topis, warthogs, impalas, waterbucks, reedbucks, and giraffes can be spotted on these walking safaris.
Boat cruise
The park is gifted with over 5 lakes, with Lake Mburo, the one which the park is named after, being the largest and used for boat cruise experiences. A boat cruise adventure is the best way to explore the aquatic life of the park, encountering animals like hippos and crocodiles. The shores of the lake are also ever populated by many animals like impala, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs, which can also be seen from the boat cruise.
Birding
The birding series in the park is for adventure, with many birds harbored in the vast ecological systems of the park. Visitors embark on this birding adventure through the birding trails with guidance from the professional birding guide rangers, with exclusive insights into most of the birds. Visitors are assured of encountering many species of birds while on this experience.
Horseback riding
Similar to game drives but also slightly different, as the horseback riding adventures present visitors with a great experience of spotting animals out in the savannah. The park’s predators are mainly leopards and hyenas, which are not a threat to the horses, unlike if it were the case with lions if they were in the park. This makes this experience very safe and an interesting way to navigate the plains of Lake Mburo National Park while meeting several wildlife species.
