Lake Mburo National Park is the most accessible African travel destination in Uganda from the heart of Kampala city. This park boasts of its huge concentrations of antelopes and the Burchell’s zebras. 

Location, size and altitude 

Lake Mburo NP was originally founded as a Game Reserve in 1963 and in 1983; it was officially recognized as a national park in Uganda. This park is situated in Kiruhura district, Western Uganda and also surrounded by other districts like Isingiro, Lyantonde, and Mbarara. It is one of the most famous savanna wildlife safaris destinations in Uganda besides the premier Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth Park. 

Lake Mburo National Park is a compact savanna wildlife park with land area coverage of 260sq.km. It takes its name from Lake Mburo and boasts of its exceptional landscape characterized by rocky outcrops, rolling hills, bush thickets, swamps, grasslands, forests and more.

Wildlife species 

Multiple wildlife species call Lake Mburo Park home and include 68 mammal species, 350 bird species, and reptiles. The different mammal species to look out for on a Uganda tour in Lake Mburo NP include warthogs, impalas, leopards, elands, zebras, Rothschild giraffes, jackals, topis, hyenas, bushbucks, hippos, leopards, impalas, waterbucks, reedbucks, and oribis. 

Bird species 

Lake Mburo National Park is one of the preferred birding destinations in Uganda thanks to its avifaunal endowments. There are terrestrial and aquatic species of birds to look out for while at Lake Mburo NP. They include the African fish eagles, African fin foot, shoebill stork, long-tailed cisticolas, red-shouldered tit, brown chested wattled plovers, carruther’s cisticolas, yellow breasted pitta, Nubian woodpeckers, saddle billed storks, bare-faced go away, Abyssinian ground hornbills, rufous bellied herons, coqui francolins, crowned cranes, black bellied bustards, and more. The favorite birding spots of Lake Mburo NP include Lubanga Forest, Swampy valley, and salt lick region. 

Tourism Activities to do 

Game drives 

Game drives are Lake Mburo National Park major safari highlights, a great opportunity to look out for numerous mammals in a comfortable 4×4 tourist vehicle and an experienced guide. A normal game drive in this park runs for 2-3 hours and you can embark in the morning or afternoon. As you drive through the park, there are higher chances to come across varied wildlife species including leopards, impalas, spotted hyenas, Defassa waterbucks, oribis, elands, klipspringers, oribis, giraffes, bush pigs, mongoose, and several avifaunal species. 

Birding 

Birding excursions in Lake Mburo National Park introduce you into the varied spots to identify amazing bird species. This park is blessed with more than 350 bird species and main birding sites include Warukiri and Miriti swamp as well as Lake Mburo. The different birds to come across include the yellow throated long claws, ruppell’s long-tailed starlings, brown parrot, jacanas, Southern red bishops, flappet larks, African grey hornbills, Nubian woodpeckers, African wattled plovers, papyrus gonoleks, temminck’s courser, greenwood hoopoe, barefaced go-way bird, lilac breasted rollers, trilling cisticolas, and more. 

Launch cruise 

If you are looking for something memorable and exciting, then don’t miss a boat cruise on Lake Mburo. This is a fun-filling experience, perfect for families, friends or when you have traveled as a company. It is all about sharing memories while spotting several aquatic species including hippos, crocodiles, and water birds such as shoebill storks, rufous long-tailed starlings, pelicans, green necked doves, pied kingfishers, fish eagles, hammerkops to mention but a few. 

Horseback rides 

Horseback riding is a unique way of embarking on a guided game viewing in Lake Mburo NP rather than normal game drives. Unlike the traditional game drives, horseback riding involves embarking on a game viewing tour on a horse back. The possible sightings on horseback include zebras, elands, topis, and birds.

Nature walks 

Nature walks in Lake Mburo NP introduce you to the rarely reached spots while on a game drive. This is typically foot-walk experience with the lead of an experienced guide and you get to unearth the different hidden habitats. The best places to enjoy a guided nature walk include Rubanga Forest, Salt Licks, and at Rubanga, you stand a chance to locate numerous birds such as harrier hawks, double-toothed barbets, Narina trogon, and more. 

Sport fishing 

Even anglers, Lake Mburo Park has you covered. Sport fishing is one of kind water sport experience you shouldn’t miss taking part here. This is unforgettable excursion, and the likely species of fish to catch include tilapia, mud fish. This is excellently done around Mazinga area.

Quad biking 

Quad biking is unique on its own way, an excellent opportunity to search for wildlife in Lake Mburo NP. A quad bike is used instead of a 4WD vehicle to immerse yourself into the park to look out for numerous species of wildlife.

Cultural encounters

Lake Mburo National Park safaris offer beyond wildlife encounters. There is a chance to also go and interact with local communities, especially in the Bahima/Banyankole communities. This is a great opportunity to have in-depth learning of the local traditions, norms, cultures and many other things. 

Best time to travel to the park 

The best time of the year to travel to Lake Mburo N/Park for wildlife safari is during the dry season. This is from June, July, August, September, December, January to February –the favorite months when Lake Mburo NP game tracks remain relatively drier making it easier to navigate through. The park is also open for visitor exploration even during the rainy/wet season also referred to as the low/off season. This is from March, April, May, October to November.

Accommodation options 

There are numerous accommodation choices one can consider for a night stay in and around Lake Mburo Park. They include Lake Mburo Safari Lodge, Kigambira Lodge, Mburo Eagle’s Nest, Mantana Tented Camp, Mihingo Lodge, Rwakobo Rock, Hyena Hill Lodge, Lake Mburo Campsite, and Arcadia Cottages.

Getting to the park

Access to Lake Mburo NP is possible by road and air. By road, there are numerous connecting routes and from Kampala/Entebbe, you require 4 hours to drive through Mbarara route to the park’s gates –Sanga and Nshara. Or drive from Queen Elizabeth NP or while you return from gorilla trekking in Bwindi or Mgahinga. By air, arrange a fly-in safari with your tour operator and you will set off from Entebbe International Airport (EBB) to Mbarara airfield.