Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National Park lies in the western region of Uganda in the Kiruhura district. It is a renowned concentration of wildlife giving unforgettable adventures to explorers. It is one of those places in Uganda that give a deep immersion into the beauty of the African savannahs through the game drives and nature walks conducted.

Lake Mburo National Park is the nearest Savannah park to Kampala, the capital of Uganda which makes it a perfect getaway to unwind from the chaos of the bustling towns. The park is about 240 kilometers away from Kampala and approximately 30 kilometers east of Mbarara town.

A brief history of Lake Mburo National Park.

Lake Mburo National Park was originally gazetted as a hunting ground reserved for the nobles. It was later upgraded to a game reserve in 1963 after growing concerns about the human-wildlife conflicts in the area.

The Ugandan government had just obtained independence from the British at that time. The region was home to the Bahima – Banyankole who were/are renowned pastoralists. They grazed in the area and it caused turmoil between them and the conservationists who thought it wrong to encroach on the land of the wild animals.

This prompted the Obote government to wipe them out of the area with the main aim of weakening them and conserving the wildlife and their habitat for future generations. It was during the time of Operation Bonanza when thousands of masses were butchered in what came to be known as the Ugandan Bush War.

The Obote government was overthrown in 1985 and the Bahima later occupied the island peacefully. They currently coexist with the animals on the outskirts of the park. They share grazing grounds with the animals but peacefully coexist due to the efforts of the Rangers.

Main attractions and uniqueness of Lake Mburo National Park.

The park’s main attraction is the wildlife encounters it provides to travelers. Visitors to the National Park get the opportunity to observe a series of attractive creatures, especially the African buffaloes, African Bush elephants, zebras, leopards, jackals, and several Wildcats.

The nature walks provided in this National Park are none like any other, they immerse guests in the absolute wonderfulness of the African savannahs. Its uniqueness is in the sense that it is the only place where one can view wildlife on horseback rides in Uganda and its closeness to the capital city.

Other attractions of the National Park.

Lake Mburo. This magnificent water body is the one the park is named after. It is a gathering ground for most creatures of the National Park as they come along to drink water and supplement their diets. Some others pass by to hunt down their prey. The park is a perfect ground for sport fishing and good for boat cruises.

The exceptional wildlife. Lake Mburo National Park is a renowned home to a series of wildlife species that visitors can get to observe when they carry out various activities in the park. Visitors to the park have the chance to watch the Great Lakes region’s endemic wildlife species and birds.

Activities to do when in Lake Mburo National Park.

Wildlife game drive viewing. Game drives conducted in the National Park using 4-wheel drive vehicles help the visitors get to all corners of the National Park and observe the breathtaking wildlife species therein.

Sportfishing. This is yet another exciting activity guests to the National Park can indulge in. While on this activity, visitors enjoy the breathtaking views of the magnificent lake Mburo and stand a high chance of catching tilapia and the Nile perch.

Guided nature walks. These are conducted to help the visitors explore more of the National Park and immerse themselves in the beauty of the savannahs and the forests of the park.

Bicycle tours. Travelers are handed bikes and get on the trails in the national park under the guidance of game rangers which helped them elevate their experiences in the National Park and explore more of the attractions within. This even makes the experiences more rewarding.

Bird watching. This activity helps visitors to set their eyes on the Great Lakes region’s endemic bird species. Binoculars even make the experience better as the visitors can observe the birds that are both near and far.

Guests have the opportunity to observe animals especially the cinnamons, egrets, hammerkops, African fish eagles, turacos, Abyssinian ground hornbill, black bee eaters, piapias, oxpeckers, and shoebills.

Horseback riding. This presents an adventure like no other as compared to other activities in the park. Visitors get to watch wildlife species as they are ridden by the horses, a worthwhile experience.

Boat cruises.  The boat cruises are conducted on the magnificent Lake Mburo. These help the visitors explore more of the national park endowments since they can reach areas that are impassable while on a game drive.

Best time to visit and how to access Lake Mburo National Park.

The dry months of the year are the most appropriate times to visit Lake Mburo National Park. The dry months in Uganda usually occur from June to September making up the long dry season and the shorter dry season occurs from December to February.

The National Park can be accessed through the Kampala – Mbarara highway. Lake Mburo national park is approximately 240 kilometers away from Kampala. It has two main gates to help the visitors access it easily from different directions, that is to say the Nshara and Sanga gates.