What are the tourist attractions and activities found at Lake Mburo? Lake Mburo National park is the smallest National park among all the 10 national parks in Uganda and it stands at an elevation between 1,220 and 1,828 meters above the sea level. This national park is located in the situated in the western region of Uganda and lies between Masaka town and mbarara town as it covers an area of about 370 square kilometers.
Lake Mburo National park was gazetted as game reserve in 1983 and later it was established as a national park in 1983. It is also known to be under the management of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, which plays a responsibility of managing and protecting all the national parks in the country. Lake Mburo National park is beautiful because its nature, it is covered with the acacia savannah vegetation, rocky outcrops, thick bushes, and various plant species. This national park lies within a shadow between the Rwenzori Mountains and Lake Victoria and it has five lakes, which narrow with bandas of riparian woodlands.
Lake Mburo National park is known to have derived its name from “Lake Mburo”, it is characterized by the long rains it receives between months of February to June and later receives short rains between September and December, and this analyzes that this park receives an average of 800mm of rain annually. In addition, there are plenty of attractions that attract large numbers of tourists from all over the world hence developing the tourism industry in the country. These attractions include the following;
Attractions at Lake Mburo National Park.
There are various tourist attractions found in lake Mburo National park that lead many people to travel from all over the parts of the world and some of them include the following;
Lake Mburo.
Lake Mburo national park was named due to the beautiful lake that lies within and it is known as “Lake Mburo”. This lake is seen as a natural haven for flora and fauna and its bank is occupied with several wildlife animals and bird species. Tourists who visit the park get a chance to explore on this lake by engaging themselves in boat cruise activities where they get to sightsee bird species like; the rare shoebill stork, African fish Eagles, Blue headed weavers, Green- necked doves, Hammerkops, Herons, Cormorants, pied kingfishers, Rufous long-tailed starlings, pelicans and many more and primate species such as; hippos, buffaloes and crocodiles among others.
Rubanga forest.
Rubanga forest is a small forest that provides a taste of tropical high forest with a closed canopy that provides a clear viewing platform for its visitors who are always guided with a park or ranger guide while touring through the forest. This forest is located in the West side of Lake Mburo and it is a home to various bird species such as; Green pigeon, Grey-backed Cameroptera, Harrier Hawk, Narina Trogon, Double-toothed Barbet, and many others which provide Bird lovers with a great and an amazing experience.
Game tracks.
In Lake Mburo National Park, several tracks are found in the Eastern hinterland of the park where tourists also spot their various bird species and wildlife animals. The Viewpoint of the hilltop offers visitors with panoramic views of the Park with its beautiful five lakes.
Rwonyo Rest Camp.
Rwonyo rest camp is considered the centre of the tourism activities that are carried out from Lake Mburo National park and this is because it is the starting point where tourists stage to begin activities like; guided nature hikes and forest walks, game drives, quad biking and many others. At the Rwonyo rest camp, there is a small gift shop, which tourists visit to by any tourism essentials such as; drinking water, hats, books, and other handcraft materials to even take for their people back at home.
Wildlife.
Lake Mburo national park is known to be a home over 68 animal species and 350 bird species that tourists get to see during their safari in the park and these animal species include; Zebras, bushbucks, common duikers, Bohor reedbuck, Oribbi, Defassa waterbuck, Topi, Buffaloes, Bushpigs, Hippos, warthogs, Giraffes, lions, Leopards, spotted hyenas and primate species like; Olive baboons, Vervet monkeys. And the bird species like; the rare shoebill stork, Saddle-billed stork, African scops owl, Brown-chested lapwing, African fish Eagle, Red- faced barbet, yellow-rumped tinker bird, Grey crowned cranes and many others, What are the tourist attractions and activities found at Lake Mburo?.
Activities done at Lake Mburo.
Boat Cruise.
Boat cruise activities in the park are conducted on Lake Mburo and these Launch trips go for about 2-3 hours and start from Rwonyo rest camp, which is known to be a lakeside campsite. During these launch trips, tourists get opportunities to see the various animal species in water or along the shore of the lake such as; hippos, crocodiles, and buffaloes. Bird lovers also are blessed with great chances to sight see a variety of bird species and they are advised to always use binoculars to get clear views of these birds like; the rare shoebill stork and the rare fin foot among others. More so, Lake Mburo national park offers these launch trips in the morning, afternoon and in the evening and the boat cruise is a thrilling, exciting and wonderful activity that individuals should never miss out while on their safari in Lake Mburo national park.
Bird watching.
Birding as an activity is one of the most commonly and enjoyable activity done by many tourists within the park. Lake Mburo national park is a home to over 350 bird species and the best spots where bird lovers can get clear views of these birds is within the thick forests, the viewing platform near the salt licks and also within the swampy valleys and these birds include; the rare shoebill stork, the emerald-spotted wood-dove, the red headed love bird, res shouldered cuckoo shrike, the rare red-faced barbet, the brown parrot and many others.
Guided game drives.
Lake Mburo national park offers its visitors with morning game drives, which begin at 6am, and the evening game drives, which begin at 6pm. During the game drives, tourists get a wonderful and memorable experience as they explore through the national park as they capture views of the wildlife animals, which leave within the park. In addition, these animals include; Bush babies, leopards, buffaloes, elands, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, warthogs, potto, topi and many others.
Horseback riding.
Horseback riding activities were introduced in Lake Mburo National park in 2008 and Mihingo lodge conducts them. This activity takes about one and half hours to 5 hours depending on each rider’s experience. In addition, this is one of the capturing and fascinating moments tourists have while they are within the park, What are the tourist attractions and activities found at Lake Mburo?
Community visits.
Tourists visiting in lake Mburo National park also have opportunities to visit the neighboring communities around the park where they always get to learn about the cultural history of the Banyankole, their tradition cruines, how to speak their local language, watch how they cook their local meals, listen to their stories, as these local people also tend to entertain their visitors with their traditional performances and invite their visitors to join in and have fun and also sing for them their folk song. Therefore, this gives a chance to tourists to learn about the daily lifestyle of the Banyakole tribe.
Hiking and Guided Nature walks.
Tourists within Lake Mburo can also embark on taking guided nature walks through the forests and hiking on foot, which gives them a greater experience to unwind and relax after a hectic long day. These hiking expeditions within the park normally last for about 2 hours and individuals are always accompanied with well-trained and experienced UWA park guide.
Where to stay in Lake Mburo National Park.
Tourists visiting in Lake Mburo National Park are always offered with a variety of accommodation facilities, which range from Budget, mid-range and luxury facilities and tourist will choose where to stay according to what they prefer that matches with their budget. Therefore, these lodging facilities include; Mihingo safari lodge, Mburo safari lodge, Mantana tented camp, Eagle’s Nest, Ssana community lodge, Rwonyo Rest camp and many others.
How to get to Lake Mburo National Camp.
Tourists planning to travel for a Uganda safari in Lake Mburo National Park can opt to take a drive of about 3 hours and a half from Kampala city and this distance covers about 228 kilometers.
Alternatively, Lake Mburo National park can also be accessed from the southwestern part of Uganda in Kibale National park via Ibanda and Rushere or from Queen Elizabeth National park in kasese district via Ishaka and Mbarara district.
Individuals interested should contact our trusted tour operators in case of any inquires about Lake Mburo national park and then Book with our tours and travels companies such as; Achieve Global safaris for the best offers of your tour packages on your safari to Lake Mburo National Park.
