Lake Mburo National Park – the whispers of the wild
Welcome to today’s edition of the Uganda safari destinations to visit in 2020-2021. As I promised in our previous article of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park as one of the Uganda safari destinations to visit in 2020-2021, today we are going to make new strides and make A Uganda safari tour to Lake Mburo National Park.
Where is Lake Mburo National Park found/ located?
lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park Uganda is located 240km West from Kampala Uganda’s capital city in the districts of Lyatonnde and Kiruhura. This park covers about 370 sq. km of land making it Uganda’s smallest savannah plains national park where you can enjoy a stunning Uganda wildlife safari experience. Lake Mburo national park occupies relatively flat lands with its highest elevation point being 1,828m above sea level and the lowest elevation point is 1,220m above sea level. The park consists of a number of hills that are dotted in the park and large basins that comprise a chain of 5 lakes that are interconnected by a large swamp system, it also has varying vegetation types that range from tropical forests to tropical savannah plains and lowland wetland swamps. On the fringes of this park are numerous communities of the Banyankole people who are famous for their unique long-horned Ankole cattle that will fascinate you when you encounter them with their long horns curving to create a bracket like a feature when fully mature.
What is the weather in Lake Mburo Park?
As you prepare for your Uganda wildlife tour here, you have to understand this park experiences a tropical savanna type of climate with low amounts of rainfall- this is evidenced by short summer wet seasons where the area receives between 15-25 inches of rain per month and very long dry or winter seasons with fewer 5inches of rain per month, scattered umbrella trees, open savanna grasslands with short grass and relatively high temperatures which can rise to between 27-32oC., This essentially means that if you’re considering what to pack on A Uganda safari tour to this park, all you need in a few light cotton clothes, and also a raincoat jacket in case it decides to rain while you’re here. Sunglasses shouldn’t miss among the list of items to pack to protect your eyes from the incessant tropical savanna heat, sun screen and insect repellent should also make it to this park list. If you’re an ardent birder, a good pair of binoculars will always come in hand as this park is home to over 350 bird species hence you may need to zoom and get a clear sight of several of these birds which might be far away from your eyesight.
What are the attractions to see in Lake Mburo National Park?
lake-mburo-safaris-
Lake Mburo National Park is gifted with rich biodiversity that is evidenced by the existence of mammals like Hyenas, Reedbucks, deffassa waterbucks, oribis, Impalas that are found nowhere else in Uganda, Burchell’s Zebra and Elands found only here and in far northeast (Kidepo and Pian Up), Topis, Cape Buffalos, Rothschild Giraffes and if you’re lucky you might also encounter the beautiful and stocky Leopards. and a complex of 5 lakes and swamp vegetation with various fish species including the Nile tilapia, mudfish, lungfish, and many others
What are birds that are found in Lake Mburo Park?
If you’re a birder who is pondering over if you should make A Uganda tour to Lake Mburo, I strongly recommend you to visit this park during your Uganda birding safari expedition because this park is home to about 350 bird species and these include the rare African finfoot, the rare shoebill stork is also very present here a range of Kingfishers and the African fish eagle crested francolin, Grey crown cranes, bare-faced go-away bird, Nubian woodpecker, emerald spotted wood dove, Brown parrot, Lilac breast roller, Southern red bishop, Yellow-throated long claw, Black-billed Barbet,
How to get to Lake Mburo National Park?
Depending on how much time you have and how long you want to stay in Lake Mburo during your Uganda safari, you can decide to fly or to drive to Lake Mburo. As of today we now have
lake Mburo National Park
charter flight company that flies from Entebbe International Airport to Mbarara however you need to consult with your tour operator on the availability of this flight on the day you intend to travel because this flight is subject to a minimum number of passengers being available for it to operate and it only operates a selected day of the week. However, since this park is very near, you can always drive there even if you wish to go there on a day trip or on a 2 days Lake Mburo wildlife safari. If you choose to engage in a road drive. You will set off for thrilling 240 km or 3-4 hours drive to Lake Mburo National from Kampala. During this road trip, you will enjoy exciting road stops at Mpambire drum center and have an encounter with local artists as they manufacture a wide variety of local musical instruments such as the drums, African chairs. Another stop is done at the Equator where you get to have an equator experience on how to differentiate the Northern from the Southern hemispheres and also have a photo moment. You will also immerse yourself in the Equator experience which shows you how the 2 halves are different from each other. From here, continue on your remarkable journey to Lake Mburo where you will be greeted by the undulating topography of this untamed wilderness that is fully beaming with a wide diversity of wild animals.
What activities are done in Lake Mburo National Park?
Zebras
Given the biodiversity of this park, the activity options are as unlimited as there attractions here. While in Lake Mburo on A Uganda wildlife safari trip, you can always choose to engage in any of the activities such as game drives and game walks for stunning game viewing opportunities. Birding, cultural encounters, wild biking experience, boat cruise on Lake Mburo, However, the most common activities done here are game drives and game walks which are highly rewarding as they present an opportunity to sights of Impalas found nowhere else in Uganda, Burchell’s Zebra and Elands found only here and in far northeast (Kidepo and Pian Up), Topis, Cape Buffalos, Rothschild Giraffes and if you’re lucky you might also encounter the beautiful and stocky Leopards that might found enjoying an evening stroll or even on a hunting escapade.
Cultural encounters are also famous here and during this cultural fusion with the Banyankole people, you will visit the Enyemebwa center. During this visit you meet up with the herdsmen getting up to do the milking and their daily routine. You arrive and get the milking equipment including the tying rope and the milking pot to actively participate in the traditional hand milking of the Ankole long-horned cattle, from milking you participate in sick animal treating, caring for cows like brushing their body using the locally made fiber brush (Enkuyo) and set out to graze in the wilderness. You enjoy the stimulating sounds that are made by the herdsmen as they set out to the grazing field and be mesmerized by the cows know how to align themselves forming a line headed by those that have special character of leading others. You retreat back and visit the traditional hut where you find the women churning milk in the churning gourd, from here the guide can take you to explore the crop bit of it exploring the extensive banana plantations where you learn about various banana types and their respective use participate in pruning and weeding using local methods and then participate in initial arrangements for traditional lunch.
What are the safari lodges/ accommodations that are found in Lake Mburo National Park?
lodges
LakeMburo National Park has got a wide range of safari lodges that are located within or on the fringes of this incredible conservation area. These lodges range from luxury to mid-range and budget types.
Some of the luxury safari lodges in Lake Mburo include Mhingo Safari Lodge, Matana Luxury tented camp, Emburara Farm Lodge.
Midrange lodges here include Lake Mburo Safari Lodge, Arcadia Cottages Lake Mburo Lodge, Rwakobo Rock Safari Lodge,
Budget safari Lodges include Eagles Nest Camp Lake Mburo, Rwonyo Rest Camp, Rwonyo Camping grounds,
What are the entrance fees to Lake Mburo National Park?
The entrance fees to Mburo park are charged according to the age and nationality status of a person wishing to access the park. Adult Foreign Nonresidents to Mburo are charged 40$ per person, Adult Foreign residents are charged 30$ per person. Under the children category foreign nonresidents pay 20$ while foreign residents pay 10$, East African citizens adults and children pay 20000ugx and 5000ugx respectively.
Stay tuned because next time, we will be visiting Mgahinga Gorilla National Park the place where Silver meets Gold.
At Wild Gorilla Safaris, we strive to meet all your Africa safari needs as we have got virtually the safari packages that will give you a memorable Africa safari experience. For anyone interested in Uganda wildlife safaris packages we have got you covered with a wide range of packages that are tailored basing on the number of days you have and the destination you would like to visit on your Uganda safari tour. If you’ve got only a few days, then choose from our short Uganda wildlife safaris which run from 2 days to 5 days such as 2 days Uganda wildlife safari to Murchison falls or 5 days Uganda wildlife safari with chimpanzees and many more. For those that have got more than 5 days, then I suggest picking from our compressive long Uganda wildlife safaris that run from 6 days to as many as 21 days such as
On top of an epic Uganda safari adventure to many of these savanna parks, you have an opportunity to encounter mountain gorillas. Yes, a Uganda gorilla tour experience is very possible when you visit gorilla trekking Uganda destinations Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. A Uganda gorilla safari to any of these parks gives you an opportunity to meet any of the 19 gorilla families that have been habituated to give you nothing but the ultimate Uganda gorilla tours experience, you can ever think of.
If you’re interested Uganda gorilla safaris these are available in both short Uganda gorilla safari packages such as 3 days gorilla tours in Bwindi and 4 days Bwindi gorilla tour and wildlife in Lake Mburo. There are also long Uganda gorilla tours that run from 6 days to as many as 18 days while featuring many other things along the way to the gorillas. After a magical gorilla tour in Uganda, you can always visit Lake Bunyonyi Uganda and enjoy the stunning views of this magical lake. A visit to Lake Bunyonyi gives you an opportunity to experience a boat ride on Africa’s second deepest lake.
Rwanda is also another gorilla destination you wouldn’t want to miss out on, hence if you are planning for a Rwanda gorilla safari package, check out some of our Rwanda gorilla tours packages which also come in form of short Rwanda gorilla safaris for those that have got only a few days in Rwanda but those that have got more days, then Long Rwanda gorilla trekking safari packages will do you good as they also give you a chance to visit other Rwanda safari attractions.
Congo as well is another gorilla destination and we have numerous Congo gorilla safari packages that will take you on a Congo gorilla tour adventure to either Virunga National Park for an encounter with mountain gorillas or Kahuzi Beiga National Park where you will encounter Eastern lowland gorillas. Besides gorilla safaris and wildlife encounters in Uganda, you can still explore Uganda’s diversity using any of our wide range of day trips that visit other sites that are near the capital city Kampala or Entebbe international airport such as a Mabamba birding day trip to Mabamba island Kampala city tour day tour Jinja day tour and 1 day Ngamba island chimpanzee safari. Check out our great east Africa safari to such as Kenya safari tours and Tanzania safari tour that take you on an Africa wildlife safari adventure to Kenya and Tanzania respectively.
