Lake Mburo NP
Lake Mburo National Park: Mburo is the closest National Park to Kampala and offers a refreshing stopover when traveling to and from the parks and Reserves of Western Uganda. Its landscapes are valid and even a short drive is alive with interest and colour. It lies in one part of Uganda covered in extensive acacia woodland and probably the best place in Uganda to see acacia-associated birds; mosque swallows black-bellied bustard, bare-faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long-tailed sterling.
Location: Lake Mburo National Park is situated in Mbarara district. It is about 3.5 hours drive from Kampala. The park is accessed from the Masaka-Mbarara road; turn left to Nshara gate (13 kms past Lyantonde) which brings you through Sanga gate. Both junctions have clearly marked signposts. It is about 13kms from Sanga trading center to Sanga gate and 8kms from the main road to Nshara gate. It’s an ideal Uganda safari destination for short tours and excursions.
Size: Being 370km makes Lake Mburo National Park the smallest of Uganda’s Savannah National Parks. Its mosaic habitat: dry hillside, rocky outcrops, bushes, thickets, open and wooded Savannah’s, forests, lakes and swamps are home to a surprising diversity of plants and animals.
Famous For: Flora and Fauna: Lake Mburo National Park is famous for its richness in biodiversity. It has about 68 different species of mammals. The park harbours several species of mammals including Zebras, impalas, elands, topi and buffaloes.
The park also has more than 315 different species of birds. The bird population includes the rare shoebill stork, papyrus yellow warbler, African fin foot, saddle billed stork, brown chested wattled plover, curruther’s cisticola, tabora cisticola, great snipe, abyssinian ground hornbill and white winged warbler. Acacia species, Olea species and Boscia species dominate the woody vegetation of Lake Mburo.
Rubanga Forest: This forest offers a variety of habitats, conducive for birds thereby making it a very attractive place for bird watchers. There are over 40 species of birds recorded in Rubanga, 5 of which are forest “specialists”.
Lakes: The five lakes within the park attract hippos, crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds, while fringing swamps hide secretive papyrus specialists such as the sitatunga antelope and red, black and yellow papyrus gonalek.
Conservation Education Centre: Lake Mburo National Park has a conservation education centre. The centre is about one Kilometer from Sanga gate. It has a descent accommodation and a hall with maximum capacity of forty (40) people and caters for school groups, visitors, seminars or workshops.
Activities: Game Drives: A number of tourist tracks are used for game drives around the Park. Impala track exposes the visitor to a diverse species of animals. Impala is the most common species viewed along this track.
The Lakeside track is designed for viewing of water plants and animals. The park has a diversity of water birds and woodland birds, which can be sighted along these tracks.
The Kazuma track passes through wooded grassland where black-bellied buatards often patrol the area. Following this track, the five lakes within the park and the rolling hills become more visible and attractive. Therefore, for visitors to experience a real exposure of Lake Mburo National Park, they should climb Kazuma hill
Zebra track leads to harems of burchell’s zebra with other species like bushbucks, oribi and reedbucks. The zebra track leads to the junction of Roroko track, a drive through a wetland basin and thick acacia shrub and woodland with olive trees and eurphorbia species. Kopjes (rock outcrops) found along the Roroko track, are home to elusive klipsringers to which the rock is the habitat.
Kigambira loop takes you through a wooded wilderness with scattered thicket and while you are here, look out for bushbucks and bush duikers.
Nature Trail: The nature trail offers the visitor a chance to admire nature insight. Visitors have the opportunity to walk in the circuit at their own pace in company of an armed guide. Information on trails is also available.
Boat Trips: Lake Mburo is rich with a diversity of animal and plant species, which can only be viewed clearly while on a boat trip. Watch out for crocodiles and hippopotamus during a 2 hour voyage, as well as birds including pelicans, heron cormorant and fish eagle. The duration of each boat ride is 2 hours maximum, but arrangements for extra time can be made with management at an extra fee.
Fishing: Lake Mburo has about 6 species of fish, the common one being tilapia (oreochromis leucostictus). Visitors planning to enjoy sport fishing on Lake Mburo should carry their own equipments and fish at the designated point at Mazinga.
Salt Lick: Guided walks explore the park around Rwoyo culminating a visit to a natural salt lick frequented by wild life. A walk to the nearby salt lick is a climax of it all. Viewing is facilitated by a timber observation platform. It offers a chance to see at least four (4) different species of animals at any one time while they lick the salty soil.
Rubanga Forest The Rubanga Forest is very small but a true forest with a closed canopy in places. A common tree is Markhamia platycalyx (grey-brown truck with irregular flaky patches, divided leaves, yellow flowers stripped and spotted with red; brunches of extremely long (up to 1.3 m podlike fruits). Palms, figs, sapium (a tall tree whose leaves turn red before falling) and the flame tree Erythrina abyssinica occur towards the edge of the swamp.
Birding: For many people, birds are the most interesting to watch. As common species become familiar, you will begin to notice smaller, less spectacular birds; the real experts seem to get most excited by ‘Little Brown jobs’ (’LBJs’) which are the hardest to identify. This Park has Open water birds, Lakeshore and papyrus swamp birds, Seasonal swamp birds, Woodland birds, Grassland birds and Forest birds. Birds of the Open Water in this Park include; Pink-backed pelican, Darter, White pelican, Yellow-billed duck, Long-tailed cormorant, White winged black tern and Greater cormorant Lakeshore and papyrus swamp birds They are over 26 species of lakeshore and papyrus swamp birds recorded in this Park. Some of them include; Fish eagle, Pied kingfisher, African fin foot, Great white egret, Night heron.
When to visit: Any time, though conditions are more challenging during the rainy season.
Accommodation: Mantana Tented Camp, which is 3.5kms from Rwonyo Park headquarters, caters for up market tourists.
The Park has accommodation facilities, which include six (6) tents at Rwonyo park headquarters.
There are also 3 public campsites, all strategically located to facilitate and enhance scenic viewing and easy access to water.
Getting there: By Road: It is 3.5 hours drive from Kampala to Lake Mburo National Park on Mbarara Kampala highway. Turn left at 13 km (Akageti) past Lyantonde, which then brings you to Sanga gate. Both junctions have clearly labeled signposts. It is 13 km from Sanga trading center of Sanga gate, 5 km from the main road to Nshara gate and about 20 minutes drive from Rwonyo Park Head Quarters
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