What animals can I see in Lake Mburo National Park?

Lake Mburo is home to 69 mammal species and 332 bird species, including zebras, giraffes, elands, buffaloes and several antelope species. It is the only park in Uganda with impalas, and the only one in western Uganda with Burchell's zebra and eland. Leopards and hyenas are present, and lions have recently been sighted again after years of absence.

How do I get to Lake Mburo National Park from Kampala?

Lake Mburo is about 228 km (roughly 3.5 hours by road) west of Kampala, on the main road toward Bwindi and the Rwandan border. The park has three entrance gates: Nshara Gate, Sanga Gate, and Kyanyanshara Gate.

Is Lake Mburo National Park worth visiting?

Yes. It is one of the few places in Uganda where you can safari on horseback or by boat, not just by vehicle, and its smaller size means closer, more intimate wildlife encounters than in larger parks.

What is the best time to visit Lake Mburo National Park?

The dry months (June-August and December-February) offer the best wildlife viewing, as animals gather near water sources. The wetter months (March-May and September-November) are better for birdwatching and come with discounted lodge rates.

Can I combine Lake Mburo with gorilla trekking in Bwindi?

Yes. Lake Mburo is commonly combined with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for gorilla trekking, or with Queen Elizabeth National Park for a longer wildlife circuit.

Is Lake Mburo National Park safe for tourists?

Yes. All game drives, nature walks, and forest walks are led by an armed Uganda Wildlife Authority ranger, and walking alone in the park is not permitted for safety reasons.

What activities are available in Lake Mburo National Park?

Game drives, boat cruises, guided nature walks, birdwatching, cultural visits with the local Banyankole community, and, through partner lodges, horseback safaris and mountain biking.

Uganda Safari In Lake Mburo National Park

Safari Trip to Lake Mburo National Park.

Lake Mburo National Park is renowned as a top Uganda safari destination. The park is the only national park in Uganda located close to Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, making it easily accessible for visitors wanting to go on a Uganda safari. The park is located in Western Uganda, in Kiruhura District, east of Mbarara town. Covering a total area of 370 sq km, Lake Mburo National Park features a diverse landscape that includes Lake Mburo and adjacent wetlands that make up about 20% of the park. This unique ecosystem offers rich wildlife viewing opportunities and is a popular destination for those interested in an adventure.

The landscape and vegetation of Lake Mburo National Park are rolling hills interspersed with rocky outcrops and open and wooded grassland, with valleys filled with acacia trees. There are also forests, scrub, thicket and permanent and seasonal swamps on the lake shore. These varied scenes bring in the most astonishing and breathtaking views, making the Uganda tour in Lake Mburo National Park an unforgettable tour.

The park is Uganda’s smallest savannah national park, but it offers a wide variety of wildlife and scenic beauty. The park encompasses open and wooded grasslands, acacia-dotted savannas, and wetlands around Lake Mburo. A Uganda safari in Lake Mburo National Park offers visitors the opportunity to see over 68 mammals, many of which have made that area their home. The inclusion of Lake Mburo and the marshy grasses makes this park in Uganda one of the few parks where one can watch unusual species like the impalas and the zebras. Animals that are frequently sighted are eland antelopes, buffalo, topis, warthogs, bushbucks, leopards, hyenas and jackals. Hippos and crocodiles are frequently seen along the lake shores, often basking in the sun.

Lake Mburo National Park, a popular destination in Uganda, is home to a diverse variety of bird species. The park’s acacia, aquatic and savannah habitats attract numerous interesting birds, making it a haven for bird lovers.

Tourist attractions in Lake Mburo National Park

Animals

Lake Mburo National Park is home to a varied wildlife of 69 mammalian species; many of these park’s herbivores are rare, and some are endemic to the region. Lake Mburo is the only park in Uganda that holds impalas and the only one in western Uganda where you can see giraffes, zebras and elands.

Other animals found here include buffalo, hippos, jackals, leopards, oribi, reedbuck, topi, warthogs, waterbucks and more.

Tourist activities in Lake Mburo National Park

Game drives

Game drives in Lake Mburo National Park offer a great chance to access the variety of animal species found in the park as well as its stunning landscape. These drives are conducted early in the morning and late in the afternoon in specially designed 4WD pop-up safari vehicles that enable you to enjoy the best comfort in the bush. Game drives in the park are best done in the morning and late in the evening. This exciting drive takes you through the different game tracks, such as Zebra Track, Kazuma Track and Kigambira Loop.

While on your game drive safari, you’ll have the chance to spot different animals such as zebra, eland, impala, giraffes, elephant, oribi, bushbucks, reedbucks, and bush duikers, as well as bird species like black-bellied bustards, herons, and kingfishers.

Lake Mburo National Park also offers a night game drive safari, where you will be able to drive at night with a ranger in a 4WD safari vehicle, using spotlight torches, and see animals that are active at night. At night, on drives, you can see nocturnal animals such as genet cats, bush pigs, leopards, white-tailed mongooses, and grazers like hippos, among others.

***Game drive in Lake Mburo National Park***

Sport fishing

Sport fishing is one of the tourist activities offered at the park to visitors with an interest in angling and recreational fishing. The activity is allowed in specified areas in the park, like Mazinga, in order to promote sustainable fishing. Visitors interested in sport fishing must first obtain a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority before they can engage in the activity.

Sport fishing is typically conducted with experienced guides who help with all stages of fishing and ensure safety. Among its two million bodies of water, the park has these six species of fish: lungfish, mudfish, tilapia, catfish, and tigerfish. Of these, tilapia is the species most anglers actually catch in the park.

Boat cruise

A boat cruise is another interesting activity that you should not miss on your safari in Lake Mburo National Park. The boat cruise is conducted on different schedules, as the morning game drive starts at 9:00 am and the afternoon boat cruise at 2:00 pm. From 2 to 3 hours.

While on a boat ride, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and animals like hippos, crocodiles in water, buffaloes, waterbucks, and warthogs drinking water along the shores, and so many aquatic bird species like cormorants, kingfishers, herons, pelicans, African fish eagles, the elusive shoebill stork, African finfoot, and so on.

Birding

Lake Mburo National Park is one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. The park is home to over 350 bird species, and birdwatching safaris in the park can be done in the Warukiri and Miriti wetlands, where a great variety of species can be identified.

Some of the bird species you may spot while on your birding safari include the African grey hornbill, bare-faced go-away bird, black-billed barbet, blue-naped mousebird, brown parrot, common quail, crested francolin, emerald-spotted wood dove, greenwood hoopoe, lilac-breasted roller, Nubian woodpecker, red-necked spurfowl, trilling cisticola, white-winged warbler and the legendary shoebill stork.

Horseback riding

Lake Mburo National Park is the only national park in Uganda offering a horseback riding safari to tourists. This exciting adventure takes you to see different animals closely while on a horse.

On a horseback safari, you will be riding on the savannah plains, where you will be able to spot buffalo, zebra, topi, warthog, bushbuck, waterbuck, eland, impala, duiker and a wide variety of birds, to mention but a few.

***Horseback safari in Lake Mburo Park***

Biking tours

Biking in Lake Mburo National Park is a thrilling way to experience the well-known Uganda safari destination. Visitors can enjoy a guided bicycle safari through the park’s diverse landscape, including open savannah grassland, marshy valleys and mountain forests. These guided rides are conducted by qualified game rangers who guarantee your security and assist you to see animals even more closely, such as zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, warthogs, impalas and elands. Besides, birdwatching itself is a special treat, with many birds you can spot on the scenic trails

Best time to visit Lake Mburo National Park

The best time to visit Lake Mburo Park on a Uganda safari is from December to February and from June to October, when it is dry. The roads to and inside the park are dry and relatively easy to travel during these months, which makes for more accessible and enjoyable game drives.

Game viewing is also good in this period, as many animals congregate at water points due to the scarcity of water in the bush. While the park is open all year round, you should plan your visit for the dry seasons for the best Uganda safari in Lake Mburo National Park, more so if you want to take part in game drives and wildlife viewing.

Best lodges in Lake Mburo National Park.

There are so many comfortable lodges in Mburo that suit all tastes and budgets, such as Arcadia Cottages, Eagles Nest, Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Mantana Tented Camp, Mburo Safari Lodge and many others.

Getting to Lake Mburo National Park.

By Road: Lake Mburo National Park lies between the Masaka and Mbarara towns, just off the main road from Kampala to the southwest, leading to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. It is a 228 km drive from Kampala to Lake Mburo National Park, which takes approximately 3-4 hours driving each way. There are several gates into the park: Kyanyanshara Gate (Mihingo Lodge), Akagate Gate, and Sanga Gate (Rwakobo Rock Lodge). The park is located by the road, and this makes it very accessible; just follow the Uganda Wildlife Authority post signs.

By Air: A flying safari to Lake Mburo National Park is also available by way of both scheduled and charter flights from Kajjansi and Entebbe International Airport. This, however, has to be booked in advance, as it is really the number of travellers on the flight that determines what the routing is going to be: 4 people minimum.