Lake Mburo National Park

Situated between the towns of Masaka and Mbarara, Lake Mburo National Park a comparatively small park, 256 sq km is composed primarily of grassland, wetlands, and acacia woodland. At the centre lies Lake Mburo, which together with other 14 lakes, form part of an extensive wetland area. The lake and lush fringing vegetation support a healthy population of buffaloes, warthogs, bush pigs and hippos.
The annual rainfall figure of around 800m is relatively low, but roughly 20% of the park’s surface area nevertheless consists of wetland habitats. The western part of the park consists of Savannah interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges, while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line the verges of the various lakes.

Wildlife
Lake Mburo National Park harbors several species not easily observed elsewhere in Uganda. It is the only reserve in the country not easily observed else in Uganda. Huge herds of Impala live on the acacia dotted savannah as well as the eland, klipspringer plus other antelopes such as the rare topi and sitatunga. Zebras and buffaloes also graze here, while leopard amongst the predators. Crocodiles and hippos can be seen on the shores of the lake, which attracts a profusion of birdlife including the marabou stock and the crowned crane.

Lake Mburo Safari Birds

Birds

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the park. It is the best place in Uganda to view acacia associated birds and Rwonyo camp is as good a place as any to look for the likes of mosque swallow, black bellied bustard, bare faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long tailed starling. A handful of birds recorded at Lake Mburo are essentially southern species at the very northern limit of their range, for instance the southern ground hornbill, black collared and black throated barbets, and green-capped eremomela. Of special interest to birders are the swamps, in which six papyrus endemics are residents including the brilliantly colored papyrus gonolek, the striking blue-headed coucal, and the highly localized white-winged and papyrus yellow warblers, the last recorded nowhere else in Uganda.

Getting there and away

Two different roads connect Lake Mburo National Park to the main surfaced road between Masaka and Mbarara. Coming from the west, the better approach road branches south at Sanga, 37 km east of Mbarara. Coming from Kampala, it’s easier to use the road branching south from the 50 km marker for Mbarara about 20 km past Lyantonde. The drive from Kampala takes about 4-5 hours, excluding stop overs.

Lake Mburo National Park Safaris

• Wildlife safaris
• Game drives
• Birding tours
• Boat rides
• Cycling tours