ACTIVITES IN LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITES IN LAKE MBURO NATIONAL PARK
Lake Mburo National Park despite of its small size, has more than enough to offer to its visitors. It’s a compact gem Park with even the smallest area within the Park having something to offer. What puts it a part is its strategic location-easily accessed than any other Park in the country. This Park is most perfect for group or family tour.
There are many activities to indulge in during your trip to this fabulous National Park and they include Safari game drive, Nature walk and hiking safaris, birding, boat cruise, horseback riding and community cultural tours among others.
Game drives
A game drive to this this Park is incredibly and extremely superb, in fact it is unmissable. Although there are many National Parks in Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park is unique on its own and game drive in it presents great nature experiences. It offers truly immersive wildlife experience that is hard to forget.
More fascinating is driving along the stunning scenery of the Park, passing through well demarked game drive tracks. The game drive will eventually make you unlock the Park’s wild life like Impala, and Burchell’s zebras which are among the rare and sought for species of wildlife in Uganda’s protected area. Other famous Park animals you are likely to encounter are large number of eland antelopes, buffaloes, topis, eland, bush buck, warthog, leopard, hyena and jackal. Hippos and large crocodiles are also frequently seen along the shores of the Lake busking on sun. If you are lucky enough you may get to see elusive leopard,
Birding
Lake Mburo National Park is a birders’ paradise, boasting of diverse species of bird life including acacia, savanna grassland, woodland and aquatic associates. The Park harbors over 315 different bird species and some of which are not found elsewhere in Uganda. The species in this Park includes; Abyssinian ground hornbill, saddle billed stork, African fish eagle, rufous-billied heron, white wingled warbler, great spipe, red papyrus gonalek, Africa finfoot, red-faced barbet, tabora cisticola, black bellied bustard, brown chested wattled plover, emerald spotted wood, carruther’s cisticola, grey crown crane, papyrus yellow warbler, bare faced go away bird, cocui francolin, Olea species and Boscia species which are residents woody vegetation, and not forgetting the rare elusive shoebill among others.
For a Park as small as Lake Mburo National Park to host over 351 clearly tells why the Park is one of the best birding spots in the country.
The Park’s birding sites include Rubanga forest area, Rwonyo areas like Wakukiri and Miriti. The activities normally go for more than two hours depending on the weather. You may also choose to do birding and bird watching along the shores of Lake Mburo and its Swamps. Birding in this Park is more fascinating especially during the wet season when migrant birds come into the Park.
Nature walks and Hiking
Exploring Lake Mburo National Park on foot is phenomenon. Walking in this Park is so rewarding and enjoyable. The absence of elephants and lions in the Park makes nature walks very easy because there is nothing to fear about. Choose to take a walk to the salt lick area-and witness how Park animals continuously lick the ground because it’s salty. The animals you may encounter in this area are Buchell’s Zebras, Buffaloes, and many antelopes as well as hippos rushing back to the Lake after their early morning grazing activity.
Your walk can also involve a little trek and hike to Kazuma hill to enjoy the stunning beauty of Park’s vegetation, incredible lakes within the Park including Lake Mburo, rolling hills marked by protruding ancient Precambrian rocks.
The birders may choose to take a nature walk to Rubanga forest to encounter the forest birds and other forest ecosystem. The forest is an important bird site and it has got well-made paths interconnecting to the forest.
The Nature walk may take you 2-4 hours depending on the weather and also your target for that day.
Boat cruise
Take a boat cruise down the beautiful lake Mburo. Boat cruise is a wonderful way to take a closer look at the complex Park ecosystem without frightening them more so; the aquatic dwellers. Gliding on Lake Mburo is more than just viewing specular swampy vegetation that make up shores of the Lake. It will definitely make you have a very close encounter with wildlife. Cruising is the better way to appreciate Africa’s safari because of the excitement it comes with. You will enjoy seeing numbers of animals coming to quench their thirst in the Lake especially during the dry season where the Lake seems to be the only permanent water source. The residents to meet during this cruise are; hippos, crocodiles, waterbucks, Zebras, warthogs, and buffaloes among others.
At the shores of the Lake, watch out for different species of water birds that will not only amaze bird lovers but adventure seekers. The species you are likely to encounter are; cormorant, fish eagle, pelican, heron, king fishers, African Fish Eagles,…to mention but just a few.
Horseback ride
Horseback Riding; exciting activity in Lake Mburo National Park. Because of the diverse topography and ecology across the Park, from falling and raising hillsides, rocky outcrops, open and wooden grassland, rich acacia tree valleys, forests, bushes, thickets to permanent swamps along the shores of the Lakes. These teem up with an incredible variety of game species from hippos and buffalo to elands, Buchell’s zebras, topi, hyenas, elusive leopards to jackals among others. The Park also boasts to hosts over 351 recorded bird species that add to the exquisite variety of all forms of wildlife that the Park support. During your ride in the Park, you are to closely encounter with most of these Park dwellers.
Lake Mburo National Park is the only Park in Uganda which offers opportunity for horseback riding. The experience of Horseback riding is remarkable. The activity will enable you to closely encounter with wildlife. Exploring the Park through horseback riding is another way to enhance on your holiday experience. The ride offers a unique fabulous based adventures in the savannah plains and other game track trails of Lake Mburo National Park.
The Horseback riding take between 1-4 hours and the rates are according to the hours.
Cultural tours
Cultural tours can be conducted outside the Park in the nearby Park communities. The neighboring Ankole people have melting pot of cultures. You can opt to visit the Ankole Cultural Centre that will introduce you to their traditional culture, history, traditions, customs and norms of the Kingdom. The Ankole Cultural Centre is custom designed and modified to meet your needs.
When you visit the villages around the Park, your rural cultural tour will enable you learn the local traditional culture and their way of life. With Aga Safaris, we shall take you deep to local people’s homesteads to interact, learn, and even participate in some of their day to today activities like milking. The hospitality you will be shown combined with our authentic cultural tour will ensure your holiday experience unforgettable.
There is also Igongo Culture Centre that you will visit during your cultural tour. You will get a site guide who will take you through the different chambers of the cultural centre. Visit the site’s museum and encounter variety of artifacts, traditional tools, crafts and books which will truly interpret true Ankole culture. Your guide will also enlighten you about the history of the people of Ankole and their rich culture.
