Lake Mburo is located on 260 km of gently rolling savannah-type terrain and a series of swamps that support bird life. Lake Mburo has registered some 68 different species of mammals, approx. 313 different species of birds, including Uganda’s national emblem, the crested crane Found in a part of Uganda covered by a sprawling 158-square-mile acacia forest savannah, Mburo has markedly different fauna to other reserves. The rains here are quite erratic and unpredictable, but most of the rain tends to fall in April and November. Lake Mburo National Park lies in the rain shadow between Lake Victoria and the Rwenzori Mountains, receiving an average of just 800mm of rain a year, with July and August being the hottest months.

Lake Mburo is 3 hours and 30 minutes from Kampala, the capital city, which lies between Masaka and Mbarara, in southwestern Uganda. The park is located between 1,219 meters and 1,828 meters above sea level.

A legend is told of two brothers, Kigarama and Mburo, who lived in a great valley. Kigarama dreamed that the two were in danger, the next morning, he told his dream to his younger brother Mburo and told Mburo that they should move. Mburo rejected this advice, Kigarama wisely moved to the hills. The valley was flooded, a lake formed, which drowned Mburo. Today the lake is named after him and the hills are called Kigarama after his brother. The word mburo is similar to “mboro”, the Runyankole name for the cassine tree which has a powerful aphrodisiac effect. One such tree, showing signs of barking and branching, can be seen near the Kigambira Loop crossroads.

In the early 1060s, Bahima herdsmen occupied the “karo karungy”, which literally means “good grazing land”. The area was sparsely populated due to the presence of tsetse flies that would harm wild animals and the local population. The Nshara was used by “omugabe/king of Ankole as a royal hunting ground, there he forbade the Bahima to graze their cattle in that area except during dry seasons. However, when the area was hit by the rinderpest epidemic , pastoralists around the Mburo area moved their herds to the Nyabushozi area, which is located on the Kampala-Mbarara highway.

TO DO:

Animal Watching: This is one of the main tourist activities of this Park; It is famous for its richness in biodiversity. It has zebra, impala, buffalo, topi, eland, roan and leopard antelope, hyenas, and jackals as predictors.

Boating: Since you may not be able to track all the animals, a boating tour might help you clearly see crocodiles, hippos, and birds such as pelicans, black herons, herons, cormorants, osprey, you may also spot the rare Shoebill Stork and all of them will make your visit proud. The duration of each boat cruise is negotiable.

Guided walks: Visitors have the opportunity to walk the circuit at their own pace in the company of an armed guide. The nature trail offers a walk in the Rubanga forest, although it is very small, it has a closed canopy. A common tree is Markhamia platycalyx (gray-brown truck with irregular scaly patches, divided leaves, stripped yellow flowers spotted with red; fruit branches extremely long, up to 1.3 m pod-shaped. Palms, figs, sap, a tall tree whose leaves turn red before falling and the fire tree Erythrina abyssinica appears towards the edge of the swamp, the visitor has the opportunity to admire nature in situ. The trail is interpreted in the form of a booklet in both English and Runyankole .Salt is a summary of everything.The strategically placed wooden hide (observation point) offers the opportunity to see at least 4 different species of animals at any time while they lick the salty ground.The most interesting thing to note is that this is does without the awareness of animals.

Bird Watching: First-time visitors to Lake Mburo National Park are fascinated by the variety of large, colorful birds including the pink-backed pelican, darter, white pelican, yellow-billed duck, cormorant-tailed long, the white-winged black tern and the greater cormorant. , most of which can be seen in the papyrus swamps and Rubanga forest.

Fishing: Lake Mburo has around 6 species of fish, with tilapia (Oreochromis leucostictus) being the most common. Visitors planning to enjoy sport fishing on Lake Mburo should bring their own fishing equipment and fish at the designated spot in Mazinga. A restaurant is available at campsite 2 to ensure maximum relaxation for visitors while on the lake. However, local people also fish from canoes, this can only be done in an area where there are no hippos or crocodiles.

Accommodation

Rwonyo Rest Camp is available at the park headquarters, for single or double occupancy. Meals are not available to visitors, visitors can bring their own food which the camp staff can help prepare or buy from the Tembo canteen. Lighting is provided with hurricane lamps and buckets of warm water for bathing. A campfire can be arranged on request.

Mantana Camp, stunning views over 3 lakes, offers good service while retaining the authentic safari spirit. Each tent has two single beds and a bathroom. Each terrace is positioned to take advantage of the stunning African sunsets. The dining room is built on stilts to offer guests panoramic views from the treetops to the lakes.

The Lake View Hotel in the nearby town of Mbarara is a modern, locally owned hotel. All rooms have a private bathroom. The hotel has a bar, restaurant, terrace, swimming pool and sports center. The hotel’s small lake is often surrounded by marabou storks.

Mihingo Lodge – The luxury tent room is located on a private part of the lodge property, it is a quiet and exclusive retreat next to the Lake Mburo National Park. . With en-suite bathrooms with stunning views, including hot and cold running water, showers and toilets. The main dining room is a large thatched-roof structure built from rocks, the wood of dead and weathered olive trees found on the land, and native grasses. Below the dining room, an infinity pool extends from the rocks and seems to disappear into the vast landscape beyond, guests can enjoy the view of a west-facing valley and its stunning sunsets over Lake Mburo National Park.