Activities in Lake Mburo national park

Activities in Lake Mburo national park: Activities in Lake Mburo are those things that tourists can do while on a safari in the park. Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park in Uganda located on Kampala Mbarara highway. The national park was gazetted in 1933 and changed to a game reserve in 1963 and in 1983 it was elevated to the status of a national park.

Lake Mburo national park covers a total area of 260km and the area is home to over 68 mammals, 3 primates, and over 350 bird species. Different wildlife species of Lake Mburo national park have found their homes in the savannah vegetation. Different activities can be carried out within Lake Mburo national park and we are going to look at most of them below.

Activities in Lake Mburo national park

Bird watching

On a safari to Lake Mburo national park you will some of the bird species, Lake Mburo national park is a birders parasite. You can look out for different bird species in different areas of the park including Rubanga forest in the west of Lake Mburo. An armed ranger guide who has knowledge about birds does lead you to the different areas of the park where birds are commonly seen.

On a typical biding excursion in Lake Mburo national park, you will encounter bird species such as shoebill stork, pied kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, red-faced barbet, bare-faced go-away bird, blue-headed coucal, malachite kingfisher, saddle billed stork, white-winged black tern, long tailed cisticola, green hood hoopoe, white-tailed pelican, yellow-breasted apalis, greater painted snipe, and Abyssinian ground hornbill.

Other bird species of Lake Mburo national park include the yellow-rumped tinkerbird, tabora cisticola, mosque swallow, white-winged swamp warbler, hairy-breasted barbet, brown-chested lapwing, African scops owl, African green pigeon, white-backed heron, coqui francolin, brown parrot, Nubian woodpecker, long tailed cisticola, grey crowned crane, and red-headed lovebird to mention but a few.

Game drives on safari to Lake Mburo national park

There are day, evening, and night game drives in Lake Mburo national park to enable tourists to explore different areas of the park while encountering animals. Game drive activities during the day enable tourists to see wild animals such as lions, buffaloes, spotted hyenas, side stripped jackals, buffaloes, leopards, zebras, impalas, giant forest hogs, warthogs, and hippos among others. Bird lovers will also spot a number of bird species while viewing animals.

Lake Mburo national park is one of the few national parks where night game drives can be carried out. The night game drives start at 6:00 pm and they give tourists an opportunity to see animals that are active in the night. Night game drives in Lake Mburo national park give tourists an opportunity to see leopards, spotted hyenas, lions, bush pigs, nocturnal birds, and many others tracking their prey.

Enjoy the Nature walks in Lake Mburo NP

Nature walks

Apart from game drives where tourists use safari vehicles to explore the park, tourists can use their feet and carry out nature walk activities in different areas of the park. Nature walls are done in specific areas based on what the tourists want to see. Nature walk activities are led by armed ranger guides for the safety of wildlife and the tourists.

The nature walks in Lake Mburo national park are done for 1 to 2 hours and tourists do get an opportunity to see different wildlife species. Tourists do see animals such as zebras, impalas, elands, buffaloes, leopards, giant forest hogs, giraffes, hyenas, hippos, and much more. Bird lovers during nature walks get an opportunity to see some of the bird species like red-faced barbet, malachite kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, saddle-billed stork, shoebill, and black-billed bustard among others.

Boat cruises

There are so many small water bodies in Lake Mburo national park Uganda but Lake Mburo where the park gets its name is the most famous one. Lake Mburo is the largest water body in the park and boat cruise activities are accrued out there. During the boat cruise activities on Lake Mburo, tourists do use motor boats to explore the lake while seeing different attractions that surround the area.

Boat cruise activities on Lake Mburo give tourists an opportunity to see crocodiles, fish, and bird species around the lake such as African fish eagle, pied kingfisher, African wattled lapwing, saddle billed stork, black-bellied bustard, and malachite kingfisher among others. Tourists also get an opportunity to see park animals especially during the dry season because they come to drink water.

Horse riding

Lake Mburo national park in Uganda is one of the gifted national parks where tourists can go for horseback riding. Tourists do get an opportunity watch the wildlife of Lake Mburo national park and other attractions while horse riding. Tourists who go for horse riding in Mgahinga national park must be staying at Mihingo Lodge.

Horse riding in Lake Mburo national park does last for 1 to 3 hours and it’s led by well-trained personnel from Mihingo Lodge who goes around the park directing tourists. During horse ride activities, tourists do get an opportunity to see animals such as antelopes, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, and different bird species.

Best time to visit Lake Mburo Park

Visiting Mgahinga national park can be visited for different tourism activities at any time of the year but the dry season is the best. The dry season happens from June to September and December to February when the park is receiving plenty of rainfall and little rainfall. The dry season is the best time to visit Lake Mburo Uganda because roads and game tracks in the parka are dry and easier to go through and the vegetation is short and scattered with good views of wildlife and other attractions

Tourists more so budget travelers can visit park during the rainy season to enjoy discounts on accommodation facilities and tour packages. The rainy season is however not the best time to visit Lake Mburo even though all park activities are open. During the rainy seasons, the park receives plenty of rainfall and this makes game trucks and roads leading to the park muddy and slippery and the vegetation is tall with unclear views of wildlife and other attractions within the park.