Cultural visits in Lake Mburo national park
Cultural visits in Lake Mburo national park: Lake Mburo is one of the 10 national parks of Uganda. The national park is the smallest savannah park situated in Kiruhura district. Lake Mburo national park is one of the most visited protected areas in Uganda because of its attractions. The national park is home to over 68 mammals, a few primate species, 350 bird species, and 14 small lakes.
Lake Mburo national park started as a game reserve but in 1983 it was upgraded to a national park and all activities are controlled and managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority. The national park was gazetted to protect different attractions found there and as of today, it covers a total area of 260 sq. km.
Cultural visits in Lake Mburo national park
When Lake Mburo national park was gazetted, there were communities that were living inside there and these were asked to move out and settle in the nearby areas. Areas around Lake Mburo national park are full of different communities and the main tribes there are Bahima and Banyankore.
The Bahima and Banyankore are mainly cattle keepers who keep large herds of cattle. The person in the community with the highest number of cattle is the richest. The cattle are kept for meat, ghee, and most importantly milk. All these are sold and money got from it is used to improve their way of living.
Lake Mburo national park is known for game drives, horse riding, and boat cruise activities but tourists who love to explore the African culture can always take a visit to some communities that live around the park. To visit the community, you need to talk to your local tour operator so that they talk to park authorities to get you local guides that will lead you around the community.
Community tours in Lake Mburo national park normally happen in the afternoon hours after doing major activities like game drives. Tourists do gather first and a local guide from the community briefs them about where they are going to visit. A ranger guide from the park and a local guide from the community do take visitors to a chosen home.
Tourists do visit the community on foot and it normally takes a few minutes to get there. While going for community tours, tourists do get an opportunity to see different animals graze in the park, birds, vegetation, and some of the small lakes around. Tourists do also get great views of the surrounding areas like hills, roads, mountains, rivers, and much more.
In the local community, you will be welcomed by smiling and happy people. These will give you chairs to sit and relax from the long walk. If you visit a home with cattle, they will take you to their kraal where cows stay and you will be taught the whole milking process.
You can be part of the milking if interested. You don’t have to fear the cow because the hind legs where milking is done is from are tired properly. The calf is first allowed to suckle the mother and this is done to stimulate the cow’s udder. After a few minutes, the calf goes off and the milking process starts. The person milking uses their hands to milk and the milk falls into a wooden milk jar.
When the milk jar is full, the milk is transformed into a big container for better storage. Some milk is boiled for drinking at home, other milk can be turned into ghee, whole the other is sold for money that is used to improve their lives. Tourists are shown how the ghee is formed if they have enough time.
At the home of cattle keepers, tourists can get an opportunity to see food cooked using cow butter and even taste it because of its health. After the visit, tourists are given items such as ghee, things made from cow skin, and many more. Apart from visiting people who have homes, you can take visit to craft shops where you will buy souvenirs such as hats, drums, clothes, and much more.
After visiting the local community, you walk back with your ranger guide to your lodge. While walking, you will have stunning views of the attractions along the way, meet animals you could have missed while going, different bird species, chameleons, butterflies, and much more.
