Horse riding in Lake Mburo national park

Horse riding in Lake Mburo national park: Horse riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park take you off the beaten track and back in time. Lake Mburo national park is home to 68 mammals, 3 primates, 350 bird species and hosts some rare animals like the impalas. The national park has so many attractions and horse riding safaris offer superb game viewing opportunities.

Horse riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park are the best way to spot different animals in the park and it’s very different from game drives carried out in safari vehicles. Lake Mburo national park was gazetted in 1983 and is currently protecting animals such as zebras, giraffes, impalas, lion, spotted hyenas, cape buffaloes, leopards, warthogs, side-striped jackals, olive baboons, and topis to mention but a few.

Horse riding activities are organized by Mihingo lodge and the horses are said to be carrying a maximum of 100 kg. Most of the horses do carry people that are 85 kg and below but there are very few that can carry people above that weight. During the horse riding activities, the tourists are first weighed in order to know which horse is good for your weight and also not to damage the horse.

Horse riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park are done in the morning or afternoon hours. It’s 6 tourists that go horse riding per session and they are accompanied by rangers from the lodge. The horse riding activity starts with a briefing and tourists are able to know what and not what to do. The tourists are asked to wear long trousers and shorts as well as strong shoes if possible with a wheel.

Tourists get on the horses and at least one horse guide accompanies the ride. Tourists are recommended to boo the 4 to 5 hours horse ride that goes to the grassy Warukiri area. While moving around Wakuri ridge, different hills surrounding Lake Mburo national park are seen. There is a waterhole on your way and here you might meet different animals like buffaloes and antelopes drinking water, especially in the rainy season.

The horse ride safari in Lake Mburo national park further takes you to 9 out of the 12 small lakes for within the park. The whole horse riding safari is totally different from game drives where you visit a few areas of the park. While doing horse riding, you will see zebras come near you to see animals that look like them but with no stripes.

Horse riding in the savannah will get you an opportunity to see animals such as lion, zebras, impalas, topis, elands, warthogs, cape buffaloes, water bucks, bushbucks, olive baboons, side-stripped jackals, and sitatungas among others. During horse riding, it’s very hard to see animals like leopards and spotted hyenas however there are lucky tourists who saw them.

How much does it cost to do horse riding in Lake Mburo national park?

Horse riding activities in Lake Mburo national park are organized by Mihingo lodge. Booking and paying the horse riding activity is done with Mihingo lodge but not Uganda Wildlife Authority. Each person does pay $70 per hour and if a person wants more than an hour they will get the hours they want and multiply by $70 to get the total money needed.

Best time for Horse ridding safaris

Tourists can go for horse riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park at any time of the year however certain months are better than the rest. The dry season months from December to February and June to September are the best to have horse riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park. The dry season has got little rainfall and plenty of sunshine and this keeps the park’s ground dry and easily passable by horses, roads leading to the park are dry and the vegetation is short with good views of wildlife.

During the rainy season, the horse riding activities still take place however it’s not as good as during the dry season. In the rainy season, you need to expect rainfall at any time of the day and this can spoil the activity, the vegetation is tall with unclear views of far animals but animals are everywhere in the park since food is plenty so this means that you won’t go to the lake shores to search for animals as they are seen everywhere.

Accommodation in lake mburo national park

Visit Lake Mburo national park for horse ride safaris and other activities and would want to stay in the park for a day or more have a lot of accommodation facilities where they can stay. There are luxury, mid-range, and budget lodges in Lake Mburo national park where tourists can stay based on their travel budget. Some of the lodges in Lake Mburo include Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Mburo Safari Lodge, Mihingo Lodge, Kigambira Safari Lodge, Arcadia Cottages, Rwonyo Rest Camp, Ihamba Lakeside Safari Lodge, and Kasenyi Lake Retreat Lodge and Campsite.

Reaching Lake Mburo national park

Tourists visiting Lake Mburo national park for horse riding safaris can get there using road transport in a single day. Lake Mburo national park is located about 240km from the capital city of Kampala and can be accessed in 3 to 4 hours. From Kampala to Lake Mburo national park, tourists go through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, and branch off to use Sanga gate or Nshara gate 2 km apart.

Other activities in Lake Mburo national park

Apart from horse riding, Lake Mburo national park offers other activities to visitors such as boat cruises which are done on Lake Mburo, game drives where over 68 mammals are spotted, primates, and bird watching because it’s home to 350 bird species and guided nature walks among others.