Rubanga forest

Rubanga forest: Rubanga forest is located in Lake Mburo national park a savannah protected area in Nyabushozi Kiruhura district. This is a small forest situated on the western side of the national park. Rubanga forest is another attraction in Lake Mburo national park with different plants, birds, mammals, and primates.

The forest is another area tourists that are visiting Lake Mburo national park can take a visit to. So many hidden attractions are within the forest and the most loved are the birds. The small forest harbors 40 bord species of Lake Mburo national park and 5 of these only live in this forest and nowhere else in the park.

Activities carried out in Rubanga forest

Bird watching in Rubanga forest

Bird watching in Rubanga gives tourists an opportunity to see a number of bird species. Over 40 bird species have been recorded in Rubanga forest of which 5 are forest specialists. Bird watching is a guided activity where armed ranger guides take you to the best birding spots within the forest for you to see most of the bird species.

Bird species of Rubanga forest include bar faced go away bird, Nubian woodpeckers, grey-backed camaroptera, coqui francolin, double-toothed barbet, red-shouldered cuckoo, ross’s turaco, red-headed lover bird, African pygmy kingfisher, grey backed camaroptera, emerald spotted wood dove, narina tragon, shoebill stork, harrier hawk, double toothed barbet, red winged francolin, tropical boubou, pin tailed whydah, African darter, and great cormorant.

Other bird species that can be seen in the forest include white winged tit, black breasted snake eagle, abdmin’s stork, lappet faced vulture, hammerkop, blue napped mousebird, black cuckoo, brown snake eagle, woodland kingfisher, Senegal lapwing, black and white casqued hornbill, crowned hornbill, brown chested lapwing, diederik cuckoo, African grey hornbill, pennant winged nightjar, white headed vulture, striped kingfisher, African jacana, and black headed gonolek among others.

The guided nature walks in Rubanga forest

Forest guided nature walk activities in Rubanga forest. The nature walks are guided by armed ranger guides who protect you from dangerous animals and show you the right trails to use. During the guided nature walks in Rubanga forest, tourists are able to enjoy the cool breeze while spotting different trees like acacia, plan, platycladus, fig trees, markhamia, palm, platycaluz, and many others.

Apart from vegetation, tourists do get an opportunity to see small mammals, primates i.e. vervet monkeys, olive baboons, black and white colobus monkeys, and birds during the guided nature walks. There are also butterflies, chameleons, bats, and much more to see in Rubanga. On a lucky day you will encounter nocturnal animals like leopards coming back from their hunting the

The fact that the forest is found within Lake Mburo national park, tourists can take part in activities that are carried out in Lake Mburo national park. The activities of Lake Mburo national park include boat rides that happen on Lake Mburo, horse riding where animals are seen on the backs of horses, game drives where one encounters most of the park animals, and community tours.

What to pack for Rubanga Forest

Tourists who would like to go for bird watching or nature walk activities in Rubanga forest need to pack the right essentials if they want to enjoy their safari to the small forest. What to pack if you will explore Rubanga forest includes waterproof hiking shoes, long cotton stocks, a pair of gaiters, long-sleeved shorts, long-sleeved shirts, a hat, insect repellents, a pair of binoculars, a camera, a backpack, drinking water bottle and energy giving snacks among others.

How to access Rubanga forest

Rubanga can be accessed by road transport by getting first accessing Lake Mburo national park. To get to Lake Mburo national park you do use road transport and it takes 4 to 5 hours. By road transport, Lake Mburo national park where the forest is located is accessed from Kampala by going through Mpigi, Masaka, Lyantonde, and Kiruhura. From Lyantonde, it takes 30 minutes driving and you do use Sanga gate

best time for safaris in Rubanga Forest

Rubanga forest can be visited at any time of the year however certain months give the best results compared to others. November to April is the best period to visit the forest in Lake Mburo because that is when migratory birds are within the park. Bird lovers will see birds of Rubanga and add on migratory birds. The dry season is also good for nature walks because forest trails will be dry and easier to navigate.