Lake Mburo Safari Packages
“Sir Fredrick Jackson, former governor of Uganda protectorate, and keen ornithologist described the country as a “Hidden Eden…and wonderland for birds”
Lake Mburo National Park
One of Uganda’s Smaller National Parks, Lake Mburo extends over 260 km2 of undulating territory with an altitude range from 1,220m to 1,828m above sea level. The annual rainfall figure of around 800m is relatively low, but roughly 20% of the park’s surface area nevertheless consists of wetland habitats. The most important of these is Lake Mburo itself, the largest of five lakes that lie within the park boundaries, and part of a cluster of 14 lakes that are fed by the Rwizi river and connected by several permanent and seasonal swamps. The remainder of the park consists of open savannah and acacia woodland. The western part of the park consists of Savannah interspersed with rocky ridges and forested gorges, while patches of papyrus swamp and narrow bands of lush riparian woodland line the verges of the various lakes.
Lake Mburo harbours several species not easily observed elsewhere in Uganda. It is the only reserve in the country not easily observed else in Uganda. It is the only reserve in the country to support a population of impala, the handsome antelope for which Kampala is named, and one of the only three protected areas countrywide where Burchell’s zebra occurs, the other two being the far less accessible Kidepo and Pian-Upe. Topi, bushbuck, common duiker, oribi, Defassa waterbuck and Bohor reedbuck are the other antelope species Known to exist in the park.. The lake and lush fringing vegetation support a healthy population of buffaloes, warthogs, bushpigs and hippos.
Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the park. It is the best place in Uganda to view acacia associated birds and Rwonyo camp is as good a place as any to look for the likes of mosque swallow, black bellied bustard, bare faced go-away bird and Ruppell’s long tailed starling. A handful of birds recorded at Lake Mburo are essentially southern species at the very northern limit of their range, for instance the southern ground hornbill, black collared and black throated barbets, and green-capped eremomela. Of special interest to birders are the swamps, in which six papyrus endemics are residents including the brilliantly coloured papyrus gonolek, the striking blue-headed coucal, and the highly localised white-winged and papyrus yellow warblers, the last recorded nowhere else in Uganda.
Getting There and Away:
Two different roads connect Lake Mburo National Park to the main surfaced road between Masaka and Mbarara. Coming from the west, the better approach road branches south at Sanga, 37 km east of Mbarara. Coming from Kampala, it’s easier to use the road branching south from the 50 km marker for Mbarara about 20 km past Lyantonde. The drive from Kampala takes about four to five hours, not allowing for breaks/ stops.