Offering a Diverse Range of Activities
Lake Mburo National Park is situated halfway between Entebbe/Kampala and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park - about a 4-5 hour drive from each. It is very often used as a one night stopover to break up the road journey for people who choose not to fly between Entebbe and Bwindi for their gorilla trekking experience, but there is plenty to do here to merit a longer stay if you have the time and the inclination. It is especially good if you are leaving Bwindi en-route back to the international airport, as it is a lovely place to unwind after the excitement of gorilla trekking.
The Park itself is small - just 371 square km - but it still is home to a variety of habitats and wildlife. Rolling hills, rocky outcrops, open and wooded savannahs, forests, lakes and swamps all combine together to create an interesting, diverse and very scenic landscape.
It is the only Park in Uganda where you can see impala and zebra, and one of the few Parks where you can go out on a night game drive too. A night drive will give you an excellent opportunity to spot nocturnal animals such as leopard, genet cats, hyena and white tailed mongoose.
The 5 lakes in the Park (the largest of which is Lake Mburo itself) are home to hippo and crocodiles, and the swamps hide the shy sitatunga antelope. Other frequently seen mammals include warthog, oribi, waterbuck, buffalo, colobus monkeys, topi and eland. The birdlife is impressive, with over 330 species having been recorded here, including shoebill, saddle billed stork, ground hornbill, African fish eagles and the rare African finfoot.
Activities aside from night drives include day game drives, boat trips on the lakes, horse riding, mountain biking, quad biking, walking safaris, and local community visits.