Ugandasafari.it - Uganda: Lake Mburo National Park

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Lake Mburo National Park
Situated in Mbarara district, is about 3.5 hours from Kampala. Lake Mburo is a comparatively small park covering 370 sq. km and it is the smallest of Uganda's savannah national parks.

It is composed primarily of Savanna grassland,
but with varying amounts of shrubs and trees,
and acacia woodland.

Lake Mburo is the largest of the five lakes that lie within the park boundaries and a part of a cluster of 14 lakes that are fed by the Rwizi river forming the extensive wetland. The animal population here includes large herds of Impala and Eland living on the acacia-dotted savannah, Klipspringer and Antelopes like the rare Topi and Sitatunga. Zebra and Buffalo also graze here while the predators include Leopards.

The presence of Crocodile and Hippos attracts a profusion of bird life including the Marabou stork and crowned crane. Dry hillside, rocky outcrops, bushes, thickets, open and wooded savannahs, forests, lakes and swamps form a surprising habitat of diversity of plants and animals.

Wildlife
Much of the land area of the park is acacia tree savannah. Lake Mburo National Park is famous for its richness of biodiversity and it has about 68 different species of mammals. It is home to herds of Impala, as well as the more uncommon Topi, Eland (the largest African antelope), and Klipspringer. Burchells Zebra and buffalo also graze these areas. Hippo is very common in the lake. Predators include leopards, hyenas, and jackals.

Birdlife
Much of Lake Mburo is surrounded by giant sedge cyperus papyrus reeds. This is home to the Papyrus Gonolek. Of 315 bird species recorded, some of these include both water, acacia and savannah birds like crested crane, the very rare shoebill stork, marabou stork and bronze-tailed starling, white winged and papyrus yellow warbler (the last recorded nowhere else in Uganda), bee eaters and even more exotic birds like Blue Naped Coucal, Barefaced Go-Away Bird, Nubian Woodpecker and Swamp Flycatchers. Pennant Winged Night Jar is often seen during it's migratory period. Among the others you can find: African fin-foot, saddle billed stork, brown chested wattled plover, carruther's cisticola, tabora cisticola, great snipe, Abyssinian ground hornbill.

Activities

Game drives
The best to explore park fully is by road.
The park has a number of tourist tracks:

Impala track leads the visitors to diverse species of animals like impala, waterbucks, warthogs, topi and zebras.
Zebra track leads to harems of Burchell's zebra and bushbucks, oribi and reedbucks. Zebra track leads to the Ruroko track, a drive through a wetland basin and thick acacia shrub and woodland.
Kazuma track passes through wooded grassland where black-bellied bustards are found. A climb on the Kazuma hill is advisable to see the five lakes and the rolling hills within the park.
Kigambira loop is a track that allow the visitors to see the bushbucks and bush duikers.
Lakeside track is specially designed to facilitate viewing of water plants and animals.

Boat trips
Probably the most popular activity in Lake Mburo.
Many plant species and animals can be seen clearly like crocodiles, hippos, and birds like pelicans, black crake, heron, cormorant, fish eagle and the rare shoebill stork. Lake Mburo is the easiest place in Uganda
to see the elusive African Finfoot. Fishing is permitted.

Guided walks
In Lake Mburo national park visitors have the opportunity to walk in the circuit at their own pace in company of an armed guide. A good place
to go to is the viewing platform that overlooks a salt lick where at least 4 different species of animals are found at any time while they lick the salty soil. A walk in the Rubanga forest offers a chance to bird watchers to see over 40 species of birds, 5 of which are forest "specialist" like the harrier hawk, greenpigeon, narina trogn, grey backed cameroptera and double toothed barbet.