Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park located in western part of Uganda in Kiruhura district. Lake Mburo national park is a home of different animals including zebras, elands, buffaloes, oribi, waterbucks, impalas, reedbucks, topi, hyenas, leopards, hippos, warthogs, giraffes among others and over 350 recorded bird species. Lake Mburo national park offers interesting activities that tourists can engage in during the safari including,
Top activities to do in Lake Mburo national park 2025
Game drives
Game drive is one of the popular activities in lake Mburo national park where you will be able to explore the savannah plains in a comfortable pop up safari vehicle with a professional driver guide. Game drives in Lake Mburo national park can either be done very early in the morning when animals are more active, in the afternoon or in the evening when animals are going to their resting areas. During the game drives, you will be able to follow different game tracks where you will be able to view animals like buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, impalas, reedbucks, warthogs, waterbucks among others.
Lake Mburo national park also offers night game drives where you will be able to explore the park at night with spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals which become active at night. During the night game drive which starts at around 6:30 pm, you will be accompanied by an armed ranger guide who will help you to spot nocturnal animals like leopards, hyenas, white tailed mongoose, bush pigs, genet cats, porcupines, bush babies, view hippos feeding, other animals like topi, bushbucks, warthogs, elands, buffaloes, impalas, zebras among others.
Bird watching
Lake Mburo national park is a home of over 350 recorded bird species including endemic birds, forest birds, savannah birds, water birds and migratory birds. Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park is done in different areas like Rwonyo rest camp, Rubanga forest and during the boat cruise. During bird watching, you will be accompanied by an experienced bird guide who will help you to spot different bird species like the elusive shoebill stork, African finfoot, bare-faced go-away bird, black-billed bustard, mosque swallow, southern ground hornbill, back-throated barbet, blue-headed Coucal, papyrus gonolek, white-winged warbler, African fish eagle, saddle-billed stork, greater painted snipe, red-faced barbet, Narina trogon among others.
Boat cruise
Boat cruise is another interesting activity in Lake Mburo national park that tourists can engage in during the safari. Boat cruise in Lake Mburo national park is done in two sessions that is the morning session which starts at 9:00am and the afternoon session which starts at 2:00pm and each session takes about 2 to 3 hours. During the boat cruise, you will be able to view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, view buffaloes and antelopes along the shores, water birds like the illusive shoebill stork, cormorants, bee-eaters, kingfishers among others.
Nature walks/hiking
Nature walk/hiking is an amazing activity in Lake Mburo national park where you will get an opportunity to explore the park on foot with the company of an experienced guide and an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger. During the guided nature walk, you will get up-close and personal with different wildlife species like giraffes, zebras, warthogs, impalas, listen to sweet sounds of bird species, view colourful butterflies, enjoy the cool and quiet environment, take beautiful pictures among others.
Horseback riding
Horseback riding is another interesting activity in Lake Mburo national park where tourists will be able to explore the savannah plains on a horseback. During horseback riding, you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, impalas, elands, oribi, topi, waterbucks among others.
Biking/ cycling
Cycling is an adventurous activity in Lake Mburo national park where tourists will be able to explore the park on a bicycle. During cycling which is done in areas like the swampy valleys of Warukiri and Miriti, between Rwonyo camp and jetty roadsides, you will be able to view different animals like zebras, impalas, warthogs, giraffes, waterbucks, topis, oribi, some bird species among others.
Sport fishing
Sport fishing is another exciting activity in lake Mburo national park that you shouldn’t miss during your safari. Sport fishing in Lake Mburo national park is done at Mazinga area and anglers are required to acquire sport fishing permits and also carry their own fishing gears. During sport fishing, you will be able to catch different fish types including cat fish, tilapia, lung fish, Angara fish, tiger fish and barbell.
Best time to visit Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park can be visited all year round though the best time is during the dry season in the months of June, July, August, September, December, January and February because during this period there is little rainfall in the park therefore game drive tracks and hiking trails will be dry and passable. During the dry season, vegetation in the park will be short and many animals gather around the water bodies to drink water which gives you an opportunity to view different animals clearly.
Where to stay in Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park has a number of accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury where you can stay during your safari including Mihingo Safari Lodge, Lake Mburo Safari Lodge, Mpongo Safari Lodge, Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Leopard Rest Camp, Arcadia Lodge, Matana Tented Camp, Rwonyo Rest Camp, Lake Mburo Eagles Nest, Hyena Hill Lodge, Kigambira Safari Lodge among others.
How to get to Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means where you will drive from Kampala via masaka and then to the park headquarters which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive in a safari vehicle.
Lake Mburo national park can also be accessed by air transport means where you will book scheduled or charter flights from Entebbe international airport to Mbarara airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters.
Lake Mburo national park is an interesting national park that can be combined with other destinations like kibale forest national park, Bwindi impenetrable national park among others. For more information about the top activities to do in Lake Mburo national park, you can reach out to us at Salt Holidays.
