Activities in Lake Mburo National Park.
Are you planning your safari in the park and looking for activities in Lake Mburo National Park? Look no further; this article will guide you on choosing the best activities for your safari. Lake Mburo National Park is one of the most interesting safari destinations in Uganda, situated in the western part of the country. It’s the most accessible national park, about 3 hours drive from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It covers an area of about 370 square kilometres, which makes it one of the smallest national parks in Uganda. The park is known for its rich biodiversity, home to over 69 mammal species, 340 bird species including forest birds, migratory birds and water birds, 200 butterfly species and 100 reptiles and amphibians. The park’s rich biodiversity is supported by its diverse ecosystems, which provide habitats for the park’s rich birdlife and wildlife species like wetlands, acacia woodlands, lakes, savannah grasslands and forests. The park provides various activities for travellers, such as game drives, bird watching, nature walks, cultural encounters and horse riding. This safari destination is suitable for family holidays, honeymoon safari, solo travellers, and group tours.
Activities in Lake Mburo National Park.
Game Drives.
Game drives are one of the best things to do on a safari in Lake Mburo National Park, which gives nature lovers a unique opportunity to explore the park’s rich biodiversity. Game drives are best done in a 4X4 pop up vehicles which provides excellent chances of viewing wildlife. This is a guided activity led by an experienced guide who gives more insights about the park’s inhabitants encountered. The park offers three sessions of game drives, early morning game drives, which give excellent chances to see animals when they are still active. They will see zebras, elands, giraffes, buffalo, oribis, duikers roaming around the park or grazing. The evening game drives allow them to see animals that they missed during the morning game drive. The night game drives, commonly known as nocturnal drives, allow travellers to see nocturnal animals and birds which rest during the day and are active at night, like the elusive leopard.
Bird Watching.
This is one of the top activities in Lake Mburo National Park that allows bird lovers to indulge in hundreds of bird species found in the park. Bird lovers will see various bird species like migratory birds, forest birds, water birds and the park’s resident species, which are rare to find elsewhere. Birding is a guided activity led by a knowledgeable birder who provides important information about the bird species encountered. The bird species to encounter in the park include Spur-winged Goose, African Pygmy-Goose, Blue-billed Teal, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Duck, Helmeted Guineafowl, Western Crested Guineafowl, Crested Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Ring-necked Francolin, Red-winged Francolin, Handsome Spurfowl, Scaly Spurfowl, Red-necked Spurfowl, Speckled Pigeon, Rameron Pigeon, White-naped Pigeon, Dusky Turtle-Dove, Mourning Collared-Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Ring-necked Dove, Vinaceous Dove, Laughing Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Black-billed Wood-Dove, Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Tambourine Dove, Namaqua Dove, African Green-Pigeon, Black-bellied Bustard, Great Blue Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Pied Cuckoo, Dideric Cuckoo, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, African Emerald Cuckoo, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, Black Cuckoo, Red-chested Cuckoo, African Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Standard-winged Nightjar, Fiery-necked Nightjar, Swamp Nightjar, Plain Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Square-tailed Nightjar, Mottled Spinetail, Sabine’s Spinetail, Scarce Swift, Alpine Swift and more.
Nature Walks.
Nature walks are amazing activities in Lake Mburo National Park that allow nature lovers to explore the park’s rich biodiversity on foot. This is led by an experienced park guide who provides information about the birds, plant species and wildlife species encountered. The park has well-maintained trails which are specially designed for nature walks, and they cater to all levels of fitness. Travellers will have a chance to see birds like Tambourine Dove, Namaqua Dove, African Green-Pigeon, Black-bellied Bustard, Great Blue Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Western Crested Guineafowl, Crested Francolin, Coqui Francolin, Ring-necked Francolin, animals like giraffes, vervet monkeys, olive baboon, elephants, sitatunga and more. They will also encounter countless butterfly species, reptiles and amphibians.
Boat Cruise.
A boat cruise in Lake Mburo National Park is one of the most relaxing and rewarding activities that allows travellers to explore the park’s beauty. This is done in the fresh waters of Lake Mburo, which offers stunning views of the park and its rich wildlife. Visitors will have an opportunity to see schools of hippos swimming and crocodiles basking in the sun, which is such a unique experience. They will also see other animals like buffaloes, elephants, waterbucks, quenching their thirst since the lake is a vital source of water to the park’s inhabitants. Bird lovers will be delighted to see various water bird species like African Fish Eagle, African Finfoot, Shoebill Stork, Purple Heron, Black Stork, Marabou Stork, Intermediate Egret, African Darter African Jacana, Long-toed Lapwing, Pied Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Hamerkop and more.
Horse Riding.
This is one of the best activities to do in Lake Mburo National Park that gives nature enthusiasts a rare opportunity to explore the park’s rich biodiversity on a horse. This is a guided activity led by an experienced guide who gives more insights about the wildlife and bird species encountered. Horse riding allows travellers to explore the park without using a car engine that scares some animals. They will see shy animals like elands, which are hard to see in normal game drives, and they will encounter other animals like giraffe, zebras, impalas, topis, bushbucks, oribis and more.
