Reviews of Lake Mburo (From 6 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

9 people found this review helpful.

Hilly Gateway to the Western Safari Circuit

Overall rating

3/5

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Lake Mburo’s billing as a stronghold for the impala – a handsome antelope that’s otherwise absent from Uganda but abundant elsewhere in southern Africa – smacks slightly of desperation. But while this low-key national park has no lion or elephant, and doesn’t really bear comparison to the more westerly Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, it is a great place to break up the otherwise long drive from the capital Kampala to the key reserves of the southwest safari circuit.

Once there, Lake Mburo NP has plenty to commend it. I always enjoy boat trips on the eponymous lake, which is teeming with hippos and water-associated birds, notably the localised African finfoot. Back on terra firma, wildlife densities are surprisingly high, perhaps due to the absence of lions. It is the only place in south-central Uganda where you’re likely to see zebra, eland and topi alongside the more widespread likes of waterbuck, bushbuck and warthog. And Rothschild’s giraffe is now thriving here after a small herd was translocated from Murchison Falls a few years back.

Lake Mburo NP is home to a host of colourful acacia woodland birds more normally associated with Tanzania, and birding in the open savanna makes a welcome change from craning necks toward the forest canopy. In recent years, it has also developed a reputation as a good place to see leopards, especially on night drives. Other activities include horseback and walking safaris. Overall, this isn’t a park I’d go out of my way to visit. Equally, I’ve stopped over here at least 10 times en route to Bwindi Impenetrable or Queen Elizabeth NPs, and have always found it very rewarding.

9 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Tim Bewer –

US

Visited: September

Tim is a travel writer who has covered 10 African countries for Lonely Planet's Africa, East Africa and West Africa guidebooks.

3 people found this review helpful.

The Place for Zebra

Overall rating

3/5

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Lake Mburo’s popularity has more to do with its location, which is conveniently between Kampala and several other national parks, than it does with its wildlife, since many signature species, like elephant and lion, are missing. On the other hand, I still highly recommend a stop because it’s the only place south of the Nile River with zebra and giraffe, and it’s a good place to see some of the more beautiful but less common antelope like impala, klipspringer, topi and eland. The real appeal of the park, however, is how you see the wildlife rather than what you see because there are plenty of opportunities to get out of your 4x4. Most tempting are horseback safaris, but there are also boat trips and bushwalks. Guided night drives are offered too.

3 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Charlotte Beauvoisin –

UG

Visited: September

Charlotte lives in Uganda and is a writer, blogger, volunteer and promoter of birding, conservation and responsible tourism. She writes for Fodor’s, Horizon Guides and Bradt, and runs an award-winning blog.

2 people found this review helpful.

Get Out of the Vehicle

Overall rating

4/5

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For a long time viewed by many as just a stopover on the road to the big-name destinations of Bwindi (for gorillas) and Queen Elizabeth (for safaris), Lake Mburo has matured as a destination in its own right. Nubian giraffes translocated from Murchison Falls National Park are breeding successfully and easy to locate. They mingle with zebras to make this a lovely spot for a walking safari. The absence of elephants and lions means Lake Mburo is one of the few Uganda national parks where you can walk and the only park where you can ride horses or mountain bikes through the savannah’s wildlife. Experiencing the wild minus the sound of an engine is such a tonic.

I was surprised at how easy it was to see a wide range of game, even as we exited the national park. The birding is fantastic. On Big Birding Day one year, I joined the Nature Uganda NGO team to notch up some new ticks for my bird list that included yellow-rumped tinkerbird and striped kingfisher. The swamps are pristine habitat for African finfoot and papyrus endemics (including the shoebill). The boat ride can’t compete with the ab fab boat safaris of Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National Parks but the warthogs that congregate at the water’s edge always make me chuckle.

2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

2 people found this review helpful.

Lake Mburo – A True Oasis for Plains Creatures

Overall rating

3/5

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This little park is pretty enough, but for me, it lacks any real WOW factor. A game drive will give you good sightings of plains animals such as zebra, giraffe and, interestingly enough, impala, which are absent from other parks in Uganda. Maybe unfairly, I find it hard to get very excited about these gracious antelopes, which are so abundant in my part of the world (South Africa). One of the more exciting animals I saw was a bushpig. Apparently they are quite often seen here in broad daylight. Despite their wide distribution throughout Africa they are rarely spotted in other places, which makes them a real special for this park. Another treat to see was the greater galago, which is a regular visitor at night at Mihingo Lodge. A highlight on my last visit was a horseback safari. We managed to get pretty close to a herd of buffalo this way. Walking safaris and biking on the park boundary are also offered.

2 people found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Alan Murphy –

AU

Visited: May

Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.

1 person found this review helpful.

An Oasis Amongst Farmland

Overall rating

3/5

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This park comprises a series of lakes and wetlands surrounded by a grassy savannah peppered with thickets of woodland. For sweeping views of the magnificent landscape, scale Kazuma Lookout. The park is hemmed in by surrounding farmland, and livestock often encroach the boundaries. Lake Mburo has several species that are difficult to track down in other Ugandan parks, including Rothschild’s giraffe and plains zebra.

The park isn’t really big enough for elephants, hence their absence. With regard to predators, there are no longer any lions, but you’ve a good chance of spotting a leopard or hyena once the sun goes down. There are plenty of hippo in the lakes and a boat trip is a relaxing way to spot them.

1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No

Expert

Lizzie Williams –

ZA

Visited: February

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

1 person found this review helpful.

A Neat Small Park Good for a Stopover on the Way to Primate Country

Overall rating

2/5

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One of Uganda’s few savannah parks, Lake Mburo is easily accessible thanks to its central location off the main road that crosses between Kampala and the forested reserves and parks in the west. You can even reach it by public transport – combined with a boda-boda (motorbike), taxi or lodge pick-up for the last several kilometres to the gate. Numbers of game are not in the high concentrations found at Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, but nonetheless I’ve always found it a pleasant overnight stop midway between the capital and the gorillas. The peaceful afternoon boat cruise from Rwonyo on Lake Mburo is excellent for bird and hippo-watching and seeing buffalo in the marshes. I’ve enjoyed early morning walks from the lodges too – a good chance to see the likes of warthog and impala close up and to stretch the legs before climbing back into the vehicle and travelling on. A striking feature of this park is the amount of zebra, often seen on the approach roads grazing alongside Ankole cattle with their enormous heavy white horns.

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Lake Mburo National Park

Expert Reviews (6)