Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda

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Legend Two brothers, Kigarama and Mburo lived in a large valley. One night, Kigarama dreamt that they were in danger. When he awoke the next morning, he told his younger brother Mburo of his dream and said they should move. Mburo ignored this advice, but Kigarama wisely moved up into the hills. The valley flooded and a lake was formed, drowning Mburo. Today the lake is named after him, and the hills are called Kigarama after his brother. The word mburo is similar to the "mboro", the Runyankole name of the cassine tree which has a powerful aphrodisiac effect. One such tree, showing signs of bark and branch removal, may be seen close to the Kigambira Loop crossroads. Location Situated between Masaka and Mbarara in Western Uganda, it is the only park to contain an entire lake. Beautiful and tranquil Lake Mburo National Park is situated in rolling hills and open grassy valleys. This lovely landscape also consists of four other smaller lakes where you'll see impala, eland, waterbuck, klipspringer, zebra and buffalo. Wildlife The Park has Aardvark, Hyrax, Porcupine, Hippopotamus, Zebra, Pangolin, Warthog, Hyena, Leopard, Buffalo, Civet, Genet, Topi, Eland, Klipspringer, Oribi, Sitatunga, Impala, eland and crocodile There is an excellent variety of water and acacia savannah bird species (357 bird species) like crested crane, the rare shoebill stork, marabou stork and bronze-tailed starling, bee eaters and even more exotic birds like Blue Naped Coucal, Bare-faced Go-Away Bird, Nubian Woodpecker and swamp flycatcher. Hippos and crocodiles can be seen grazing on cool mornings. The surrounding papyrus swamps hide the beautiful sitatunga, a very special antelope with narrow, elongated hooves which allow them to move freely on marshy land. Exotic sights you may enjoy are male impala characteristically looking over their territory from the top of a large anthill, an exquisite panoramic view of the lake land expanse from a hilltop vantage point, or the sight of locally ranched long-horned ankole cattle grazing with wild impala and zebra. Don't forget to take a wooden Ssese canoe trip on the lake to see kingfishers, herons and other water birds, your guide will keep you a safe distance from the hippos and crocodiles! The attractive acacia-dotted savannah (256 sq. km) is home to huge herds of impala, as well as uncommon topi, eland, klipspringer and other antelope. Zebra and buffalo also graze these peaceful acres. The lake supports a wonderful diversity of birds. Because of the different habitats, the lakeshore and the broad savannah, the variety seems endless. Catch a glimpse of water birds diving for fish, the Marabou Stork, bee-eaters and the cheeky Bronze-tailed Starling, as well as the majestic Crowned Crane. Make sure you bring your binoculars. Activities Walks, Game drives, Lake Cruises, Excellent Bird watching Access By Road: the park is bounded to the north by the main Kampala-Mbarara road. From Kampala it is 430km (4 hours) to the Park headquarters and rest camp at Rwonyo. On the way you will pass several interesting market villages as well as crossing the Equator Line. The left turn to the Park is signposted 211km from Kampala. From Mbarara it is 47km to the Park Headquarters. The right turn to the park is at Sanga. The park gate is at Rweshebeshebe, 12km from Sanga.4-wheeled drive is recommended. By road from Kampala it is 4 hours (230km) to the park head quarters and rest camp at Rwonyo. On the way, places of interest include, Mpambire Drum shop (40km from Kampala), the Equator (76 km), Kinoni for papyrus mats (147 km), Kyazanga for Gonja (roasted bananas) (169 km) and the Lake Mburo Heritage Village. Accommodation Accommodation is available at park headquarters, where chalets are available for single or double occupancy. Meals are available or visitors may carry their own food that the camp staff can help to prepare. Hurricane lamp lighting and warm water bucket bathing are provided. Campfire may be organised on request. The Lake View Hotel in the nearby town of Mbarara is a modern locally-owned hotel. All rooms have private facilities. The hotel has a bar, restaurant, terrace, swimming pool and sports centre. The hotel's own small lake is often surrounded by marabou storks. Mantana Camp, run by Mel and Paul has stunning vistas over 3 lakes, It offers good service whilst retaining the authentic safari spirit. Each tent has twin beds and a bathroom. Each verandah is placed so as to take advantage of stunning African sunsets. The dining room is built on stilts so as to offer guests bird's eye views across the treetops to the lakes. Climate Lake Mburo National Park lies in a rain shadow between Lake Victoria and the Rwenzori Mountains, and receives an average of only 800mm of rain a year. Being near the equator, the rainfall pattern is bimodal, with the long rains occurring from February to June, and the short rains from September to December. The rains are rather erratic and unpredictable, but most rain tends to fall in April and November. The average recorded temperature is 27.50C with daily variation ranging from 21.50C to 34,00C. July and August are the hottest months. Topography The Park lies between 1,219 and 1,828 m above sea level. High hills and rocky, eroded ridges characterise the western part of the Park; here deep valleys support dry forests found nowhere else. In the eastern sector, the rolling, wooded hills are intersected by wide, flat bottomed valleys which are seasonally flooded and drain into the swamps and lakes. The Ruizi river flows in a south -easterly direction and forms part of the western boundary of the Park. Lake Mburo and its associated wetlands eventually drain into Lake Victoria. Geology The Park is underlain by very ancient (more than 500 million years old) Precambrian metamorphic rocks which belong to the ‘basement system'. These rocks can be seen from the Zebra Track in the Park as outcrops or "tors". The soils in the western uplands tend to be clays and loams, while those of the eastern lowlands are sandy.

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