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lake mburo national park |
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Location
With a varying landscape of open plains, acacia grasslands and marshes this park is home to a huge array of flora and fauna. 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.
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. 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.
Activities include walks, Game drives, Lake Cruises, Excellent Bird watching.
The legend says that 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.
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.
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
Mantana Lake Mburo Camp is situated in Lake Mburo National Park on a small
hill overlooking Lake Mburo and one of the game corridors leading to the
lake. The Park is in the heart of Uganda's Ankole district which lies
halfway between Kampala and the tourist attractions in the South West
of the country. Accommodation is full-board in nine fully furnished Batian
tents comprising verandah, twin bedroom, dressing area and en-suite shower
and toilet facilities.