Together with 13 other lakes in the area, Lake Mburo forms part of a 50km-long wetland system linked by a swamp. Five of these lakes lie within the lake Mburo national park’s borders.
There are probably two roads that will help you reach Lake Mburo branching off from Masaka – Mbarara road.
One of these will help you access the sanga gate 37km east of Mbarara, and the other will help you to enter via the Nshara gate which is 20km from Lyantonde and 50km to Mbarara.
The other option can be by using public means where you will board a bus to sanga town and then get a private taxi or the boda boda to take you to Lake Mburo national park.
How to get the lake Mburo by yourself
Most of the national parks in Uganda are in the remote areas. And so many kilometers from the public roads. It’s also known that unless you make arrangements with the lodge were you will be sleeping; the cost of inconveniences will be more expensive than using a tour operator.
Therefore you have to be specific with what you want, and the operators need to be able to tailor the trip to the client’s needs.
The pre Cambrian rocks also trigger Lake Mburo Area, with the rocks that comprise a mixture o Cenozoic Pleistocene to the recent rocks, solely granitized –granitoid as well as the highly granitized rocks plus the Karagwe ankolean system. The argillite rocks also dominate more arenites as well as the silty rocks that are usually distributed as a thin band throughout the whole area. This area is also dominated by the erratically soils that are so sandy loam as well as sandy clay loam.
Lake Mburo wetland system is a huge socio- economic value and it’s a source of water or the domestic usage, wildlife and livestock.
This system is also a source of the pasture or the local herds in the drought period, a source of fish as well as materials off crats and the thatching.
Lake Mburo national park has got a tropical climate and is situated in the Ankole southern climatic zone. The lake also lies within the rain shadow area that is between Lake Victoria and Rwenzori Mountains.
The park has got two seasons including the dry and wet seasons that receive the bi- modal low rain fall that ranges between 500 and 1000mm. the rainfall also tends to be so erratic as well as unreliable, that causes the low pastures which affects the wildlife behaviors that includes the birds and creates the demand on the park by the known local pastoralists.
The temperatures here also range between 23-25 degrees and evapotranspiration of the areas in the northwest, north and in the north east to east that ranges from 450 to 1600mm.
the areas in the south and in the south west of the national park always experience lower evapotranspiration that ranges between 1300 to 1450mm.
The lake is also home to over 350 bird species including; the zebras, eland, impalas, oribi, buffalos, water buck, hippos, leopard, reedbuck as well as the hyenas. With over 13 lakes in the area, this lake also forms part of the 50km long wetland system that is linked by the swamp. It’s known that five of these lakes lie in the park’s border.
It was once covered with the open savannah and it contains woodland since there are no elephants to tame the unique vegetation. Within the western part of the park, the savannah is also spread with the rocky ridges as well as the forested gorges as the patches of papyrus as well as narrow bands of the lush riparian woodland line in many lakes.
Boat trips on Lake Mburo
The wildlife-rich eastern banks of Lake Mburo can be explored during a tranquil two-hour boat voyage. Keep an eye out for crocodiles, buffaloes and hippos as well as colorful Kingfishers, magnificent Fish Eagles, Hammer kops and their enormous nests and even the prehistoric-looking Shoebill. Voyages depart from Rwonyo jetty every two hours starting at 8am.
A boat ride on Lake Mburo gets you in touch with the flora and fauna of the lake. There are hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, antelopes, zebras, also 3 kinds of otters are found in the lake itself.
When it comes to birds you can see Malachite Kingfishers, Pied Kingfishers, African Fish Eagles, Rufous Long-tailed Starlings, Blue-headed Weavers, Green-necked Doves, Hammerkops, Pelicans, Herons, Cormorants and even rare Shoebill Storks.
Lake Mburo National Park is one of the best place for birding in Uganda with over 350 species of birds that are found here.
Birders will find the swampy valleys of Warukiri and Miriti, and the roadsides between Rwonyo camp and the jetty to be excellent areas for birding and one may spot the rare shoebill Stork on the birding adventure.
There are also ideally situated viewing platforms at the salt lick, in Miriti Valley, and in Rubanga Forest.
Species observed at these locations include the Rufous-bellied Heron, Bateleur, Coqui Francolin, Grey Crowned Crane, Black-bellied Bustard, Brown-chested Lapwing, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Brown Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Ross’s Turaco, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Green Wood-hoopoe, Common Scimitar bill, White-headed Barbet, Red-faced Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Long-tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged Tit and Finfoot among others.
Fishing on Lake Mburo:
There are 5 lakes within Lake Mburo National Park – a total of 12 lakes within the general area of the park.
Lake Mburo is the largest of them – fishermen come to the lake to fish and visitors to Lake Mburo National Park can do some fishing themselves and later arrange to have the fish prepared at the lodge where they are staying.
There six species of fish found here – tilapia being the fish of choice here. Sports-fishing can be done here and we can obtain a license for you, we can also arrange for fishing gear and tackle to be on hand when you arrive in the park and you embark on your Lake Mburo fishing experience.
The designated fishing spot is at Mazinga, which is a safe area along Lake Mburo where you do not have to worry about crocodiles and hippos.