Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park; Lake Mburo national park is the smallest savannah national park located in western part of Uganda in Kiruhura district along the Masaka-Mbarara highway. Lake Mburo national park is a home of different mammal species including giraffes, buffaloes, waterbucks, zebras, topi, elands, impalas, oribi, reedbucks, Uganda kobs, hyenas, leopards, hippos, warthogs, bush pigs among others.
Bird Watching is one of the interesting activities that attracts tourists to visit Lake Mburo national park. Bird watching in the park can either be done very early in the morning or in the evening with an experienced bird guide who is well conversant with different trails in the park. Lake Mburo national park is a home of over 350 recorded bird species including migratory birds, forest birds, savannah birds and water birds which makes it one of the best birding destinations in Uganda. Birding takes about 2 to 4 hours and during birding, you follow different birding trails including the swampy valleys of Warukiri and Miriti, trails in Rubanga forest, roadsides between Rwonyo camp, the salt lick and areas around the lake.
During bird watching, you will be able to spot variety of bird species including the illusive Shoebill Stork, Bare-faced-go away bird, Mosque Swallow, Ruppell’s Starling, Black Bellied Bustard, African Wattled Lapwing, Blue-headed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Blue Breasted Kingfisher, African Scops Owl, Greater Painted Snipe, Saddle Billed Stork, African Finfoot, Carruhers’ Cisticola, Long-tailed Cisticola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, White-winged Tit, White-headed Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove, Bateleur, Grey Crowned Crane, Brown-chested Lapwing, Rufous-bellied Heron, Ross’s Turaco, Green Wood-hoopoe, Brown Parrot, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, Coqui Francolin, Common Button Quail, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Lilac Breasted Roller, Black Crake, Black-headed Heron, Black-winged Bishop, Great Swamp Warbler, Temmic’ks Courser, Yellow-throated Longclaw, African-grey Hornbill, Blue-napped Mousebird, Pink-backed Cormorant, African Fish Eagle among others.
Best time for bird watching in Lake Mburo national park
Birding can be done anytime throughout the year though the bet time is during the wet season in the months of November to April and May to June because during this period there is plenty of fruits in the park therefore you will be able to view colorful bird species and it’s also the best period to view migratory bird species.
Bird watching in Lake Mburo national park can also be done in the dry season during the months of July to September because during this period there is less rainfall in the park therefore birding trails will be dry and passable which makes bird watching easy and vegetation will be short which allows you to view variety of birds clearly.
Where to stay during your bird watching safari in Lake Mburo national park
There are various accommodation facilities ranging from budget, midrange and luxury in Lake Mburo national park where you can stay during your bird watching safari including Kigambira Safari Lodge, Mihingo Lodge, Rwakobo Rock Lodge, Lake Mburo Safari Lodge, Mpogo Lodge, Arcadia Lodge Lake Mburo, Leopard Rest Camp, Mburo Eagles Nest, Rwonyo Rest Camp, Mantana Tented Camp, Hyena Hill Lodge among others.
How to get to Lake Mburo national park
Lake Mburo national park is located in western part of Uganda and can be accessed by road transport means whereby you will drive from Kampala via Masaka and then to the park headquarters which takes about 4 to 5 hours’ drive in a 4 WD safari vehicle.
Lake Mburo national park can also be accessed by air transport means where travelers will book scheduled or charter flights with Bar Aviation or Aero link Uganda limited from Entebbe international airport or Kajjansi airfield to Mbarara airstrip and then connect to the park headquarters by road. Domestic flights to Lake Mburo national park can be booked by your trusted tour operator like Achieve Global Safaris.
Other activities to do in Lake Mburo national park
Apart from bird watching, Lake Mburo national park offers other activities like game drives where you will be able to view different animals like buffaloes, zebras, impalas, elands, giraffes among others, boat cruise where you will be able to view hippos and Nile crocodiles in water, sport fishing where you will be able to catch different fish types, horseback riding where you will be able to explore the park on a horseback, guided nature walk where you will be able to explore the park on foot and cultural tour where you will be able to interact with the local people in the neighboring communities.
For more information about bird watching in Lake Mburo national park, you can reach out to us at Achieve Global Safaris or visit our website to book a Uganda birding safari package.
