3 Days Tour to lake Mburo National Park, Uganda

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 irnored 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 aphrodisac effect. One such tree, showing signs of bark and branch removal, may be seen close to the Kigambira Loop crossroads.

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 situation in rolling hills and open grassy valleys. This lovely landscape also consists of four other small lakes where you'll see impala, eland, waterbuck, kilpsringer, zebra and buffalo.

The Park has Aardvark, Hyrax, Porcupine, Hippopotamus, Zebra, Pagolin, Warthog, Heyna, Leopard, , Civet, Genet, Topi, Oribi, Sitatunga and Crocodile. There is an excellent variety of water and acacia savannah bird species (357 species) like crested crane, the rare shoebill stork, marabou stork and bronze-tailed starling, bee eaters and even more exotic birds like Blue Naped

From Kampala, (the Ugandan capital city), Buhoma (the park headquarters) can be accessed through Rukungiri (478kms) or usually, Kabale (526 kms). The Kabale route which takes about 6 hours from Kampala is paved. From Kabale the journey to Buhoma (112kms) via Kanungu and Kanyatoorogo takes 3-4 hours through scenic areas. Or, pass along the eastern edge of the park to Ruhija. This option affords some very magnificent views.

At least 120 species of mammal in one of the richest ecosystems in Africa including mountain gorilla, chimpanzee and 8 other species of primate. Elephant, bushpig, giant forest hog, many species of bats and rodents, at least 346 species of birds including rare forest birds, at least 14 species of snakes, 27 species of frogs and toads, 6 chameleons, 14 lizards, skinks and geckas, at least 202 species of butterfly.
This forest is a sanctuary for almost half the world's population of mountain gorillas which is the rarest race of gorilla. Established as a safe habitat for several families of mountain gorillas it is now the location of an important scientific conservation programme. Gorilla tracking visits are limited to small groups.
There are also several endangered species of birds with limited ranges.Gorilla tracking began on 1st April, 1993. It commonly rains in this area. Come with a raincoat, walking boots, and gloves.
This is the richest forest in Uganda, in terms of the number of plant species, as the area is one of the few large expanses of forest in East Africa where lowland and montane communities merge. The valley bottoms contain a dense ground cover of herbs, vines, and shrubs with only a few trees hence its name, the 'impenetrable forest.