Lake Mburo National Park
is the smallest of Uganda's national parks covering an area of
just 143 square miles (compared with Queen Elizabeth National Park
which is 764 square miles.) There are no elephants or rhinos in
the park which is named after the largest of its five lakes,
allowing the wild vegetation to flourish, however the park is home
to 350 bird species as well as zebra, impala, eland, buffalo,
oribi, Defassa waterbuck, leopard, hippo, hyena, topi and
reedbuck. It is widely considered to be the best park for sighting
Uganda's large eland.
The park is located nineteen miles east of Mbarara and was awarded
"game reserve" status in 1963. It was upgraded into a
national park in 1983 however this upgrade was not without
controversy as it effectively expelled the established Bahima
herders from the land without compensation.
When President Obote was deposed (again) on 27 July 1985 in a
military coup d'état, the Bahima seized back control of their
former lands leaving the national park the size it is today ~
about half the size it was intended to be.
There is much to do and
see in the park from boat trips, quad bike riding and guided walks
to horse riding. It houses a number of "resorts"; good quality
accommodation where you can wake up to baboons playing outside
your window.
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As yet largely uncommercialised,
Western Uganda has many tourist
attractions for the explorer to visit.
As well as the main tourist attractions
there are many other activities
to enjoy in Western Uganda.
A guide to the main towns in and
around Western Uganda, where to stay,
eat and things to see and do.
A comprehensive guide to the best
places to stay when visiting Western
Uganda from hotels to camp sites.