How to organize a boat and wildlife safari to Lake Mburo from Masaka city

How to organize a boat and wildlife Safari to Lake Mburo NP from Masaka City. Lake Mburo National Park is about an hour from Masaka City, but you need to purchase the park entrance fees in advance because no cash is allowed at the gate for security purposes. At Encounter Africa Safaris, we can assist you in pre-purchasing the park entrance fees, as this is one way to support the conservation of wild animals and their habitats.

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Select the number of activities to participate in while in Lake Mburo National Park, which can be fixed with your time on holiday. Lake Mburo National Park is the quickest Uganda National Park you can get to from Kampala or Masaka.

Lake Mburo National Park is home to several herbivores, including Impalas, from Which Uganda’s capital city gets its name, Kampala. This park is situated in an area of about 370 square kilometers. The massive list of wild animals living in Lake Mburo National Park is awed by the various vegetation zones in the park. This park comprises forest, open savanna, acacia woodland, and rock kopjes.

While on a game drive in Lake Mburo National Park, you may spot Impalas, elands, Defassa waterbucks, bushbucks, herds of elephants, herds of buffaloes, Burchell’s zebras, reedbucks, oribi to mention but a few.

Choose an appropriate vehicle to use as you get into the park and during the game drives. It would help if you had a professional and knowledgeable driver guide for a more fascinating and informed Lake Mburo National Park safari experience.

What to consider when planning a boat and wildlife safari in Lake Mburo

Purchase Park Fees for Lake Mburo National Park

Park fees are a must-buy for Uganda National Park, even those offering gorilla or chimpanzee safaris. Park fees help in park maintenance, wildlife conservation, ranger guide fees, community sensitization, and more.

Currently, the park entrance fee into Lake Mburo National Park is $40 per person per trek and lasts 24 hours from your time of entry. 

 Identify the people traveling to Lake Mburo National Park

As you plan a safari in Lake Mburo National Park, consider the number of people traveling with you. Every tourist must be prepared because most park activities are charged individually. Even when securing safari amenities like accommodation, vehicles, and others, you must consider the number of people.

Book accommodation in Lake Mburo National Park

Much as Masaka city is a short time away from Lake Mburo National Park, it would help if you spent at least a night there. Imagine listening to the calls of the night as dusk breaks in and later at dawn. This feeling is refreshing and memorable, especially if you are away from the chaotic business city.

Attending early morning or late afternoon game drives is more comfortable, knowing that your nights are within the park.

Lake Mburo National Park offers a variety of accommodations categorized into Luxury, mid-range, and budget.

Lake Mburo accommodations: Mihingo Lodge, Mburo Safari Lodge, Arcadia Lodge, Rwonyo Rest Camp, Kimbla Mantana Tented Camp, 

Secure Transport to Lake Mburo National Park

During the game drives in Lake Mburo National Park, you need a comfortable car that can withstand the bumpy, dusty, and sometimes slippery tracks. Lake Mburo National Park has several ways, like the zebra track, Impala track, Rukoro track, and each track is named after the wild animals common to that particular area. 

To be more comfortable, you need a 4x4 wheel drive vehicle with sound shock absorbers that can withstand the deep potholes in the park.

 From Masaka city, the drive is about 1 hour and a half into Lake Mburo National Park, a distance of about 104 kilometers. 

Choose Additional Activities To Combine With Boat And Wildlife Safari In Lake Mburo National Park

Besides game drives and boat trips in Lake Mburo National Park, you can enjoy birding. Lake Mburo National Park hosts a variety of bird species that linger in the forest all day. The acacia woodland harbors a plethora of birds. Lake Mburo is the ideal destination if you are a keen birder seeking savanna bird species. Some of these birds include Red-faced Barbet, African finfoot, papyrus gonolek, African scops owl, black-collared barbets, and others.

You can do guided horseback riding in Lake Mburo National Park, a guided walk to the salt lick area where several animals nourish themselves with the taste of salty soil, a forest walk in Rubanga forest where you may spot several primates like the olive baboons, grey-cheeked mangabey and so many others. This forest walk gives you a feel of forest bird species too.

Prepare to pack the proper game safari gear.

Pack the right safari gear as you plan your wildlife and boat safari in Lake Mburo National Park. You need to pack light but relevant items to enjoy the entire experience. Some things you may include on the safari packing list may be safari clothes in wilderness-friendly colors like tan, forest, or dirty green; exclude colors like black, white, and blue, as these attract stinging insects like tsetse flies.

Packing list for Lake Mburo National Park safari

Safari foldable hat, insect repellant, flip flops, warmers, a torch, extra hard cash, drinking bottle, toiletries, first aid kit, duffel bag, light shoe bag to keep your shoes after use, a pair of binoculars, camera, and others.

When Is the best time for a wildlife and boat trip in Lake Mburo National Park?

Lake Mburo National Park is open any time of the year for all its activities, but the most sought-after time is the dry season. The dry season is usually June, July, August, September, December, and January. Most wild animals are kept in the open this season as even the grass is shorter, creating better visibility.

Demand for these activities is over the top, so hiring a driver guide and making bookings is necessary to avoid inconveniences with booking accommodations.

Prices for most services that support safari activities in Lake Mburo National Park are generally high in the peak season.

The wet season, usually March, April, May, and November, is the low Uganda tourism season, so fewer people visit the park. If you have a limited budget, the low season is preferred as the chances of getting discounted costs are high, as most service providers want to break even. If you wish to find less vehicle on the track during game drives, the low season in Lake Mburo National Park is more open.

Is Lake Mburo National Park safe for safaris?

Lake Mburo National Park is safe for safaris as there is a tight security team with a combination of Uganda Wildlife Authority-trained ranger guides and other Uganda security agencies. While in the park, you must remember to abide by the rules of the National Park so that you are not caught off guard. A ranger guide for your safety leads every game drive and gives you more information about the animals and features in the wilderness.

Before going for a game safari in Lake Mburo National Park, you must report to the park administrative quarters so that you can be traced in case anything happens while on the drive.

Although Lake Mburo National Park is known for hosting mainly herbivores like impalas, zebras, elands, topis, and others, sometimes carnivores have been traced in the park. While in the garden, only step out in the dark with an escorting park staff. 

Maintenance on park tracks is often done to allow cars to move freely without obstructions. Some funds used to do park maintenance are collected from Park entrance fees. 

When driving on the tracks in Lake Mburo National Park, maintain the advised speed limit so that you do not knock down the wild animals because this is punishable.

What is the cost of a safari in Lake Mburo National Park?

At Encounter Africa safari, we cost our safari to Lake Mburo National Park according to Luxury, mid-range, and budget facilities. Each visitor must pay the park entrance fee before entering Lake Mburo National Park, but this doesn’t discriminate which safari package you choose. Park fees are valid 24 hours from the time of entering the park.

We make our Lake Mburo National Park safari quotations based on the number of people traveling, the number of activities to do, the time of booking the safari, the number of days on the safari, and others.

Although Lake Mburo National Park safari activities are open anytime, you must make bookings in advance to choose quickly, especially in the high season.

What can be combined with a safari to Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda?

Gorilla safari

From a Lake Mburo National Park safari, you can proceed for either gorilla trekking or gorilla habituation experience. Uganda has two gorilla safari parks, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga National Park, all in southwestern Uganda.

Whether doing gorilla trekking, where you have one hour with a fully habituated gorilla family, or gorilla habituation experience, where tourists have four hours with semi-habituated mountain gorillas, you need a permit.

Currently, a gorilla trekking permit costs $800, and a gorilla habituation experience permit is $1500.

Launch trips and Game drives in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Lake Mburo National Park is almost at the junction of all safaris to the western side of Uganda; you can proceed to Queen Elizabeth National Park afterward, which is on the same route. While in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can engage in activities like game drives, a launch trip on the Kazinga channel, chimpanzee trekking in Kyambura Gorge, forest walks, Uganda birding experience, scenic viewing on the floor of the Rift Valley, and so much more.

Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National park

From Lake Mburo National Park, you can proceed to Kibale National Park, the home of chimpanzee safaris in Uganda. Kibale National Park hosts about 1500 chimpanzees out of the population of 5000 chimpanzees recorded to be living in Uganda.

While in Kibale National Park, you can trek in the chimpanzee, where you may have one with a fully habituated chimpanzee family. Chimpanzee habituation experience allows four hours with a semi-habituated chimpanzee community.

Golden monkey safari in Mgahinga National park

You may engage in a golden monkey safari in Mgahinga National Park from a safari in Lake Mburo National Park. Golden monkeys are charming primates restless. Although they are habituated to human presence, their nature is still present. Golden monkeys are unique in that they have larger bodies than other monkeys.

They bear golden brown hairs at the lower bottom, and when with them, you cannot stay in one place. They are some of the most endangered primates in the world, with a current population of between 3000 and 4000 golden monkeys. Mgahinga National Park is one of the few habitats for these monkeys.

Visit Lake Bunyonyi

Suppose you seek tranquility while on a boat trip; Lake Bunyonyi is one true destination to offer this. Lake Bunyonyi lies in the southwestern part of Uganda and is the deepest lake In Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi has 29 islands dotted within its waters. The word Bunyonyi locally means small birds; indeed, this meaning is apt for the surrounding of Lake Bunyonyi, so it is a suitable choice for keen birders.

While in Lake Bunyonyi, you can take boat trips around this beautiful lake, zip lining, go on a community walk, Batwa pygmies, go birding, and so much more.

Mountaineering on Uganda safari

The western side of Uganda has several highlands worth hiking, like Mountain Rwenzori, which is snowcapped all year. You can mountaineering to Margherita Peak, the highest point of Mountain Rwenzori, for at least a seven-day return hike.

You may take a day’s excursion on Mountain Gahinga, Muhavura, and Mountain Sabyinyo in Mgahinga National Park. You can test your level of fitness with these mountaineering safaris.

Contact us via our website and let us plan your safari today and please check out our trip advisor.