Uganda Safari: Lake Mburo National Park
The last park on our Uganda safari was Lake Mburo National Park. We drove into it in the afternoon a bumpy ride out of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Peter took us on a game drive right away. He told us there was only one lion in the park, so chances were not high for seeing him. We were there to see zebras and giraffes, and I was excited. Katie and I only had one night at this park, but I really enjoyed Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda. Fair warning: There are lots of zebras in this post!
Warthogs and antelopes
Are warthogs cute? Are they ugly? I can’t really decide.
We had seen them in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park and on the scenic boat ride we took while in the northern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park, but here we saw lots of them much closer to our van.
Of course we saw kob, the variety of antelope seen commonly in Uganda. We also saw some waterbuck, which are bigger and darker in color, and topi, which look similar to the kob but are darker.
Zebras, zebras, and more zebras in Lake Mburo National Park
Zebras were everywhere. We saw sooooo many of them, and I was so happy about it. I loved seeing lions and elephants earlier in our Uganda safari, but there’s something about the zebras that was really fascinating to me. Peter just turned off the van and let us watch them for a long time. He’d drive a little farther every so often, but for the most part, we barely moved for over an hour, but simply enjoyed seeing zebras meander and run and play.
We saw several baby zebras too, which were obviously super cute. Interesting fact: Baby zebras actually have brown and white strips, and the brown eventually turns to black when they’re older.
Views from the lodge
Eventually we tore ourselves away from the zebras and drove on to the lodge. It sat on the edge of the park and had fantastic views from its slightly higher vantage point. Since we had some time before our nighttime game drive, Katie and I enjoyed the views and watched some warthogs and monkeys that were near the lodge.
Nighttime game drive in Lake Mburo National Park
One of the things I loved about our Uganda safari was the variety of experiences we got to have in just one week. At Lake Mburo National Park, we got to do a nighttime game drive, the only time we did any type of safari activity after the sun went down.
Peter drove us from the lodge back into the main part of the park where we picked up a park ranger. It was right around sunset time when we started, so there was still some light, but it gets dark quickly when you’re near the equator. Before it really got dark, we saw some buffalo and hippos, and then a group of giraffes. It’s just a small group of giraffes that live in this area, but it was the only time on our whole trip that we saw any.
We continued to drive around for awhile searching for other animals. Not many other animals showed themselves, but it was still a great experience, and I loved seeing the giraffes.
Cows: the animal we never expected to see on safari in Uganda
One animal we didn’t expect to see on our safari in Uganda was a large cow. While in Lake Mburo National Park, we learned that there aren’t many predators in the area, so it’s reasonably safe for cattle ranchers.
These cows are some of the largest cows in the world and have giant, long horns, similar to the Texas longhorn cattle. I’ve never seen a Texas longhorn up close, but I think the ones we saw in Uganda might have even bigger horns.
They roamed through the park and on the dirt road that led towards our lodge. We saw huge herds of them several times during our brief stay, and we couldn’t stop marveling at the size of those horns.
Bush walk among the zebras
Early the next morning, we got up and joined a guide from the lodge who led us on a bush walk. This is where we got to walk through the park, instead of driving through in a van. It’s not something you can do everywhere since it’s too dangerous in parks with lions and other predators.
We got to be much closer to the animals, which was amazing. Of course we saw lots of kob and other antelopes, but we also got to see lots of zebras up close. There were a few monkeys and some other animals, and the cows were wandering around too, but the zebras were definitely the highlight for me.
Where we stayed in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda
Katie and I stayed at the Rwakobo Rock Lodge just on the edge of Lake Mburo National Park. It’s an eco-friendly lodge overlooking the park, and as shown in the pictures earlier in this post, there were animals roaming around near the lodge.
The rooms had electricity, but no outlets or wifi, which meant we had to charge our electronics and check email from the lounge. It all worked fine though. Our room was simple but nice. The food was really good, and you can’t beat the views.
Unfortunately that was the end of our safari in Uganda. After our bush walk with the zebras, we ate breakfast, packed up our things, and hopped in the van with our guide to drive back to Entebbe. But even though the safari itself was over, we still had another day and a half in Uganda stopping at the equator and taking a walking tour in Kampala.
You might also enjoy:
- Uganda Safari: Queen Elizabeth Park (north)
- Uganda Safari: Queen Elizabeth Park (south)
- Uganda Safari: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest