Lake Mburo National Park, national park in Uganda
Lake Mburo National Park is a protected area in western Uganda, roughly 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Mbarara. The terrain covers open grasslands dotted with acacia trees, five lakes, and rocky outcrops rising between 1200 and 1800 meters (3900 and 5900 feet) above sea level.
The area was set aside as a hunting ground in 1933, then declared a game reserve in 1963, and finally given national park status in 1983. For decades, it was grazing land for Bahima herders and their cattle, who coexisted with the landscape.
The park takes its name from an old legend about two brothers, Mburo and Kigarama, one of whom drowned in a flood. This heritage connects with the present through the Banyankole community, whose herders still tend longhornied Ankole cattle in the surrounding villages.
The park sits roughly 3½ hours from Kampala along good roads, with entry at Nshara Gate or Sanga Gate near the Rwonyo center. Boat trips along the shores and walking trails through the grasslands offer quiet viewing of birds and animals in the water.
Impalas exist only here in Uganda, and 15 Rothschild giraffes were brought from another park in 2015 and have bred successfully. The absence of elephants and the rarity of lions allow visitors to approach zebras, antelopes, and other grazers on foot or horseback.
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