The history of Lake Mburo National Park dates many centuries ago, according to the oral tradition, about the valley in which the park stands today.
Lake Mburo National Park is believed to have been dry agricultural land, worked by a pair of brothers named ‘Kigarama’ and ‘Mburo’. One night, Kigarama dreamed that he and his brother would be in danger unless they moved to higher land.
The next morning, as Kigarama prepared to relocate to the surrounding hills, he shared the warning with Mburo, who shrugged it off and decided to stay put. Within days, the valley was submerged, and Kigarama watched on helplessly from the hills as his younger brother drowned. The lake was thereafter named after the unfortunate incident in Mburo and the surrounding hills were named after Kigarama.
In pre-colonial times, the area around Lake Mburo known as Nshara and referred to by Bahima pastoralists as ‘Karo Karungyi’ (good grazing land) was probably rather thinly populated. Pastoralists’ settlement would have been inhabited by the periodic prevalence of Glossina Morstians, a species of the tsetse fly that transmits a strain of trypanosome harmless to wild animals and humans, but fatal to domestic cattle.
Furthermore, the Mugabe of Ankole favored Nshara as a royal hunting ground, and forbade the Bahima from grazing and watering their cattle except during times of drought.
More About Lake Mburo National Park
Still, according to the history of Lake Mburo, the park is underlain by ancient Precambrian metamorphic rocks, and sculptured landscapes, with rolling hills that date back more than 500 million years. It contains an extensive wetland area that harbors several species of mammals and birds, found nowhere else in Uganda.
The 370 sqkm park is an increasingly common stop on the safari circuit for visitors traveling to western Uganda or for clients who would wish for a one-day tour from Kampala. This is because the park is just a short distance away from Kampala so it can easily be accessed to carry out a variety of park activities.
You may also journey through the breathtaking landscapes of Uganda from Kampala to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to mountain gorillas, for gorilla trekking in Uganda. Uganda is home to incredible wildlife in Africa.
You can make an extension to visit Bwindi Forest on a budget gorilla safari to encounter the mountain gorillas. For those that wish to see mountain gorillas in Rwanda, visit Volcanoes National Park, which is famous for gorillas and golden monkeys.