Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo is the smallest of Uganda's savanna parks and the closest to Kampala, an area of acacia woodland, rocky ridges and a chain of five lakes, and it holds species found in few or none of the other parks: it is the only place in Uganda with impala, and it has the country's largest zebra population along with eland and topi. There are no elephants and few lions, which is why walking safaris, horse riding and cycling are permitted here.

What you actually see

• The zebra - the country's largest population, common across the open ground.
• The impala - found in no other Ugandan national park.
• The walking and cycling - activities allowed here because of the absence of big predators.
• The lake boat trip - hippo, crocodile and waterbirds on Lake Mburo itself.

When to go

June to September and December to February are the dry seasons and the best for game viewing. The rains green the park and disperse the animals. It is close enough to Kampala for a weekend.

Honest expectations

Game densities are much lower than in the big parks and there are no elephants or rhino. The acacia scrub makes viewing harder than open savanna. Tsetse fly is a persistent nuisance.

Nearby

Mbarara is west, and Igongo Cultural Centre is nearby.