Horseback Riding in Lake Mburo National Park.
Horseback Riding in Lake Mburo National Park.
Horseback riding in Lake Mburo national Park is one of the unique and fascinating activities offered in the national park. Horseback riding is a very ancient form of people travelling on the back of a horse. Horseback riding in Lake Mburo national park involves tourists exploring the park on horseback. You will get a chance to ride on trials, discover beautiful landscapes in the park and view a wide variety of wildlife roaming the park’s savannah grasslands.
Horse riding in the park takes about 4 to 5 hours as you ride across the savannah vegetation and the activity is arranged by a private organization which is Mihingo safari lodge situated close to the park boundary.
Mihingo safari lodge has been operating horse riding activities since December 2008 when they were being carried out outside the park and in November 2009 they started carrying out the activity inside the park.
Currently the lodge has 7 horses, 4 ponies that are available daily for the visitors who want to explore the park on the horse back. Most of the horses in the park cannot carry more than 85kg therefore visitors who want to participate in horse riding should have a maximum weight of 100kg. Visitors are therefore weighed before the horse riding so as to ensure that the horses are not damaged by carrying people who are too heavy.
Horse riding in the national park is done in two sessions that is the first session which starts in the morning at 10am and the second session which starts in the afternoon at 2:00pm. Each horse riding session allows a maximum of 6 people and they will be riding with 2 trained and experienced guides who will be guiding you during horse riding.
Visitors don’t have to be experienced in order to take part in horse riding because the horses are adjusted according to your riding speed for example if you are a beginner you will be advised to walk, and in case you an advanced or experienced rider you will ride for 4 to 5 hours through the grass of Warukiri hill in the middle of the park with views of the surrounding hills, valleys, animals like buffaloes, warthogs, topi and some of the 12 lakes surrounding the park among others.
Lake Mburo national park, which is situated in the western region of Uganda in Mbarara district, also has overnight horseback safaris where you will be exploring the park at night on a horseback which comes with an option of camping on top of one of the hills in the park or camping in the pitched tents at the shores of Lake Mburo.
During overnight horse riding you will enjoy the silence in the park, have great views of nocturnal animals and other animals which will be resting among others. After the ride you will enjoy a three course menu for your dinner in the wild and have a heavy breakfast in the morning.
Mihingo safari lodge is a luxury lodge in Lake Mburo national park and it is the only lodge that offers tourists horseback riding safaris in Uganda. The lodge also provides adjustable helmets in all sizes, riding chaps, English style sandals and visitors are recommended to wear long trousers, strong shoes which can reach up to the ankles and with a low heel if possible to prevent your feet from sliding through the stirrup among others.
Visitors can always combine horseback riding safaris with other activities in Lake Mburo national park such as; a game drive, boat ride, guided nature walk, sport fishing, bird watching and a cultural tour to any of the local communities that reside near the national park.
Horseback riding safaris in Lake Mburo national park can be carried out anytime of the year; although the best time to carry out the activity is during the wet season in the months of March to May and October to November. During the wet/rainy season, the national park receives heavy rainfall which leads to plant growth in the part therefore during horse riding in the wet season you will be able to view large numbers of animals grazing in the open savannah plains which helps the riders to ride for a short period of time with great wildlife views compared to the dry season when the animals will be moving to far areas in search of the green vegetation and also gathering around the shores of Lake Mburo.
Lake Mburo national park is located in western Uganda. It is the only national park in Uganda that is situated within close proximity to Kampala capital city. The national park is mainly accessed by road transport means because it takes 228 kilometers from Kampala and can be accessed through two gates that is the Sanga gate and the Nshara gate. When using road transport means you will drive from Kampala via Masaka and then to Sanga gate which is 37km east of Mbarara or you can drive from Kampala via Masaka and then to Nshara gate which is 20km from Lyantonde and 50km to Mbarara which takes about 3 to 4 hours’ drive.
Conclusion: Book your safari to Lake Mburo national park through a trusted and licensed tour operator company like Explore Rwanda Tours and get to experience the best that the park has to offer.
