When it comes to East African lakes there is one which likes to hog all the limelight.
Her name is Victoria and like the British Queen she is named after her influence stretches to several nations.
The largest of all African lakes is Lake Victoria which borders Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but in the case of Ugandan lakes, it appears size isn’t everything.
Lake Mburo is among the smallest and least known of Africa’s lakes but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in splendor. I say “he’’ because this lake was named after a boy who allegedly perished during the flood which led to the lake’s creation – or so the story goes.
According to the local legend a lad named Kigarama dreamed of an impending disaster and fled to higher ground but his brother Mburo, believing it was just a silly dream, stayed put and drowned when the valley flooded. Lake Mburo is one of five lakes within the tiny 370sq/km Lake Mburo National Park. Hippos in particular love the shallow – it averages about 4m – lake growing to enormous sizes here.Upon seeing several the size of small cars we dub these hippos the biggest in Africa.
Our guide Moses says they are so big because they eat a lot of papyrus and enjoy the mineral rich water. While hippos are plentiful throughout Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park turns out to be the best place to see crocodiles. It’s even better viewing than the Nile, which they’re named after. During a two hour trip around the lake’s fringes we see juveniles sunning themselves on small branches, a couple of nests being protectively guarded by paranoid females and a giant croc basking in the sun. Vervet monkeys climb curiously close and baboons go bananas when we pull in close to their tree.
The blue glimmer of a Woodland Kingfisher catches our eye and we are lucky enough to see the endemic African Finfoot with its trademark red beak. At the peak of almost every tree sits an African Fish Eagle.Moses reckons Lake Mburo is home to more mating pairs than Lake Victoria. Aside from the abundance of wildlife, the best thing about this little brother lake is the peace.For the entire two hours we are the only boat on the lake making it a truly unique experience.
Bet you can’t find serenity like that on Lake Victoria.
Stay: Permanent tents are available at Rwonyo Rest Camp on the eastern side and 1km to the south camping is permitted on the shore.
For more information contact Lake Mburo National Park website.
