Day 1 - Mihingo Lodge
The drive from Kampala to Mihingo Lodge adjacent to Lake Mburo National Park takes about four hours, so you can make it for lunch, if you leave Kampala at about 8.00 am. After lunch you can swim or relax in your privately located room or enjoy a one hour full body massage by one of our well-trained staff. For a more active afternoon we suggest a two hour horseback safari. This is one of the most exhilarating experiences and an excellent way to enjoy wildlife even if you have never ridden before. Either way you will be back for sundowners on the decking nestled amongst the trees with a clear view onto the waterhole or you can sit next to the camp fire watching the sunset over the hills in Lake Mburo National Park. Don't miss seeing the bushbabies coming close to the bar area just after dusk.
Day 2 - Mihingo Lodge
One of our most popular activities is the morning walk starting at Mihingo Lodge, getting up at 6:30 am with tea or coffee brought to your room. At 7:00 am the Uganda Wildlife Authority guide will be waiting for you at the dining room. This will be the start of a lovely walk with views over Lake Kacheera and a good chance of seeing zebra, waterbuck, topi, impala, warthog, bushbuck, duiker and with a bit of luck buffalo and eland. Walking safaris are such fun because you really feel close to the African bush with all its sounds and life. After a two hour walk you will come back to a well-earned late breakfast. Before lunch you can relax at the pool or in the bar area or enjoy the privacy of your room. In the afternoon you can go on a game drive through Research Track to Kazuma Look-Out Point with a stunning view over six of the twelve lakes surrounding Lake Mburo National Park. On your way you will see most of the animal species that live in the Park. The walk onto Kazuma Look-Out Point is steep but short and so rewarding it should not be missed when visiting Lake Mburo National Park.
Day 3 - Mihingo Lodge
If you want to do something active hire one of our top-of-the-range mountain bikes and explore the valleys outside the park. You can either choose to have a guide accompanying you or go on your own if you are good at finding your way on small little dirt tracks and paths. There are various options from visiting one of the fishing villages about 8 km from Mihingo, to combining your bike ride with a cultural visit or driving close to the lake to check out the bird life. You could also visit one of the schools Mihingo is supporting about 4 km away.
You can then come back for a late breakfast at Mihingo. Relax a bit before lunch; perhaps have another massage? In the afternoon you go on the Mihingo Walk exploring the rocks and check out the stables and the garden. Other options are a game of tennis on our clay court, a swim in the pool, another horse ride or just relaxing in your room and enjoying the view. For the evening we recommend an early dinner at 7:30 pm and then a night game drive in our open Land Rover or our more closed open-topped Land Cruiser. This will give you the chance to see some of the nocturnal animals like hare, jenet cat, white-tailed mongoose, hyena, leopard, bushpig, serval, civit, aardvark or even a porcupine. You will probably be leaving by 8:30 pm after a delicious dinner and you can be out for 2 to 3 hours depending on how keen you are. Lake Mburo is one of the few National Parks in Africa allowing night game drives. During some parts of the year we have seen leopard in 80% of all night game drives.
Day 4 - Mihingo Lodge
On your last day you can take it easy, having tea or coffee taken to your room at 7:30, breakfast at 8:00 am and leave Mihingo Lodge at 9:00 am for the boat trip on Lake Mburo, starting at 10:00 am. You will see many hippos, a few crocodiles and a large variety of bird species. If you are lucky you might see buffalo from the boat as well as other wildlife and with a lot of luck you may even spot a leopard. We recommend driving back to Mihingo Lodge for lunch and enjoying the pool. In the afternoon you can go on a game drive on the Eland Track, this track is great to see eland and buffalo and all the other plains’ game. You will be back in time for sundowners and dinner.
Day 5
Enjoy early morning tea in your room for the last time and have a peaceful breakfast in the dining room. Mihingo Lodge is en route to some of the most spectacular places in the West of Uganda:
- Queen Elisabeth National Park , about 3 ½ hours’ drive, with stunning views onto the Rwenzori Mountains, the crater lakes and the Kasinga Channel and a very good chance of seeing lions and elephants and thousands of Uganda Kob.
- Ishasha National Park, about 5 hours’ drive, famous for its elephants and tree climbing lions. Game viewing is usually very good here. This Park is on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and is one of the most exciting places to visit in Uganda.
- Kibale Forest National Park is about a 5 hour drive. This is the best Park in Africa to see the chimpanzees - our closest relatives.
- Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, about 6 hours’ drive, home of the famous Mountain Gorillas.
- Rwenzori Mountain National Park, about 5 hours’ drive, this is the biggest mountain range in Africa also known as the mountains of the moon.
- Lake Bunyoni, about 4 hours’ drive, a lovely lake situated between hills, is about 1800 meter above sea level and one of the few lakes in Uganda that is bilharzia free and great for swimming.
You can visit Mihingo Lodge on your way back from all the above destinations and, depending on your flight, you can stay your last night in Uganda at Mihingo Lodge and easily reach Entebbe airport in time if you have an afternoon or evening flight. But better to stay at least 3 days to explore the fullness of Mihingo.