As result of these attractions, the region has four of the national parks in Uganda which can be accessed from Mbarara town within minutes and some a few hours drive. These include:
Lake Mburo National Park
This is found within Mbarara district and is only a thirty five minutes (35) drive from Mbarara town. Game viewing is the main tourist activity in Lake Mburo National Park due to its biodiversity.
It has about 68 different species of mammals the most notable ones being Zebras, Impala, Buffalo, Topi and Eland. Antelopes, Leopards, Hyenas and Jackals are also there but not as common.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park boast of one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any game reserve in the world. There is almost 100 mammal species and 606 bird species. The park has a variety of game ranging from the Uganda kob, Hippos, tree-climbing Lions , Chimpanzees among others. Queen Elizabeth National Park is within a 1 and half hours drive from Mbarara town.
Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale district is the deepest lake in Uganda and the second deepest in Africa. The term “Bunyonyi” literraly means birds, which signifies the presence of several bird species on the islands of Lake Bunyonyi.
With the beautifull scenary created by the islands of Lake Bunyonyi, it makes an experience in this place one of the best experiences in life. Lake Bunyonyi is approximately a 2 hours drive from Mbarara town.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Mgahinga National Park is located 10 km south of Kisoro in Kisoro district. It is approximately a 3 hours drive from Mbarara town. Mgahinga National Park is one of the main habitats of moutain gorillas in Uganda making it one of the most viable places for gorilla tracking
