Mbarara

Welcome to Mbarara

Ankole (Mbarara) District was founded in 1901. The abolition of Ankole federal and kingdom government in 1967, gave rise to Mbarara District Local Government (MDLG).

It is the main town of Ankole District became a township in 1957. Following the Coup of 1972, the name Ankole District was changed to Mbarara District, and the township was transformed into a municipality in 1974.

In 1973, Bushenyi District was created out of this district. In 1995 Ntungamo District was created and in 2002, the sub-county of Itojo, was added to Ntungamo District.

In 2005, the boundary was significantly reduced and the district was further split into three other district Local Governments namely, Isingiro (comprised of Bukanga and Isingiro counties), Kiruhura (comprised of Nyabushozi and Kazo counties) and Ibanda (comprised of Ibanda County).

The sub-division left the current Mbarara with three counties of Kashari, Rwampara and Mbarara municipality. Recently, in August 2015, Parliament passed a resolution to create Rwampara District out of the district, effective 1st July 2019.

Based on that decision, Mbarara District boundaries will further be altered to include Kashari County and Mbarara Municipality.

The district was named after its municipal center, the city of Mbarara, where the district headquarters is located. It is said that the word ‘Mbarara’ is derived from a common type of grass in Mbarara known as ‘emburara’

Mbarara Location

The district is the administrative capital of southwestern Uganda. The district boarders Ibanda and Kiruhura Districts to the north; Kiruhura and Isingiro Districts to the east; Isingiro and Ntungamo Districts to the south; and Sheema District to the west.

The district headquarters is located 270 kilometers (170 miles), by road, southwest of the capital city, Kampala.

Size and population

This district lies between coordinates 00 36S, 30 36E and covers an area of 1,846.4 km2. It has a population of 474,144 of which females are 244,243 (52%) and the urban population is 195,013 (41.1%).

There is a declining rate in population growth from 2.58% (1991-2002) to 2.26% (2002-2014). With an average household size of 4.1 (the smallest in western Uganda) there are 113,164 households in Mbarara.

Climate and landscape

Mbarara district receives an average annual rainfall of 1,200mm with two rainy seasons, during the months of February-May and September-December. Temperature ranges between 170C to 300C, with a humidity range of 80-90%.

The topography is a mixture of fairly rolling and sharp hills and mountains, shallow valleys and flat land. The soils are generally sandy, clay and slightly laterite loams, suitable for cultivation.

Quick facts About Mbarara

1. Mbarara is located about 290 km away from Kampala city by road.  To reach Mbarara by public means, you need to board a bus at the Qualicell Bus Park. This park is next to the new taxi park but you can also find Mbarara bound buses at the Nakivubo Bus terminal. The top bus companies plying the Kampala Mbarara route are Horizon and Swift coaches.
2. Mbarara has countless accommodation facilities within and outside town. You can choose to stay in Agip Motel, Rwizi Hotel, Oxford Inn or Lakeview Resort Hotel among many others.
3. If you are planning to visit Mbarara and are wondering what time of the year is ideal, then you might want to know this. Mbarara can be visited throughout the year. December, January, February, June and August have less rains and are ideal for those on summer vacation.

Things to Do in Mbarara City

The Igongo Cultural Centre

This Centre was built in 2011 along the Mbarara to Masaka road. It is built on the grounds which held the former palace of the King of Ankole.

The Centre is one of the leading cultural sites in Uganda. It helps promote and showcase the cultural heritage of the people of South western Uganda. Among the key attractions in the Centre is the Eriijukiro museum.

An African safari tour in Uganda of the Eriijukiro museum takes about 30 minutes. The Eitaramiro cultural village on the other hands shows how the typical Kinyankore household looked like hundreds of years ago.

You will see traditional household items like animal skins, calabashes, milk gourds, grinding stones and a fireplace made of stones.

While at the Igongo Cultural Centre you can go to the traditional restaurant to try out local Ankole food including matooke, ghee and millet bread.

You can also try out potent local drinks made from sorghum and maize. If the drinks are not for you, you can go to the book shop of craft shop to see ancient sculptures of the animals and people of ankole.

The Igongo Cultural Centre also has a section for other tribal groups like the Batooro and Bakiga. By the end of your tour to the Igongo Cultural Centre, you would have got an idea about how the people of the area lived their lives hundreds of years ago.

There a is a high end hotel at the Centre with conference facilities where you can spend the night as you tour the facility and city in phases.

You can arrange with staff at the Igongo Cultural Centre to take you for more activities outside the facility itself.

With this arrangement, you can visit the Biharwe Eclipse monument in Mbarara or go outside town to visit Bahima villages and honey farms.

If you are taken to visit one of the Bahima tribesmen, you should expect to learn how to make ghee/butter locally from milk.

If there is more time, you can ask to move with the herdsmen as they take cattle for grazing in the swamps. When you return with the cows, you should help with the milking before saying farewell.

Sanga Cultural Village

If you are still interested in more cultural experiences after visiting the Igongo Cultural Centre, this is probably the next best place to go.

This Centre showcases the cultural heritage of the Bahima (a subset of the Ankole tribe). It is built close to the junction going to Lake Mburo National Park.

While here, you will spot many of the traditional regalia and tools used by the Bahima tribesmen. You will meet Hima women have vast information about the tribe, the role of women in the household and other ancient traditions.

See the long horned cattle of Ankole

The Ankole cattle is why Mbarara is referred to as the land of milk and honey. The Ankole cattle are strong and can survive in harsh conditions.

They grow long and striking horns and are generally less susceptible to diseases. Unfortunately, cross breeding with the smaller Zebu cattle is threatening this unique species.

The Banyankore have the largest cattle farms in Uganda. Mbarara city is the leading producer of milk and other dairy products in the country thanks to the Ankole cattle.

As you approach the city, you will begin to see countless farms along the roadside with hundreds or even thousands of cattle.

Many of the large farms accept visitors and tourist. You can stop by one of the farms for a tour to learn about how the animals are kept. While at the farm, you might be taught how to milk a cow manually or prepare eshabwe (local gee).

Visit Lake Mburo National Park

Lake Mburo National park is located only thirty minutes away from Mbarara by road. It was once part of Mbarara city but with the creation of new districts, the park now falls under Kiruhura district.

Lake Mburo National Park one of the smallest national parks in Uganda but with amazing activities in store for those who visit it. It is the best place to see Zebras while on a safari in Uganda.

Apart from the Zebras, expect to encounter hyenas, leopards, mongooses, Buffaloes, Waterbucks, Impalas and various other antelopes.

Lake Mburo is the only place where you can go for a safari on foot, on top of a horse, with a quad bike or a standard safari vehicle.

The night game drives in Lake Mburo National Park sets it apart from other national parks in Uganda and offers the best chance to see Leopards.

You can also go for a boat cruises in Lake Mburo to see crocodiles and hippopotamus. Lake Mburo National park has its own cultural Centre that could rival that in Igongo in the future.

Lake Mburo is one of the best places for sport fishing in Uganda. Birders should expect to sport the Shoebill stork, papyrus yellow warblers, red-faced barbets, Wood Doves, Common Scimitarbill, the Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Red-headed Lovebird and the African finfoots.

Lake Mburo has some amazing hotels and lodges to choose from if you plan on spending more than a day.

Visit the various water bodies

Mbarara has got several water bodies passing through its boundaries. The most prominent ones are Lake Nakivale, River Ruizi and Lake Kachera.

Lake Nakivale is located in the south eastern part of Mbarara City. The distance from the City to the lake is about forty kilometers.

The lake has large open fields around its shores with sandy beaches that are suitable for picnics. The lake is also close to Nakivale Refugee settlement.

River Ruizi on the hand gets its waters from the highlands in Bushenyi District. The river then flows all the way to Lake Kachera.

River Ruizi is suitable for canoeing, fishing and spotting small primates. Part of Lake Kachera is found in Lake Mburo National Park allowing it to receive many of the park animals.

You can actually see some the animals from specific points without having to pay the park entrance fee required for a full safari in the park.

If you find this article helpful, you should also read the one about the places to visit in Mombasa Kenya.

Mbarara City tour

Mbarara is a fast developing city and you can’t leave without going for a full city tour. For one to experience the kind of life in a city, the first place to go to are the local markets.

Visiting local markets exposes you to the culture of the people and gives you an understanding of the kind of life and challenges they face.

You can observe how the people go about with their business and even listen to the latest gossip.

After visiting the local markets and buying some fresh fruits, you can proceed to the larger shopping malls.

The malls are frequented by mostly the middle and higher class residents. Safariland Park in Mbarara is a good place to start. It has a collection of bars, shops and restaurants – Expect to find both the locals and tourists.

Later in the evening you can go for a drink at one of the top hangout joints as you wait to check out Mbarara’s night life.

The best way to tour the city is by using a boda (motorcycle taxi). Using a boda boda is risky and you need to insist that you are given a helmet.

Keep in mind that although riding on the bikes can be fun, almost 50 percent of road accidents in Uganda are caused by boda boda riders. We highly recommend that you hire a car to avoid the risks of using a boda.

Other important places to visit

The Abagabe tombs come to mind as I wind up this article. This is where the royal families of the Ankole kingdom are buried.

The last king of Ankole is buried at the Nkonkonjeru tombs in Kakika. It is also where King (Omugabe) Gasyonga, Omugabe Kahaya II and other member of the royal family are buried.

You can visit the tombs during the day for a small entrance fee. If visiting tombs isn’t your thing, then you can go for a tour of the large Nile Breweries plant.

You can only visit the brewery during working hours and on appointment. If beer is not your thing, you can instead visit the Coca Cola plant.

They also require that you make an appointment ahead of time so that a Guide is arranged to receive you. While at the plant you can taste all the Coca Cola products available.

Land of the Tswana

There are so many places that you can visit in Botswana but there are some other attractions that stand out more than others and are worth visiting during Botswana Safari. These make the list of the top Tourist Attractions In Botswana.

There are many tours that you can do in Botswana and the most common is the overland tour, where you can drive around to most parts of the country in an overland truck. Most common tours include a Botswana Wildlife Safari, Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park package, Desert tracking, Premium safaris and 5 to 10 day safaris.

• • Exploring ancient ruins, historical landmar.

• • Immersive cultural experiences, local.

• • Hiking, trekking, extreme sports, and out.

• • A romantic destination like Paris, Venice.

• • Kid-friendly activities, theme parks family.

• • Premium accommodations, gourmet.