Main Town : Mbarara town is the main town of the District.
Area : 10020.8 Km2
Land and vegetation : 0.8 percent of the District area is open water, 2.1 percent
is wetland and 18,707 hectares is forest.
The key tourist attractions of the district are given below
1. Lake Mburo National Park
Lake Mburo National Park is located about 300 kilometers southwest of Kampala, 30 kilometers east of Mbarara town. The Park is famous for birding and viewing Zebras, Impala, Buffalos, and Waterbucks. Lake Mburo, which occupies 20 percent of the Park, has the potential for the development of a number of water sports such as angling, boat cruises, and canoeing.
Easy proximity from the main Kampala-Mbarara-Kabale/Kasese routes gives the Park advantage for stop-over night stays and day excursions.
Tourism activities in the Park are fairly well developed. The infrastructure includes UWA’s Rwonyo Campsite and the Lake Mburo Conservation Education Centre and the Mantana Campsite.
2. Lake Nakivale
The Lake is located about 40 kilometers southeast of Mbarara town. The water body, the lake’s sandy beaches, and the expansive open grounds around the lake could in the future be exploited for tourism. There were temporary refugee settlements in the areas around the Lake.
3. River Ruizi
River Ruizi flows from the highlands in Bushenyi district into Lake Kachera in Rakai district. Some canoeing is possible on the river and provides some primate viewing along with it.
Down the river, near Safariland Park, is a spot that is a habitat for cobra snakes that are a popular site for visitors to the Park.
4. Lake Kachera
Lake Kachera is found in both Mbarara and Rakai districts. The southern part of the lake lies next to the Lake Mburo National Park. The Lake’s location by the Park with a considerable concentration of wild game offers an opportunity for the development of a tourist campsite at the hill overlooking the Lwanga fish landing site.
5. Sanga Cultural Village
This is a cultural center for the Hima tribe, located at the sanga junction leading to the Lake Mburo National Park. Traditional ornaments and regalia of the tribe are also found at the center. Upon payment of a small token fee, it is possible to learn about the cultural ways, particularly of the Hima women.
6. Crafts and Souvenirs Industry
There was no independent crafts and souvenirs shop that was operational in Mbarara town at the time of the survey. This was in contrast to the town being a transit one for traffic to and from the main tourism activity centers of the Rwenzori National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park.
7. Hotel and Catering Industry
The hotel and catering industry in the district comprised 59 accommodation establishments and 28 non-accommodation tourism-related establishments at the time of the survey. The industry employed 815 people. The total bed capacity was 2732 beds.
The main accommodation establishments in the district were: Lake View Hotel, Mantana Luxury Tented Camp, and Hotel Classic.