Location
Mbarara Town is located in the western part of Uganda about 290 km from Kampala City the capital of Uganda. It is an important business hub as the traveler can easily connect with any place in the western region from Mbarara Town.
Population
In 2011, Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimated the mid-year population of Mbarara Town at 83,700.
Key attractions
Mbarara Town is a lively and ideal resting place for travelers heading to destinations in the western region including tourist attraction places like Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Mburo and the Rwenzori Mountains. The key attractions around the town include the following:
- The Nkonkonjeru Royal Tombs at Kakika burial site of Omugabe (King) Kahaya II and Omugabe Gasyonga among others.
- Lake Mburo National Park located about 30 kilometers east of Mbarara Town on Mbarara –Kampala Road.
- Lake Nakivale located about 40 kilometers south-east of Mbarara Town
- River Ruizi which passes through the town flowing from the highlands in Bushenyi district into Lake Kachera in Rakai district.
- Sanga Cultural Village, located at the Sanga junction about 20 kilometres leading to the Lake Mburo National Park.
- Lake View in Town centre.
- Golf Course
- Local Ankole cows
Milk Town
Mbarara Town is popular as the largest provider of milk in Uganda. It is the center for milk processing in the Western region and has the largest number of milk processing plants in Uganda. A visitor to Mbarara Town is welcomed by a statue symbolic of the long-horned cattle illustrating the importance of cattle in Mbarara Town.
Education Institutions
Mbarara Town is the home of the following institutions;
- Mbarara University of Science & Technology (MUST),
- Bishop Stuart University,
- Mbarara High School (MHS)established in 1911
- Ntare School.established in 1956 and its important alumni include President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.