Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi is located in the southwestern part of Uganda between the Kabale and Kisoro districts. This is the deepest lake in Uganda, having 29 islands full of mystery and interesting facts. The lake is about 7 km wide and 25 km long with an elevation of 1,962 meters above sea level.

Its depth ranges from 40 to 900 meters. This is an ideal and best place, especially for visitors to relax after their gorilla trekking and habituation tours in Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park. The 29 islands are concentrated in the middle of the lake with less settlement and many visitors who come to see and learn more about them.

One of the 29 islands is Akampene Island also known as punishment island. This island was named because young girls who used to get pregnant before marriage were taken to the island as punishment and would later die of hunger. This was done to prevent early pregnancies among young girls. Some of the young girls were rescued by the men who impregnated them and others were left to die from there.

The lake is a safe place for swimming because it is free from Bilharzia. This is a perfect destination for lovers to enjoy their honeymoon, relax and feel the fresh breeze from the waters of the lake.

What to see on Lake Bunyonyi?

Punishment island.

This is also known as Akampene island, located in the middle part of Lake Bunyonyi where unmarried pregnant Bakiga girls were taken and abandoned to die either of hunger or when trying to swim back to the shores. Some of these girls were sometimes rescued by men who impregnated them or the ones who had fewer cows as bride price.

The Bucuranuka island.

This is also known as an upside island. It is called the upside island because it is believed that one day a woman who was passing by found young men who were making local beer and when she asked, they refused to give her a sip. This woman later asked for help from one of these men to take her to the mainland. They offered him a young man who helped her but on his return the island turned upside down killing everyone who inhabited there.

Bwama and Njuyeera islands.

These are also known as sharp islands because it is the place where the leprosy centre was formed by Leonard a missionary in the year 1931. Leprosy victims were taken to these islands to get treated and isolated from others.

The Kyahugye island.

This is the island close to the mainland, you can reach this place by boat in less than 10 minutes. What to see here are the four types of vegetation cover dominated by tree plantations, open fallows and natural vegetation. Kyahugye island is the only island where you can spot wildlife like zebras, Uganda Kobs and Impalas.

Bird watching.

The name Bunyonyi simply means a place filled with small birds. Indeed, lake Bunyonyi hosts a good number of bird species over 200 in number. This is one of the best destinations to do bird watching especially at Nyombi Swamp. Some of the birds you can see are chested sunbirds, cranes, swamp flycatchers, hadada ibis, black herons, and fan-tailed widow birds.

Swimming.

Lake Bunyonyi is one of the few lakes where you are able to swim in Uganda. The lake is good for swimming because it is free from Bilharzia and free from big water animals like crocodiles and hippos.  Only experts are advised to swim because the lake is deep.

Cultural encounters.

Cultural encounters take you to Lake Bunyonyi island inhabitants – the Bakiga and Batwa. Bakiga were the first people on these islands who specialized in cultivation of different crops. The Batwa later moved to Bwindi forest and Mgahinga national park areas who specialized in hunting.

Best time to visit Lake Bunyonyi

The best time to visit Lake Bunyonyi is from January to August. The weather during this time is usually calm and ideal to engage in various activities.