Top Activities at Lake Bunyonyi in Southwestern Uganda
Top activities to do at Lake Bunyonyi : Lake Bunyonyi is a magical Uganda safari destination located in Kabale district in southwestern Uganda, this beautiful lake is the second deepest lake in Africa and the deepest in Africa.
This beautiful lake is dotted with at least 20 small islands surrounded by steep terraced hills and exotic rural landscapes and the magical backdrop of the Virunga Mountains.
Lake Bunyonyi is named from a local word “Bunyonyi” which means “little birds” which is a reference to the prolific weaver colonies along its shores, common bird sightings on Lake Bunyonyi include grey crowned cranes, African harrier hawks, herons, egrets, levillant cuckoo, white-tailed monad, slender-billed baglafetch, cardinal woodpecker and African kingfisher among others.
The lake lies on the altitude of about 1962 meters above the sea level dotted with 29 islands and the most prominent include the Akampene Island – the punishment island, Bushare Island, Kyahugye Island, Bwama Island, Njuyeera and Bucuranuka Island.
Here are the top activities to do at Lake Bunyonyi
Swimming
Lake Bunyonyi is known as one of the few lakes in Uganda free of bilharzia making its waters safe for swimming and a perfect spot for swimming adventures, also the lake has no dangerous creatures like crocodiles and hippos.
After a whole day of activities, you can take a swim in the clean waters of the lake.
Caution: inexperienced swimmers should be careful due to the lake’s depth
Take a Walk
Lake Bunyonyi is a great place to take a stroll, enjoy the scenery and take a few photos. The shores of the lake has just a few small villages which a pleasant to visit and the people are friendly.
Visit the Island
Lake Bunyonyi has 29 islands dotted around the lake, each of these islands interest stories behind them such as the Punishment Island where unmarried pregnant girls were dropped-off to starve to death as punishment. There only chance of survival is to be picked up by a poor man who wouldn’t afford a wife or have cow to pay for bride price. This practice stopped in the early 20th century.
Birding
Lake Bunyonyi is a birding paradise and as the name suggests, the lake is home to an enormous population of bird species which makes bird watching a key activity.
Lake Bunyonyi is home to over 200 species that have been recorded, some of the birds to lookout for in Lake Bunyonyi on birding adventure include the grey crowned crane, the white tailed blue monard, the herons, the African Harrier Hawk, the egrets, slender-billed baglafetch, levillant cuckoo, levillant cuckoo, and the cardinal woodpecker, and many more.
Canoeing
Canoeing is the most common mode transport for the locals on Lake Bunyonyi and is done in a dugout canoe, this is also done to explore the lake and its beautiful islands offering you a completely different perspective of the lake.
On the canoeing adventure, you get to explore the beautiful waters of the lake as well the legendary islands while taking in the magical scenarios. The can rides takes up to 2 hours to explore most of the corners of the Lake, you can take the ride any time but the morning experience is extra special with all the mist and tranquil atmosphere feels mystical. The evening ride is also good to catch the spectacular sunset.
Cultural Experiences
The interactive cultural visits around Lake Bunyonyi are done in the villages, settlements on one of the islands including the Batwa Pygmy people who are known to be the original people of the forest and now they live in communities surrounding the forests in the area. You will meet the pygmy tribe that lives in the villages on the other side of the lake in small villages, you will be welcomed by dances and get a chance to see the chef’s hut and the school.
There are also two main islands on Lake Bunyonyi that is the Akampene which is famously known as the Punishment Island which was used by the Bakiga People as the punishment place for the unmarried pregnant girls and left to die of hunger. This was mainly done to threaten the rest and also show them not to do the same act, the man without cows to pay the bride price could go to the island and then pick up a girl.
There is also the Bwama and the Njuyeera commonly known as the Sharp Island, English missionary Leonard sharp came to this island in 1921 and in 1931, he started a leprosy treatment centre on the then unoccupied Bwama Island. There is a church, a medical facility as well as a patient quarter, visiting the island you will have an encounter with the local people and learn more about sharp’s life on the island.
Ziplining
This is a recently added activity in Lake Bunyonyi done on sturdy ropes that are connected between trees in the opposite banks of the lake, you get to swing over the calm waters of the lake and even make half somersaults to touch the waters and feel the breeze on the face.
This activity is fun and exhilarating experience. s
Getting to Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi is situated in the regions of Kabale Town within Western Uganda and one can get there by road.
By road – it is a drive of 6 hours from Kampala which is also 410 kilometers to Kabale town and only 8 kilometers on murrum road from Kabale town to Lake Bunyonyi along the way to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kisoro District.
Those coming from Queen Elizabeth National Park or Kibale National Park, it is a drive of about 5 hours on road. Lake Bunyonyi is also situated close to Kigali in Rwanda and it takes 3 hours of driving to reach the lake.
Where to stay
In Lake Bunyonyi, there are several accommodation options ranging from budget, midrange to luxury, these include Lake Banion Overland Resort, Lake Bunyonyi Eco Resort, Arcadia Cottages, Bunyonyi View Resort and Amasiko Homestay among others.
When to Visit Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi is situated so near the equator which makes the weather to be comfortable year-round, temperatures can get a bit cool at night due to the elevation.
This means you can visit Lake Bunyonyi any time of the year.
