The beautiful Lake Bunyonyi which is also known as the "place of many little birds” is located in south western Uganda within 2 districts; Kabale, the Switzerland of Africa, and Kisoro, which close to the border of Rwanda and Uganda. The lake is about 410 km from Kampala (Uganda’s capital) which is approximately a 6 hours’ drive on the road. It harbors over 200 bird species and these include the weaver birds, the grey crowned cranes, herons, among others. This calm lake further attracts international migratory birds during winter, making it an ideal destination for Uganda birding safaris.   This fresh water lake is 25km long and 7 km wide, it covers a surface area of about 46km2 and is approximately 44m deep which makes it the second deepest lake in Africa after Lake Tanganyika of Tanzania.  It is known for water sports and is a remarkable destination for both foreign and domestic travellers. The lake is enclosed within the terrace hills of Kigezi and the scenic view of its islands is one of a kind especially with the background of a beautiful sunset. This sighting featured in the famous movie Black Panther and has always been one of the most appreciated destinations by many travellers due to the good accommodations that were set up by the lake. Lake Bunyonyi comprises of 29 islands, each with a mythical story behind it. The main islands include: Akampene (Punishment Island), Bucuranuka Upside Down Island, Kyahugye Island, Bushara Island and  Bwama (Sharp’s Island).

The Main Islands:

Akampene (Punishment) Island

The interesting story behind this island is that the occupants also known as the Bakiga people dumped all pregnant unmarried girls to this island as a punishment so they could die of hunger or drown as they they tried to swim back to the main land, the punishment came as an exemplary act to keep girls away from early pregnancies. Even though the backward act is no longer in practice, this isolated island still holds the punishment name.

Bushara Island 

This is the most developed island of all, a home of Lake Bunyonyi Development Company, an organization that handles various development projects around Bunyonyi, the organization gets its funding from the tourism activities carried around lake Bunyonyi. The island is outstanding with a forest, an appealing demonstration of eucalyptus trees which grow at a fast rate and  is an ideal place for hiking. The island also offers services like tents for hire, canoe and sail boat hire  to allow tourists to paddle to other islands.

Kyahugye Island

This island covers a surface area of about 74 acres with many tree species such as the eucalyptus, alnus, cuprous and pine species, it is surrounded by a wide strip of reeds interspersed with papyrus bordering the island to the shores, the vegetation on this island comprises of bushes, open fallows, tree plantations and Natural vegetation. It is the nearest island from the mainland it being a 5 minute from the mainland has a flat hilltop for tourists with campsites, chalets as well as accommodation. The spectacular view of the terraced hills from this point is also memorable, tourist activities on this island include nature walks, birding, hiking and canoeing and community visits. It is also the only island with wild animals, these were introduced to the island and include zebras, waterbucks, kobs and debrasa monkeys

Bwama (Sharp’s Island)

This island got named after the English missionary Dr. Leonard Sharp who organized a safari to this island, setup a leprosy treatment center, a church and quarters on the isolated island. The island for a long time was used as an isolation ground for leprosy patients.  The treatment center was later on transformed into a boarding school teaching young children at the primary school level.

Bucuranuka Upside Down Island

The island gets its name from a long told story about an old woman who was bypassing the island, met a group of occupants here, asked for help inform of some beer to take but was harshly denied. She furthered asked for lesser help to be assisted with a boat ride across to the main land but again was denied in vain. A young man out of the harsh crowd kindly offered to take the old woman and just as he reached the main land together with the old woman, a tragedy followed where the island they had just left capsized. The island was well known for brewing local sorghum before it got the name of island that killed people that is upside down island

Culture and People

The region of Bunyonyi is occupied by both the Bakiga and the Batwa people. The Bakiga are Bantu people that have tilled the hills of Kigezi for centuries. They are known for their strength and unmatched rate of hardwork. They are responsible for the beautiful terrace cultivation on the slopes of the Kigezi hills which a clearly visible while at the lake.

The Batwa were just introduced to the place; they were initially forest people who lived in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest before it was gazetted into a national park. Their music and drama will leave you mesmerized, as they tell  stories in form of songs that will draw you into sorrowful imagination of how their culture is fading away.

We at Twist Africa offer itineraries with a twist inclusive of this adventure to Lake Bunyonyi. We also strongly emphasize the slogan “it’s never a tour unless it’s memorable.”  Book with us today by simply sending us a message to get started with a wonderful safari experience.

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