Lake Bunyonyi also called a place of very many little birds is located in the south western part of Uganda close to the Uganda border with Rwanda and it is between the two districts of Kisoro and Kabale. It is the deepest lake in Uganda, second deepest lake in Africa after lake Tanganyika and the third deepest in the world with a depth which ranges from a minimum of 400 meters to a maximum of 900 meters with a length of about 25kms and width of 7kms with a surface area of 17.76 square miles. The distance from the country’s capital Kampala to Bunyonyi about 466 kilometers and it takes about 6 hours and 42 minutes to drive from the capital to Lake Bunyonyi. The beauty about this lake made it even be put on the five thousand shilling Uganda note.
Lake Bunyonyi Uganda comprises of 29 islands but out of all the islands, Punishment Island is the most outstanding one because of its past history. In the 1940’s getting pregnant before marriage was a taboo in the culture of the people living around this lake and because of this, the girls who would get pregnant before marriage would be canoed to this Island for punishment and abandoned there and thus resulting to the name punishment Island. These girls would die due to starvation or as a result of drowning as they were trying to swim across the lake and therefore because of this, it makes the Island the number one destination for tourists to visit when they are in Lake Bunyonyi because how on earth would one want to miss visiting such a place when you are just a short distance away from it.
When you think of relaxing and chilling after a gorilla trekking or chimpanzee trekking before heading back home, then the best place to visit is Lake Bunyonyi because it has the best chiller spots with a cool weather and you get a feeling of freshness as the cool breeze blows making you feel so wow.
Lake Bunyonyi Tour, Lake Bunyonyi Accommodation
Lake Bunyonyi is a perfect place for a hike because of the the many hills surrounding the lake as one takes a glance at the beautiful and magnificent landscape of the area. Rutindo is one of the places you will not want to go back wit out visiting especially if you happen to be here on Monday or Friday because these two days are the market days in this area. It is fun for you to connect with the local people here in Rutindo as you get to know them better in terms of their behavior and character.
Another activity one can’t avoid doing here is birding. The name of the lake is bunyonyi which means an area of very many small birds. This is the exact picture of the area because it has over 200 species of different birds such as the pied king fisher, grey crowned crested crane, red- chested sun birds and many more. It is a place for perfect bird sighting for those who love seeing birds.
The swimmers will love to explore these deep fresh waters despite its depth which ranges from 400m to 900m and this is because the lake is said to bilharzia free and there are no crocodiles or hippopotamus around the shores of the lake.
The traditional healer who started a traditional clinic in his own home is one that you will not want to miss when you visit Lake Bunyonyi. It takes only about 20 to 25 minutes on a boat ride to land yourself into the hut of Sam Mulisa and see for yourself what this man’s traditional clinic looks like.
You will be amazed when you enjoy a motorized boat cruise around the lake and visit some of the other Islands like the Bwama Island. It is in this Island that a British missionary founded a leper hospital in 1921 but it has been currently converted into a school.
Adventure in the wild safaris is tour operator specializing in Bwindi Gorilla and Uganda wildlife safaris. We offer a wide range of Gorilla trekking and wildlife safari packages at affordable rates with a focus on delivering high quality services for all travelers who book their trips with us.
