Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda, Best Things to Do and Why Stay
Lake Bunyonyi is one of the most rewarding scenic stops in southwestern Uganda and one of the best places to slow down after gorilla trekking or wildlife travel. Set among terraced hills near Kabale, the lake is known for its calm waters, scattered islands, cool climate, and a softer pace than the safari circuit. For travellers, it works especially well as a place to canoe, relax, watch birds, explore island history, and spend a night or two before continuing to Kigali, Kampala, or the parks of southwestern Uganda. This guide explains what makes Lake Bunyonyi worth visiting, which activities are most worthwhile, where to stay, and how to include the lake in a wider Uganda itinerary.
The main islands of Lake Bunyonyi
Punishment Island
The Bakiga used to leave unmarried pregnant girls on this small island with a tree – to die of hunger or while trying to swim to the mainland (swimming skills were rare). This was to educate the rest, to show them not to do the same. A man without cows to pay the bride wealth could go to the island and pick up a girl. The practice got abandoned in the first half of the 20th century. Although this practice has been abandoned, it is still possible to find women who were picked up from punishment island today.
Bushara Island
This island is the home of Lake Bunyonyi Development Company, an organisation with strong links to the Church of Uganda, the main church of the lake area. They use tourism to generate funds for several development projects around Bunyonyi. The island has many luxury tents, chalets, and campsites for tourists to stay on. It is also possible to rent out canoes and sailboats with a view to paddling to one of the other islands. The striking feature of the island is its forest, a demonstration of the most appealing attribute of the eucalyptus tree: an exceptionally fast growth rate. The hills around Bunyonyi used to feature many forests, but overpopulation led to them being cut down to create land for agricultural needs. Eucalypti have been imported to improve the situation. But eucalyptus plants may also have a negative effect: they can soak up everything useful in the soil, leaving it more or less barren.
Kyahugye Island
Kyahugye Island is approximately 30ha in size and also the nearest to the mainland – a mere 5-minute boat ride away. It is surrounded by a 1-2 meters wide strip of reeds interspersed with papyrus. The Island has many tree species including Eucalyptus sp., Pinus sp., Alnus sp., and Cuprssus sp., these forming a wide perimeter around it. The vegetation on the Island falls into four categories namely bush, open fallows, tree plantations and natural vegetation. The hilltop is flat and has been developed for tourists. There are chalets and campsites for accommodation, and a well-stocked bar and restaurant. From the top of the Island, there are spectacular views of the surrounding terraced hillsides, the calm waters of Lake Bunyonyi, and the neighbouring Islands. On a clear day, Mount Muhabura can be seen in the distance. Tourist activities like Nature walks, Birding walks, Dugout Canoe Treks, Community visits, and Mountain Climbing can be organized.
Bwama and Njuyeera
In 1921, an English missionary called Dr Leonard Sharp came to this part of Uganda and in 1931, established a leprosy treatment centre on the then uninhabited Bwama Island. A church, patient quarters (model villages), and a medical facility were built, while Sharp settled on Njuyeera Island (probably meaning ‘white cottage’, after the similarity of the doctor’s small white house to Sharp’s father’s house in Shanklin, now The White House Hotel). The rationale of the leprosy colony was that of ‘voluntary segregation’, where the provision of a happy community to live in would attract leprosy sufferers, so removing them from the communities where they might infect others. The buildings of the hospital are now used by a boarding secondary school, which attracts students from the entire region. There is also a primary school, but no village on the island.
Bucuranuka
The legend says that this island killed many people. About twenty were once brewing local sorghum beer there. An old woman was passing by, and she said, “Can you give me some local beer?” They wrongly thought that she was a beggar they knew. They refused her: “Get lost, beggar! Get lost!!!” The old woman asked, “So you will not even give me a sip? Can I at least get somebody to take me to the mainland?” They answered: “Yes, because we are fed up with you!” They chose a young guy to take her over. When they reached the shore and the guy was just beginning to return, the island turned upside down. All died, only a chicken flew away and survived.
Best things to do at Lake Bunyonyi
Apart from admiring the beautiful scenery of the lake, there are a lot of interesting tourist activities to do in Lake Bunyonyi.
Canoeing and island hopping
Canoes are the only way to get around the lake and its islands. The local people residing around the lake make the canoes by digging into large trees to create a depression using axes. The canoes are moved using rowing sticks or motor engines. These are rented by people at the shores at a fee of about 60,000 Uganda shillings. The ones with engines can go for 120,000 Uganda shillings. Using these locally made canoes offers a completely different experience for travellers, and the best time for canoeing is early in the morning when the lake is covered with mist. This is a beautiful sight to behold for anyone with a love for nature and adventure. Night canoeing can also be arranged to experience the cool night breeze and sounds from the night crickets, frogs, and birds. Canoeing for 2 or more hours allows you to hop from one island to another while learning about their history. For example, visiting the “punishment island”, then also visit Bwama and learn about its history of hosting lepers. Thus, this is called Island hopping.
Swimming and relaxation
The beautiful scenery and cool weather are perfect for relaxing after tiring activities like gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, mountain climbing in Mgahinga National Park, or game viewing in Queen Elizabeth National Park, which are the closest national parks to the lake. While relaxing, you can consider carrying along your desired books to read while in a cool and serene environment on one of the quiet island resorts. Food is plentiful and consists of local vegetables and fruits as well as international dishes. The crowning moment is watching the Lake Bunyonyi sunset, and the setting of the sun provides an opportunity to take beautiful photos of the sun’s rays reflecting on the lake waters.
Swimming in the lake
Lake Bunyonyi is a clean lake with clear waters that are free from pollution due to the absence of fishing sites on the lake shores. The lake waters are free from crocodiles, hippos, and parasites that cause Bilharzia. Bilharzia is a common disease in some of the water bodies in East and Southern Africa. The only disadvantage of swimming in the lake is the depth. Lake Bunyonyi is believed to be the second deepest lake in Africa. Those who are not good swimmers should take caution and instead use the hotel swimming pools.
Community and Cultural Visits
One of the most popular activities is taking a walk to observe how the local people go about their daily lives near the shores of the lake. It is great to mingle with the locals and try out tasks like digging the garden with local hoes or visiting one of the local schools to interact with the school children. The Bakiga people love taking marwa and obushera, which are the two potent drinks made from bananas and millet/sorghum. If you feel intimidated trying the local drink, you can go for the factory-made and bottled Uganda Waragi.
The local market of Rutindo attracts residents of the island every Monday and Friday. On these two days, the market is filled with people. It is a perfect place to observe how locals go about their daily lives while also mingling with them and buying fresh fruits.
Batwa people; Another alternative is to go and visit the Batwa people. The Batwa in this part of Uganda were removed from the Echuya Forest and allocated land near the lake. Like their relatives in other areas, like Bwindi forest and Mount Mgahinga. The Batwa have failed to adjust to life outside the forest and are still struggling to make ends meet, considering that they are former hunters and gatherers. They earn a living by entertaining tourists and demonstrating their cultural heritage through dance, songs, and storytelling.
Birdwatching and lakeside walks
Lake Bunyonyi is a birders’ paradise and one of the best places to go birding in Uganda. The name Bunyonyi suggests a place with little birds. There are over 205 species of birds registered to be spotted in the lake. The small islands in the lake act as sanctuaries and breeding grounds for many water birds. The species include both resident and those that migrate from Europe during the harsh winters. One of the best birding spots is the swamp of Nyombi. The best way to see the birds is by acquiring a boat, binoculars, and moving to the water with a birding guide. Some of the species include egrets, slender-billed baglafetch, weaverbirds, herons, grey crowned cranes, and the levelling cuckoo, among many others.
lakeside Walks
If one is not interested in the community walks, they can hike through established trails accompanied by a guide to explore and marvel at the terraced hills, which give majestic views of the lake and towering landscapes. Visitors can also visit the ancient bamboo forest of Echuya or the other small ones surrounding the lake and spot small primates and zebras.
Mountain biking and zip lining
One of the best ways of discovering the lake is taking on mountain biking and riding to the spot the beautiful landscape while passing by human settlements. Although most lodges do not provide bikes, you can organise with your tour company to make the necessary arrangements to have a bike at your disposal.
Zip-lining experience
Zip-lining on Lake Bunyonyi is one of the best experiences for adventurous travellers. This involves swinging on top of the calm waters of Lake Bunyonyi on high ropes connected between trees on the opposite shores of the lake. The visitor has to swing from one point to the other over the water. This experience offers a fresh breeze and excellent views of local communities, islands, and rolling hills of the Kigezi region. Travelers are reminded to keep mentally alert and enjoy this memorable adventure.
Where to stay at Lake Bunyonyi
There are many accommodation options in Lake Bunyonyi, a great testament to its popularity with tourists. Some of the hotels are built on the islands, while others are on the lake shores or in the towns near the lake. There are moderate and luxury accommodation facilities as well as campsites. The budget hotels are Bunyonyi Overland Resort, Bushara Island Camp, Byoona Amagara, and Crater Bay cottages. The Mid-range options are Arcadia Lodge, Bunyonyi Safari Lodge, and Bird’s Nest.
How to access Lake Bunyonyi
Lake Bunyonyi is located in the far southern part of Uganda in Kabale district. If you are driving from Kampala by car, it takes about 8-9 hours to drive to Kabale town, then another 30 minutes’ drive to reach the lake from Kabale town. Since the lake is closer to Rwanda, it takes about 4-5 hours by car to drive from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, via the Katuna border of Rwanda-Uganda. Visitors coming to Uganda can also combine their visit to Lake Bunyonyi with Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which takes about only 2 hours to drive, Queen Elizabeth National Park takes about 5-6 hours to reach, Lake Mburo National Park takes about 5 hours, and Mgahinga national park about 2-3 hours.
Lake Bunyonyi cannot be accessed by air, given that the area is hilly; however, there are neighbouring airstrips where visitors can land to avoid the 8-9 hours’ drive from Entebbe/Kampala. These include: Kihihi airstrip, which is a 2-hour flight, and from Kihihi airstrip, it’s another 3-4 hours’ drive to reach Lake Bunyonyi. Alternatively, Kisoro airstrip, which is also a 2-hour flight only operated in the morning due to the changing weather conditions in the Kigezi areas, and then take another 2-3 hours’ drive to Lake Bunyonyi.
