Things to see and do Lac Bunyonyi

Canoeing is a very popular activity. Boat rentals (canoes, kayaks, etc.) - by the hour or by the day, with or without a guide - as well as cruises are offered by most hotels. You will certainly be able to see an otter as you travel across Lake Bunyonyi from one island to another. During the day, you can, for example, have lunch on islands such as Bushara, Itambira and Njuyera. You may come across schoolchildren returning from school by canoe from Bwama Island, the most important island in the lake, where you can dock to see some of the remains of the old leper colony (founded at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s by Dr Leonard Sharp, a British missionary) and buy some souvenirs from the craft shop. You will be told the story of Akampene Island, known as Punishment Island since, until the middle of the 20th century, the Bakiga used to send there in penance young girls who became pregnant before marriage, until they starved to death or drowned trying to escape (unless they were rescued at night by local peasants who wanted to take a wife without paying a dowry). Or the legend of Bucuranuka, the island that had turned over, victim of the bad fate of a woman who had been refused a sip of homemade beer by the revelers living there... For a guided tour of the islands of the lake, aboard a speedboat, count from 22 to 55 US$/boat (1 to 3 hours).

In addition to the weavers, the lake is home to a wide variety of arboreal, aquatic and shorebird species, such as the emblematic crowned crane. In addition to the islands and wooded shores, birdwatchers can explore the swampy area at the northern end of the lake (Ruhuma Swamp), which follows the course of the Ndego River. Little four-eyes, orange-shouldered euplecte, Koli's serin, aquatic chloropet and papyrus gonolek (which will be appreciated by birdwatchers) are likely to be observed here. To meet the winged gentleman of the Ruhuma swamp, it is possible to stay in the Heritage Camp of Muko, wedged between the lake (where egrets, grebes and purple herons are splashing) and the Kabale-Kisoro national road. It is also possible and easy to make a day trip from Rutinda, Kabale or Kisoro (leaving early). For the moment, but you will have to make sure of it during your trip, the Bushara Island Camp organizes this guided birding in Muko every Saturday; count 50 US$ for the return boat transportation and the visit (duration: 6 hours). The Nyombe Swamp, which is geographically diametrically opposed to the Ruhuma Swamp, is the other major birding site on Lake Bunyonyi. Most of the hotels in the area organise three- to six-hour trips (US$ 40-70 per boat, including guide) to discover the birdlife of this southern marsh: mountain bee-eater, kingfisher, golden-breasted jacana, marsh flycatcher, etc.