Travel Guide Lac Nabugabo

3,700 years ago, what was then a shallow bay of Lake Victoria became Lake Nabugabo after the formation of a sandy lido that isolated it. Today, separated from the big lake by 4 km of silt, sand and swamp, this body of water of nearly 25 km2 stands out from its imposing neighbor by the physico-chemical composition of its waters and by its ichthyofauna (its fish, if you prefer...). Swimmers will be delighted to learn that, due to the lack of calcium (necessary for the generation of mollusc shells) in sufficient quantity, the intermediate hosts of the worms responsible for bilharzia are absent. Swimming is therefore, a priori, safe. Professional and amateur ichthyologists should include Lake Nabugabo and its entire lake system in their program. Indeed, the disunion of Lake Victoria and its small gulf has "sequestered" several species of freshwater fish in what has become Lake Nabugabo. Dissociated from their congeners, these fish still exist in the lake system of Lake Nabugabo, whereas they totally (or almost) disappeared from Lake Victoria following the introduction of the Nile perch in the 1950s. Although they are also threatened, eight species of cichlids (five of which are endemic) and a beautiful example of speciation await you in the waves of Lake Nabugabo and in the surrounding small water bodies (Kayanja, Kayugi and Manywa). The lake, surrounded - to the north, east and south - by the vast Lwamunda swamp, is also of great botanical interest as no less than 300 species of plants, including two endemic species and several insectivorous species (droseraceae), have been listed. Located, moreover, on a migration corridor, the lake system welcomes, at certain times of the year, more than 15% of the world population of blue swallows. In addition to vulnerable species, the banks of the lake are frequented by a plethora of birds (hummingbirds, weaverbirds, violet rolles, touracos, eagles...). Finally, expatriates interested in triathlon and duathlon can participate in the competitions organized once a year (in February or March) by the Nabugabo Triathlon team (www.nabugabotriathlon.com).