Lake Bunyonyi safari – Canoe rides and other activities

A Lake Bunyonyi safari is one of the highlights on a safari in Uganda is much needed after a traveller’s gorilla tracking safari in Bwindi Impenetrable forest national park or Mgahinga Gorilla National park. It is a perfect place for relaxing before your flight back home. This beautiful lake is located in south western Uganda between Kisoro and Kibale districts bordering Rwanda. Lake Bunyonyi, which means a lake is many small birds is 1,962 meters above the sea levelThe lake is the second deepest lakes in Africa after Lake Tanganyika and the deepest lake in Uganda. Plus it is one of the most beautiful lakes and is decorated with many islands that include the punishment Island, Bushara Island, Kyahungwe Island, Bwana, Nyuyeera and Bucaranuka Island.

Lake Bunyonyi is popular among both local and international tourists, photographers, film directors with some parts of Black Panther movie shot from here.

Below are some of the activities to do in and around Lake Bunyonyi

Motorised or non-motorised canoe boat to the different islands

Visitors around Lake Bunyonyi can go for guided motorised or non-motorised canoe boats to the different 29 islands that done the lake, learning about their history. These include the punishment island which stands out the most, Bwama Islands and many others. You will learn about a British missionary who founded a leper hospital in 1921 which is now converted into a school on the island

Relaxation

Lake Bunyonyi is a very cool place with cool weather and is perfect for a weekend getaway relaxation and it is also a perfect place after your gorilla tracking adventure or safari.

Bird watching

Lake Bunyonyi means a lake of many little birds. It is a bird watcher’s paradise and is home to about 200 bird species which can be seen on some of our bird watching safaris Some of the birds to look out for include grey-crowned cranes, red-chested sunbirds and many flycatchers.

Swimming

Although Lake Bunyonyi is about 900 meters in depth, experienced swimmers can take a dip in this beautiful lake. The lake is bilharzia free and does not have crocodiles and hippos making it perfect for swimming.

Village Walks

Village walks in Lake Bunyonyi are a perfect opportunity to learn about the local people and their ways of life. Take a guided walk to one of the surrounding hills, taking in the beautiful terraced hills or even visit a local school and interact with children.

Delight in spectacular sunsets

Enjoy the beautiful sunsets in the evenings when the sun rays reflect beautiful on the lake, taking post card perfect photos of this stunning lake

Visit the traditional healer

Take a 20-minute boat trip to Sam Mulisa’s hut, a traditional healer. You will spend two hours with him, learning from him about traditional medicine practices. You will also learn about his home turned traditional clinic

Guided visit to the local market at Rutindo

Every Friday and Monday, there is a local open market at Rutindo land site. That visitors in Lake Bunyonyi can visit. This is a great way to interact with the local people learning about how they ‘do’ business and farm their produce

There are interesting interactions to be had with the locals, and one such example is connecting with the people at a local market that happens every Friday and Monday at the Rutindo landing site.

Meet the Batwa – pygmy people

Visit the batwa people and learn about their history and cultures. They also perform their traditional dance which you can participate in.

Accommodations in Lake Bunyonyi

There are different accommodations for every budget in and around Lake Bunyonyi and below is the outline of some of them
Luxury – Birdnest Lake Bunyonyi
Mid-range – Arcadia cottages Lake Bunyonyi
Budget – Crater Bay cottages

How to get to Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi accessed from Entebbe and Kampala on a 7 and 6 hours road trip. Respectively to Kabale town and 8km from Kabale Town on a murrum road to Lake Bunyonyi.

The lake easily accessible from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park

Also accessed from Rwanda, and this takes about 3 hours

Suggested itineraries to Lake Bunyonyi

• 4 Days Lake Bunyonyi safari Combined with Gorilla Tracking