Lake Bunyonyi is a natural lake located in south-western Uganda, close to the border with Rwanda. The lake is situated between Kisoro and Kabale and is the largest of the lakes in the far south-western tip of Uganda. The name "Bunyonyi means "Place of many little birds" in the local language and it's widely considered an area of great natural beauty and a 'must visit' place to visit if travelling in western and southern Uganda.
On these pages we share with you all about lake Bunyonyi, things to do around the lake, Lake Bunyonyi accommodation and resorts and how you can get involved in the community.
The lake itself is surrounded by mountains that reach heights of 1970 feet above the lake that was formed about 18,000 years ago by a volcanic eruption blocking a valley in the Ruchiga mountains near the present-day village of Muko on the north-west tip of the lake. The blocking of the River Kabaga effectively created a dam and the waters from the river then filled the valley to form the lake we see today. The lake's current outlet is a small stream by Muko which flows into the Ruvuma swamp. The lake is about sixteen miles long and just over three miles wide at its widest and at a height of about 6,470 feet.
Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest lake in Africa and has a maximum depth of 40 m (130 ft although some claim it's actually 900m (3,000 ft) deep but that's never been proved. The lake has 29 islands, including Punishment Island and Bushara Island, a few of which are inhabited and some turned over to tourism, particularly Eco Island. The Bakiga used to leave unmarried pregnant girls on Punishment Island to die of hunger or while trying to swim to the mainland. This was to intimidate the rest, to show them not to do the same but a man without cows to pay the bride price could go to the island and pick up a girl although this practice was abandoned in the first half of the 20th century.
Lake Bunyonyi is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of activities such as safaris, tours, and cultural attractions. The lake is encircled by steep terraced hillsides and surrounded by wildlife and probably the best time to visit is during the dry season, which runs from June to August and December to February. If you know of other tourist attractions in or around Lake Bunyonyi get in touch and let us know using our contact form to we can update this travel guide.
