Lake Bunyonyi /Uganda/

Unlike most lakes of the Gorilla Highlands region, Uganda’s Lake Bunyonyi is not a crater lake. It was formed 10,000 years ago when lava dammed a river, drowning an area of 61 square kilometres (24 square miles), with 29 islands protruding it.

Is Bunyonyi Second Deepest in Africa?

Not likely. Knowing that today’s islands are former mountain tops, one can mentally connect underwater ridges and come to a conclusion that it is unlikely that Lake Bunyonyi is “the second deepest in Africa”. Nobody can trace the source of this claim, repeated by local guides.

Old scientific documents talk about 44m (144ft) as Bunyonyi’s maximum depth but it is likely that has increased over time. Namely, the river is still flooding the valleys, as it has been for thousands of years.

Lake Bunyonyi’s Birds & Fish

“Bunyonyi” means “the place of many little birds” and over 200 bird species have indeed been recorded here. That number, however, doesn’t make it a particularly unique destination in a region where double that number is not unheard of.

At the beginning of the 20th century fish were introduced but massively died in the 1960s, perhaps as a result of a volcanic gas emission. Present today are crayfish, mud fish and mirror carp — and their predators, otters.

More recent restocking attempts have led to locals trying serious fishing, to no avail. But children do have fun catching little fish, pulling staples out of their notebooks to make improvised hooks.

How Safe is Bunyonyi?

There’s an amusing story about hippos visiting Lake Bunyonyi this millennium and there was something similar taking place in the 1980s. Outside of that, Bunyonyi is completely hippo- and crocodile-free.

Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is not a threat but low water temperature can be — although it can reach 25℃/77℉ on the surface, it is recommended you enter the lake gradually on hot days to avoid cold water shock drowning.

Lake Bunyonyi’s Major Islands

Lake Bunyonyi has a great number of islands: 29. Some of their histories:

• Akampene (Punishment Island): Until the 1940s, unmarried pregnant women were left here to starve to death or drown trying to swim to the shore; they were often saved by poor men or slaves who could not afford the regular bride price.

• Bwama: In 1914 it was an anti-colonial rebel base of a famous leader, Katuregye. In 1921, Dr. Leonard Sharp, a missionary, founded a leprosy hospital here.
• Njuyeera (Sharp’s Island): Dr. Sharp’s family lived on this island when he was not on duty in Kabale Hospital and converted it into a gorgeous botanical garden with a tennis court, boat house, guest cottage and windmill.