Lake Bunyonyi
Visit Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale: The second deepest lake in Africa on Safari with Real Great Apes Safaris Ltd
Lake Bunyonyi, rivers and lakes of Uganda. Bunyonyi is the relatively small lake in the far Southwestern corner of the country , just opposite the similar sized Lake Burera in Rwanda.
Lake Bunyonyi (“Place of many little birds”) lies in South Western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale close to the border with Rwanda . Located at 1,962m above sea level, it is about 25km long and 7km wide. T he depth of the lake is rumored to vary between 44m and 900m, which if true would make the the lake the second deepest in Africa. It is one of the few lakes in the region that is free of Bilharzia and safe for swimming. The Lake appears on the 5000 Ugandan shilling note under the little “Lake Bunyonyi and Terraces’.
Towns on its shores include Kyevu and Muko, while its 29 Islands include Punishment Island and Bushara Island. It is popular location for watersports and is known for the surrounding terraced hillsides. It is popular with both foreign and domestic tourists and there are a wide variety of tourist accommodations.
Geography of Lake Bunyonyi.
Lake Bunyonyi is a body of water seven kilometers west from Kabale Town, Southwestern Uganda. It is 25km long and 7km wide, covering an area of 61 square kilometers. The lake’s altitude is 1,950m, and it is surrounded by hills that are 2,200 to 2,478m high and intensely cultivated.
Its 29 Islands are concentrated in the central part. These Islands have few settlements; they are mostly used for tourist facilities and for a secondary and primary school.
The data on the Lake’s maximum depth varies, from 44m to 900m in parts. If the latter is true, Lake Bunyonyi is the second deepest Lake in Africa. The temperature on the surface rises to 25 degrees Celsius. In the beginning of the 20th century, fish were introduced to the Lake and in the 1930s fishing became profitable. Unfortunately in the 1960s the fish died massively as a result of a violent shallow mixing, likely caused by wind. Subsistence fishing prevailed in the Lake, people mostly caught clarias species the Lake‘s depth and stratification makes it difficult for the breeding of the common Ugandan species Nile Perch and Tilapia. Nevertheless, 300000 Nile Tilapias and Clarias fish were released in the Lake at the end of 2002. Also present in the Lake are Mud fish, Clay fish and Mirrowcarp- and plenty of their predators, Otters.
The Lake’s main centre is Bufuka Village. The area’s inhabitants are from the Bakiga and the Batwa tribes.Very enjoyable…….