3 DAY LAKE BUNYONYI

Lake Bunyonyi is a seven-hour drive from Kampala, so our first day was mainly travel. We left Kampala at 6 am in order to beat traffic. Although we had the best intentions to arrive at our hotel by midday, we had a lot of hiccups on our departure day. There was a huge rainstorm as we left Kampala, which slowed our travel time. One of the bridges on our travel route also had unexpected damage, so we had to backtrack and reroute, thus adding an extra hundred kilometers or so and a few hours onto our drive. Nonetheless, we arrived at Lake Bunyonyi, and our wonderful hotel staff was waiting at the docks with their speed boat. We were able to make it to the hotel and get settled in before sunset. After we got acquainted with the hotel staff, the lodge, and laid horizontal for a few minutes after our long journey, we headed to the restaurant. Lake Bunyonyi is known as the “Lake of the Little Birds”, and it truly lives up to that name. From the restaurant at our lodge, we were greeted immediately by a pair of Crested Cranes who nest only a few meters from the veranda. As we ate our delicious dinner, we were also visited by a number of small birds, including different species of weavers and bee-eaters. Where to Stay In Lake Bunyonyi There are a number of places to stay around Lake Bunyonyi, as well as on some of the islands in the lake. We chose to stay at Paradise Eco Hub on Itambira Island. Paradise Eco Hub came highly recommended to us by some friends, and it did not disappoint! For starters, the views were incredible. We had a 360° of Lake Bunyonyi from the veranda of the restaurant, and stunning views from our bed each morning. There is practically zero light or noise pollution in this area, which only added to the high-quality rest and relaxation. There were renovations going on when we visited, so accommodation options were limited at the time. We were able to snag the King’s Nest Cottage for $50 per night. This was an absolute dream for us. Our cottage was on the outskirts of the other rooms and had a private locking gate. The main cottage had a king-size bed, desk, wardrobe, and chairs inside, as well as a relaxing set of chairs on our veranda. There was also a huge bathroom adjacent to the main cottage with a toilet, shower, and bathtub. Because we were so secluded, we slept with our doors open during our stay. How could we resist not waking up to this view! Our favorite part of this room was staying in bed to watch the sunrise above the hills each morning. Something else that we loved about our choice to stay at Paradise Eco Hub was their commitment to the environment and their community. We learned a lot about their initiatives over the course of our stay. All proceeds from Paradise Eco-Hub initiatives assist local communities through activities like savings and credit strategies, forestry and agriculture training, scholarships, craft development, entrepreneurship, and health education.

Lake Bunyonyi Day 2 The second day of our trip was a perfect balance of relaxation and activities. When we finally made our way out of bed we headed to the restaurant for breakfast. Like our experience at dinner, we were met by many different species of birds. After breakfast, we took time to walk around Itambira Island. We were able to learn more about some of the projects and initiatives that Paradise Eco Hub is doing and enjoy sitting on one of their docks taking in all of Lake Bunyonyi’s beauty and silence, sans the chorus of bird songs. By midday, we were ready to get out on the water. We had one of the Paradise staff join us in the local dugout canoes and made our way out to the water. As we rowed through the mirror-like lake, Cyrus, our dear staff guide shared a lot about the history of Lake Bunyonyi, local culture, challenges in the community, and pointed out structures, trees, birds, and animals we might not have seen otherwise. We made our way past schools, the health centre, Zebra Island, and Punishment Island. Punishment Island at one point in history is where young, unmarried girls who had become pregnant were left to die. After our arms had become tired from hours of rowing our canoe, we made it back to Paradise Eco Hub. We joined another staff member out on the dock to try our hand at fishing. We were really looking forward to getting our hands (and stomachs) on some crayfish while visiting Lake Bunyonyi. Crawfish are not native to Uganda. In the 1970s while then-President Idi Amin was in power, he brought Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish to Lake Bunyonyi. The crayfish have thrived in the environment and are now the dominant species in the lake. You won’t find this culinary treat anywhere else in Uganda, so we highly recommend trying it during your visit.

Lake Bunyonyi Day 3 Our last day at Lake Bunyonyi was similar to our first day. We woke up early and headed to the restaurant for our last breakfast with the birds and breathtaking views. Once breakfast was finished we packed our bags and made our way to the dock. Our speedboat ride through the islands back to the shore of Lake Bunyonyi was quite crisp so early in the morning. We tried to take in as much of the landscape and tranquility as we could. As we reached the shore we were greeted by the tour operator from Northern Nature Safaris. It was a beautiful drive back to Kabale town winding through the hills and watching the fog lift above the lake. Unlike our journey to Lake Bunyonyi, we had excellent timing back to Kampala. We were able to take the direct route back to the capital now that the bridge was repaired. The weather was also much more pleasant on our drive back. We also stopped in Masaka to get the obligatory photos on the Equator. What to Pack for You Lake Bunyonyi Adventure Now that you’ve decided to make your way to Lake Bunyonyi, you’re probably wondering what to pack. We definitely over packed for our trip, so here are our recommendations if you don’t want to make the same mistake: Warm clothing. While Lake Bunyonyi isn’t the coldest place on Earth, it definitely gets chilly in the evenings and early morning. We were happy to have a sweater and long sleeve shirt to layer when we felt cold. You’ll also appreciate the extra layer while on the speedboat. Sunscreen. Don’t let the cooler weather and clouds fool you. The sun still managed to come out throughout our entire trip. Sunscreen (and a long sleeve shirt) will save your skin, especially if you plan to spend time in Lake Bunyonyi canoeing, walking, or swimming. Swimsuit. If you plan to swim in any open water in Uganda, Lake Bunyonyi is your best option. As the second deepest lake in Africa, Lake Bunyonyi also has bragging rights of being free of hippos, crocodiles, and bilharzia. Camera or binoculars. “The Lake of the Little Birds” lives up to its name. If you’re a birding fan you will definitely want to bring along something to get a closer look and capture the remarkable 200 plus species of birds that call Lake Bunyonyi home.