LAKE BUNYONYI
Lake Bunyonyi is said to vary between 44m to 900m deep, this
makes it the second deepest lake in Africa situated in South Western Uganda
between Kisoro and Kabale. The name Lake Bunyonyi
is borrowed from a Rukiga word which literally means "small birds" hence Lake Bunyonyi becomes a destination for birds. The lake appears on the 5,000 Ugandan shilling notes under
the title "Lake Bunyonyi and terraces". It is suitable for water
sports like swimming, water aerobics, triathlon, rescue swimming, etc.
Lake Bunyonyi has towns on its shore like Kyevu and Muko its
main centre Bufuka village commonly inhabited by Bakiga and Batwa tribes. Lake
Bunyonyi has 29 islands concentrated in the central part used mainly for
tourist facilities, and for community development i.e. secondary and primary
schools though most islands have limited settlement; like Akampene Punishment Island said
that Bakiga used to leave unmarried pregnant girls on this small island with a
lone tree - to die of hunger or while trying to swim to the mainland (swimming
skills were rare). This was to educate the rest, to show them not to do the
same. A man without cows to pay the bride wealth could go to the island and
pick up a girl. The practice got abandoned in the first half of the 20th century.
Although this practice has been abandoned, it is still possible to find women
who were picked up from Punishment Island today. Other islands include Bushara,
Kyahugye Island, Bwama, Njuyeera (Sharp's Island), and Bucuranuka islands among
others.
There are also a number of various accommodation facilities at Lake Bunyonyi during your Uganda-Rwanda safari ranging from luxury to budget like Lake Bunyonyi Safari Lodge, Acardia cottages, Supreme Adventure park etc. some of which offer
other services like bar and restaurant, among others.
No comments:
Post a Comment