Tour overview

Safari Highlights: “tucked away in the Gorilla Highlands, it is a must visit destination”

Lake Bunyonyi – a scenic Crater Lake located in South Western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale near the Rwandan border and is positioned 450 Kilometers from Kampala. It takes 7 hours of drive from Kampala and a drive of 100 Kilometers (2 hours) from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The lake is believed to be the second deepest lake in Africa with varying length of between 44 metres s to 900 metres. Lake Bunyonyi surface is a fresh with 25 degrees Celsius thus bilhazia free and safe for swimming.

With 27 islands in it, the lake is surrounded by terraced hillsides and is a visitation darling of many foreign and domestic tourists. About 200 bird species have been recorded at the lake area since “Bunyonyi” also means “the place of many little birds”. The bird species include the White tailed Blue Monard, grey crowned cranes, the African Harrier Hawk, Herons and egrets, the Levillant cuckoo, the Cardinal Woodpecker and the Rufous-breasted wryneck. Weavers nesting on the Island, include the large golden, slender-billed Baglafetch, as well as the yellow-backed and spectacled weavers.

Included

  • All Meals and accommodation as per the itinerary
  • All ground transportation in a comfortable 4x4 vehicle.
  • Services of a full time English speaking driver/guide.
  • All Activities as mentioned in the itinerary

Not Included

  • Items of a personal nature such as Bar Bills, Phone calls etc.
  • Personal insurance (we can secure for you, please inquire on this)
  • Laundry
  • Accommodation, Dinners and other meals in Kampala
  • Activities or accommodations not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Air fare to and from Uganda
  • Tips and gratuity

Day 1-Travel from Kampala to Lake Bunyonyi

Have breakfast at your hotel in Kampala and then set off to Southwestern Uganda for the lifetime experience in Lake Bunyonyi. Along the way stop over at the equator and take enough photos and buy some souvenirs. Proceed to Mbarara town where you will have lunch before heading to Kabale. When you reach Kabale town, continue to Lake Bunyonyi the evening.

Check in at the lodge of your choice, have dinner and an overnight.

Day 2- Tour around Lake Bunyonyi (Canoe/boat cruise, bird watching, sightseeing and community walks)

There is beauty in knowing about a place but the true beauty is in getting to know about the people living there because these are the heartbeat of that place and who knows how life without them would be like. Check out the many settlements and get insights about the lifestyle and cultures of the locals who will probably be easy to identify by their kangas (multi-colored wear). What’s more, you can visit the Batwa, a tribe of pygmies who are the original inhabitants of the country. These survive on inviting tourists into their community because they are facing the consequences of dispossession of their land by the government to build the Echuya Forest Reserve. Here they get to perform traditional folk songs and dances for their guests.

Have an early breakfast, and then visit the Abaheesi and Batwa communities, interact with them; it is surely a good time spent here. Have lunch at the resort and in the evening have a boat cruise on the lake where you will get chance to view various birds, beautiful landscape including some of the 29 islands. If you don’t go for a boat cruise you could opt for cycling around the area. Return to the lodge, have dinner and have an overnight.

Day 3- Lake Bunyonyi/ Hiking and Nature walks/ Cultural Heritage and Historical beliefs

For the spectacular enthralling tranquil, the guide will lead you to explore through the highlands of Kigezi or even on the islands while on foot where you are sure to have yourself a stunning sight of the landscapes and a variety of wildlife like the zebras, monkeys, forest tree plantations and otters that can be spotted in the waters among others. You can also go hiking through the ancient Echuya Forest with an expert tour guide.

You cannot say you have been to Bunyonyi if you haven’t found your way to any of the black smith sites. Here, you can have souvenirs made for you by the gifted locals who use it as a way to earn a living. Also get a chance to see the way the locals make their farm equipment from the hoes to the machetes and many more. In addition, you can get to stopover at the Bakiga Cultural Museum, a replica of a complete Bakiga homestead built in 2002 by Festo Karwemera a known elder of Kabale and a famous fighter for the language and culture of the Bakiga. There is also a village called Bufuka where tourists are welcome to experience the cultures of the Bakiga and the Batwa. While there, they can get to join in on the proceedings of the locals like weaving, dancing and singing. There are also some shrines and local medicine men on the hills of Kagalama that will further reveal to detail more about the historical beliefs of the local people.

Day 4- Travel back to Kampala

Have breakfast, and have the last glance of the stunning landscape, have a drive to Kampala stopping in Mbarara town for lunch. You will arrive in Kampala in the evening which marks the end of your tour around the beautiful lake Bunyonyi