Lake Bunyonyi
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Lake Bunyonyi ("Place of many little birds") lies in south western Uganda between Kisoro and Kabale close to the border with Rwanda. Located at 1962m above sea level, it is about 25 km long and 7km long. The depth of the lake is rumored to vary between 44m and 900m, which if true would make 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 title "lake bunyonyi and terraces".
Towns on it shores include Kyevu and Muko, while its 29 islands include Punishment Island and Bushara Island. It is a 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.
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[edit] Geography
Lake Bunyonyi is a body of water seven kilometres west from Kabale Town, southwestern Uganda. It is 25 km long and 7 km wide, covering an area of 6,100 hectares. The lake's altitude is 1,950 m, and it is surrounded by hills that are 2,200 to 2,478 m 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 a primary school.
The data on the lake's maximum depth varies, from 44 m to 900 m 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, 300,000 Nile Tilapias and Clarias fish were released in the lake at the end of 2002. Also present in the lake are Mud fish, Cray fish and Mirrowcarp - and plenty of their predators, otters.
Over 200 bird species have been recorded here. "Bunyonyi" actually means "the place of many little birds"
Lake Bunyonyi is one of the few African lakes completely safe for swimming - there is no bilharzia.
The lake's main centre is Bufuka Village. The area's inhabitants are from the Bakiga and the Batwa tribes.
[edit] Main islands
[edit] Akampene = Punishment Island
The Bakiga used to leave unmarried pregnant girls on this small island with a 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 bridewealth could go to the island and pick up the girl. The practice got abandoned in the first half of the 20th century.
[edit] Bushara Island
This island is the home of Lake Bunyonyi Development Company, an organisation with strong links to Church of Uganda, the main church of the lake area. They use tourism to generate funds for several development projects around Bunyonyi.
The striking feature of the island is its forest, a demonstration of the most appealing attribute of the eucalyptus tree: an exceptionally fast growth rate. The hills around Bunyonyi used to feature many forests but overpopulation led to them being cut down to create land for agriculture needs. Eucalypti have been imported to improve the situation. But eucalyptus plants may also have a negative effect: they can soak everything useful in the soil, leaving it more or less barren.
[edit] Bwama and Njuyeera (Sharp's Island)
In 1921, a Scottish missionary Dr Leonard Sharp came to this part of Uganda and some years later established a leprosy treatment centre on Bwama island. The villagers were sent away, a church and a medical facility were built, while Sharp settled on Njuyeera Island. Suspected cases were sent from entire East Africa, and at its peak the hospital had 5,000 patients. The goal was to isolate them and stop the disease from spreading. It was only in the 1980s when a drug for leprosy was issued that the patients were allowed to go.
The buildings of the hospital are now used by a boarding secondary school which attracts students from the entire region. There is also a primary school but no village on the island.
[edit] Bucuranuka = Upside Down
The legend says that this island killed many people. About twenty were once brewing local sorghum beer there. An old woman was passing by and she said: "Can you give me some local beer?" They wrongly though that she was a beggar they knew. They refused her: "Get lost, beggar! Get lost!!!" The old woman asked: "So you will not even give me a sip? Can I at least get somebody to take me to the mainland?" They answered: "Yes, because we are fed up with you!" They chose a young guy to take her over. When they reached the shore and the guy was just beginning to return, the island turned upside down. All died, only a chicken flew away and survived.
[edit] External links
- The Eye - An article about Lake Bunyonyi in 'The Eye' magazine from Uganda, which was written by Edirisa. Edirisa is an organization based in Bufuka and Kabale Town, 7 km from the lake.
- Travel Uganda guide
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