Wild Route Trips

Uganda

Lake Bunyonyi

A highland lake full of islands, 1 hour 30 from southern Bwindi

See the safaris

Why Bunyonyi

Lake Bunyonyi, an hour and a half
from the gorilla trailheads in southern Bwindi.

Bunyonyi is a long highland lake full of islands, at 1,973 metres and up to 40 metres deep. It sits about an hour and a half from Bwindi's southern trailheads, high enough to be cool at night.

Bunyonyi is for canoes, decks and walks along the shore. We stay out of the water: no health authority has declared the lake free of bilharzia, and the snails that carry bilharzia were recorded in the lake in 2023 and 2024.

People go out in a dugout between the islands, or sit on a deck and do nothing. It is about an hour and a half from Bwindi's southern trailheads.

The day after a gorilla trek is the right day for this. You will have walked hard, possibly for most of the day, and even one night here means you do not drive straight from the forest to the airport.

Need to know
Known forBirds along the shore
Best monthsYear round
Quietest monthsApril, May, November
Time neededOne or two nights
Getting thereAbout 1 hour 30 from Bwindi's southern trailheads
Altitude1,973 metres
Plan a trip here
Where to go

The places worth the drive

The islands, reached by dugout canoe

The islands

Reached by dugout or motorboat, each with its own history and most with a story attached.

A morning among them by dugout.

By canoe or dugout

Canoes between the islands

Paddle out from a jetty and between the islands.

We stay out of the water: bilharzia snails were recorded in the lake in 2023 and 2024.

Walking the shoreline

The terraces

Hillsides farmed in terraces down to the water, with paths between the villages.

Flat enough after Bwindi.

When to go

The year in Lake Bunyonyi

June to September

The long dry season

Firm trails, short grass and predictable roads. The busiest stretch of the year and the easiest walking.

Gorilla permits for these months sell out first, so they are booked before flights rather than after.

October and November

The short rains

Rain arrives in the afternoon and rarely lasts the day. Green country, few vehicles.

November carries the USD 600 gorilla permit. If your dates move, this is the best value in the calendar.

December to February

The second dry season

Hot and clear. Busy over Christmas and the new year, then quiet through January and February.

February is the driest month in the south and the strongest window for the Rwenzori.

March to May

The long rains

The wettest stretch. Harder underfoot, some northern tracks go difficult, a few lodges close.

April and May carry the USD 600 permit, birding peaks, and you will have the forest very nearly to yourself.

Before you go

What we tell everyone about Bunyonyi

01
Put it the day after the trek, not before. Before, it is a night in a nice place. After, it is the thing that lets you enjoy the last week.
02
At 1,973 metres it is genuinely cold at night. People pack for equatorial Africa and are caught out. Bring a layer.
03
Enjoy the water from a canoe, not a swim. The snails that carry bilharzia were recorded in the lake in 2023 and 2024, so we stay out of the water.
04
About an hour and a half from Bwindi's southern trailheads, so it slots into the drive back to Kigali without adding a day.
Plan a trip

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Every departure is private and built around your dates, so there is no schedule to fit into. Give us an approximate day and we check lodges and permits against it.
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