Lake bunyonyi

I've realised I haven't written about a trip we took ages ago, in May, to a place called Lake Bunyonyi. It's about a 6 hour drive from Kagando, quite near the border with Rwanda and the gorillas. There were 9 of us in total as 5 new medical student had arrived that week and Jess and Becky were still there. We left after ward round on the Friday and had a long and bumpy drive down on the nursing school minibus which we'd hired. The scenery was amazing though and we spent most of the journey gazing out the window. FIrst we went through Queen Elizabeth National Park, which is flat savannah. We then climbed up into some hills which were really green and lush, with lots of different plants growing. It was fun to see all the food we eat growing. Then we passed lots of tea plantations. Most of the road was paved but there was a stretch for about an hour which was really bumpy and dusty. Lake Bunyonyi is about 20 kilometres from Kabale but between them is a massive hill which the minibus struggled up and we saw lots of vehicles being pushed! We then went back down again with amazing views of the lake. It's said to be the most beautiful lake in Uganda and we were told that after you've seen it you realised God must exist. I'm still not sold but it was incredibly beautiful!

We were staying on an island so we got canoes there. It was pretty hard going against the wind and our group (3 girls and a guide) had only 2 pairs of oars so we were very slow. On the plus side we got to rest a lot whilst the others had to row the whole way! We passed lots of islands and eventually got to ours. We stayed in a place called Byoona Amagara which is an Eco Lodge. We stayed in their geodomes which were huts with open fronts with amazing views of the lake. The showers were heated by solar power and had amazing views too but the loos were compost toilets and less pleasant! They don't have a generator so all the power comes from solar panels. The lake it quite high (over 2000 metres) and it got pretty cold in the evenings.

I stayed in a room with Jess and Emma which was fun. It was nice to have a big group and lots of different people to talk to. On the Saturday we went on a guided walk on the mainland. It was a really steep climb up but then we were rewarded with gorgeous views of the lake. Our guide told us stories about the islands. There's one tiny one which used to be used as a prison for girls who became pregnant out of wedlock. They were sent there with no food and it was too far to swim. Their only hope was to be rescued by a man who was too poor to afford to pay for a wife! Luckily that doesn't happen any more! When we got back we went for a swim in the lake. It's one of the only places in Uganda with no hippos or crocodiles and (probably) no schistosomiasis (bilharzia) so it's safe to swim. That evening we had a late meal (as the food arrives about 3 hours after you order it) and then the staff all came out and started dancing so we all joined in. It was very spontaneous and great fun.

We swam again the next day before opting for the lazy option and getting a motorized canoe back before our long journey home. It was a great weekend through and probably one of my favourite places in Uganda.