Lake Bunyonyi is a body of water 7km west of Kabale town southern Uganda It is 25km long and 7km wide, covering an area of 61 sq km. the lake altitude is 1,950m to 2,478m high and intensely cultivated. Its 29 islands are concentrated in the central part, these islands have little settlement, and they are mostly used for tourist facilities and primary and secondary schools.
The data on the lake’s maximum depth varies from 44m to 900m in part. If the letter is true, Lake Bunyonyi is the second-deepest lake in Africa. The temperature on the surface rose to 25 degrees Celsius, fish were introduced to the lake, and in 1930 fishing became profitable; unfortunately, in 1960 the fish died massively as a result of violent shallow mixing, caused by wind, and subsistence fishing prevailed in the lake. People primarily caught Clarkias species because of the lake’s depth and contentment, which makes it challenging for common Ugandan species like tilapia and Nile perch to reproduce. The lake’s main centre is Bufuka Village. The area’s inhabitants are from the Bakiga and Batwa tribes.
Punishment Island
On Punishment Island in Lake Bunyonyi, the Bakiga used to leave unmarried pregnant girls on this small island with an alone tree to die of hunger or while trying to swim to the mainland (swimming skills were rare). This was to educate the rest and show them not to do the same. A man without a cow to pay the bride’s price of wealth could go and pick up the girl, The first practice was abandoned in the first half of the 20th century, and although this practice has been abandoned, it’s still possible to find women who were picked up from Punishment Island today.
Bushara island
This island is the home of Lake Bunyonyi Development Company, an organisation with strong links to the Church of Uganda, the main church of the lake area, They use tourism to generate funds for several development projects around Bunyonyi, The island has many luxury tents, chalets, and it is also possible to rent out canoes and sailing boats to paddle to either island.
The striking feature of the island is the forest, The most appealing attribute of the Eucalyptus tree is its exceptionally fast growth rate, The hills around Bunyonyi used to feature many forests but overpopulation led to their being cut down to create land for agricultural needs. Eucalyptus has been imported to improve the situation, but Eucalyptus plants may have a negative effect; they can soak up every bit of usefulness in the soil, leaving it more or less barren.
