5 Best Popular Lakes in Uganda
Being located in the Great Rift Valley region, Uganda is no exception to having great lakes. We have amazing lakes in Uganda with record-breaking facts such as Lake Victoria and Lake Bunyonyi.
The African Great Lakes region includes Kenya, D R Congo, Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania. All these countries are located along the Great Rift Valley, which stretches from Israel all down to Malawi.
Not only lakes, but The African Great Lakes region has some of the highest mountains in Africa and the world too. These include Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya.
In any safari in Uganda, most itineraries include a visit to one or two lakes in Uganda. Lakes make up a big part of the heritage and beauty of Uganda.
Top Popular Lakes in Uganda
Lake Victoria
It is the largest lake in Africa and the second largest freshwater lake in the world at 68,800 sq km of area and 1100m above sea level it is shared by three main East African countries Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In Uganda, it is found in the Eastern Side of Uganda.
Lake Victoria harbors lots of beaches and resorts where travelers and guests go for swimming, sunbathing, relaxing, partying, holding picnics, and also have a retreat in their preferred accommodation.
Fishing is also undertaken at Lake Victoria where visitors have an opportunity to dine on a Nile perch which is one of the most delicious fish one can ever eat. On this lake in Jinja, there is the source of the Nile the longest river in the world. There is a rich history to visualize while at the source of the Nile.
It’s one of the economic resources of all three countries, where locals go and fish different types and species of fish. As an economic resource, it provides local means of transport through water between Kenya Tanzania, and Uganda.
Lake Bunyonyi
Between Kisoro and Kabale in southwest Uganda, Lake Bunyonyi—also known as the “Place of Many Little Birds”—is close to the Rwandan border.
Some pieces show that Lake Bunyonyi is significantly deeper, at roughly 900 m (3,000 ft), which would make it the second-deepest lake in Africa, research often quotes a maximum depth of 40 m (130 ft).
Lake Bunyonyi is one of Africa’s safest lakes. There are no crocodiles or hippos, and no bilharzia danger exists in Lake Bunyonyi. The word Bunyonyi in Buganda means “place of the small birds,” and the lake is home to approximately 200 different bird species.
It’s an excellent place to watch weaver colonies, and the nearby marshlands are home to a wide range of water birds. The crowned crane, herons, and egrets are larger favorites.
There is also a diverse assortment of aquatic species in the lake, including the African clawless otter and the spotted-necked otter.
Swimming is an excellent approach to explore and become immersed in the surroundings.
Alternatively, you can visit some of the 29 islands that Bunyonyi encompasses. In a dugout canoe, glide over the shimmering rivers and take in the breathtaking surroundings.
Lake Albert
It is another of Uganda’s lakes that was named after the British Royalty on discovery in1864 by Sir Samuel Baker. The waters of this rift valley lake extend to the borders of DR Congo from western Uganda as the upper Nile (Victoria Nile) continues on its course.
Today, the lake basin is famous for its recent oil and Gas explorations in Uganda. Off the route on Lake Albert are spectacles like Murchison Falls and many small rivers that feed the lake and the surrounding swamp. Besides the oil exploration on the lake’s shore, the lake is a good fishing ground.
Ndali-Kasienda Crater lakes
These lakes are believed to be a result of volcanic activity that occurred in southwest Uganda some 100,000 years ago. The extensive lake has more than 50 smaller lakes and water streams that flood in the course of the rainy season. The surrounding area boasts sights of monkeys, butterflies, birds, and fishing activities.
The Lake Edward and Lake George
Lake Edward is shared by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is located on their respective borders.
Lake Edward is the smallest of Africa’s Great Lakes, with its northern coast only a few kilometers south of the equator. The Kazinga Channel, which is 32 kilometers long, drains Lake George into Lake Edward. Boat tours on the Kazinga Channel are a popular activity at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The lake was named after Prince Albert Edward, the son of Queen Victoria, by the British explorer Henry Morton Stanley in 1888. However, the lake was named after Ugandan tyrant Idi Amin in 1973. After Amin’s fall in 1979, the old name was reintroduced.
Lake George is smaller (250sq km) shallow and lined by swamps. It’s silted, and the silt washing down from the Rwenzori threatens its existence as it’s no more than 2.4m The two are connected by the 40km Kazinga Channel which is a meandering silver strand that runs right through Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Lake Kyoga
It is not elongated but has the most distinct features of any lake in Uganda. It undulates greatly from the bulk of the lake and recedes, undulates again and recedes, and then finally undulates and recedes. Its three offshoots are almost tentacle-like.
Apart from the beautiful sight it affords, and watching the fishermen bring in the catch, it’s near Bugondo Forest Reserve. How about killing two birds with one stone? Figuratively speaking of course!
Bonus Tips
Spectacular waterfalls occur at Murchison (Kabalega) Falls on the Victoria Nile River just east of Lake Albert. At the narrowest point on the falls, the waters of the Nile pass through an opening barely seven meters wide. One of the tributaries of the Albert Nile, the Zoka River, drains the northwestern corner of Uganda, a region still popularly known as the West Nile although that name was not officially recognized in 1989.
Other major rivers include the Achwa River (called the Aswa in Sudan) in the north, the Pager River and the Dopeth-Okok River in the northeast, and the Mpologoma River, which drains into Lake Kyoga from the southeast.
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