Crayfish from Lake Bunyonyi

In south western Uganda between Kibale and Kisori lies one of the deepest lakes in Africa, Lake Bunyonyi.  Its name means "the place of many little birds".  It doesn't take long to realize that this a suitable name for the place, however it was not the birds that got us excited about our visit there, but something that lives in the lake.  Lake Bunyonyi is one of the few places in Uganda where freshwater crayfish live.

We took the opportunity to enjoy the local fare and after visiting a fisherman we had a bucket full of live crayfish who were headed straight for a large steaming pot.  After cooking them, we piled them on some newspaper and began peeling and eating.  Their meat was so tender and delicious and during the gourmet experience, there was very little conversation between us.  Those little morsels of freshwater crayfish meat were a highlight and we know exactly what we will be dining on during our next visit to Lake Bunyonyi.

An Epic Road Trip Concludes

After 21 days on the road and approximately 3000 km/1865 miles travelled, our epic journey through Uganda and Rwanda has concluded.  We have seen a vast amount which has created long lasting memories.  As with any journey, naturally there are highlights, here are a few.

	Tracking Mountain Gorillas The opportunity to come face to face with a group of mountain gorillas in their natural habitat is simply magical.  It is difficult to describe what a special experience it is and we will never forget the time that we spent with the Susa group in the Virunga Mountain Range of Rwanda.
	Tree Climbing Lions of Ishasha It has long been a dream to see the tree climbing lions of Ishasha.  We had plans to visit 4 years ago but had to cancel due to instability in the nearby Democratic Republic of Congo resulting in the area being considered unsafe to visit.  We were excited to visit the area on this trip and on our second day in the Ishasha sector of QENP we rounded a corner to see 2 lionesses draped in a large fig tree, we were so happy to realize a dream!
	Lake Kivu A previously unknown part of the world to us, Lake Kivu is an impressive place.  The lake lies in the East Albertine Rift Valley and is surrounded by mountains.  The area is very peaceful, relaxing and is a perfect place to chill out and unwind while gazing across to the Democratic Republic of Congo while wondering what mysteries it holds.
	Ugandan Back-Roads We used to spend our weekends in Canada discovering back-roads and 4x4 tracks.  We prefer the road less travelled and getting off the highways so winding through the mountains of Uganda from Buhoma to Lake Bunyonyi was an experience to remember.
	Lake Bunyonyi Crayfish Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest crater lake in Uganda and is known for it's freshwater crayfish.  We bought a bucket full of live crayfish from a local fisherman and cooked them up at our camp.  We feasted on the local delicacy, peeling and eating every morsel of their delicious meat.

Buhoma to Lake Bunyonyi through the Mountains

Two days ago we left Buhoma situated in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and drove south with Lake Bunyonyi as our intended destination.  From Buhoma we travelled north for a short distance to Kanyantorogo and then turned in a southern direction to Kanugu.  That's were  the real adventure began as we
bumbled up steep hillsides and wound our way through the mountains reaching a maximum height of 7250 feet (2009 metres).  The scenery was breathtaking.  The one side of the the track dropped hundreds of feet down to small villages, terraced farms and people going about their daily lives in the fields and around their homes. We crossed over streams and drove through the Mafuga Forest Reserve, a plantain forest of pine trees.  The road was at times a little tricky to negotiate but with patience, expertise and a Land Rover it was possible.

During one portion of the journey we passed many people on the road all travelling in the same direction.  A few kilometres on we found out where they were headed.  A remote village was having a market day, the vendors had their goods spread out on either side of the road and eager shoppers were spilling out onto the narrow road.  We had to pass through the buzzing crowd, many of whom had travelled great distances on foot to get there extremely slowly not to hit anyone or anything.  Even in the remote hills of Uganda, Christmas was in the air!

Naturally we started to descend and wound our way down to the main highway.  We didn't stay on that for long before turning onto a lakeside road at the northern tip of Lake Bunyonyi.  The road was extremely narrow and we wondered what we would do if we met another car somewhere along the 21km journey, thankfully we never did.

Lake Bunyonyi

Lake Buyonyi is Uganda's deepest lake at 2950+ feet (900+ metres) deep and the landscape around the lake is indicative of it's depth with steep slopes protruding from the water. We reached the Lake Bunyonyi Overland Resort and set up our camp right on the waters edge.  It is a peaceful location to relax and watch the world go by and is abundant with bird life and local fisherman paddling around in their dugout canoes.  The lake is home to freshwater crayfish, so last night we feasted on the local fare...delicious!  Lake Bunyonyi is a stunning place indeed.  It is our last night here and we both wish we could stay longer but tomorrow a new adventure begins as we cross the border into Rwanda.