Lake Mutanda, located in Southwestern Uganda with bits of beautiful scenery of the surrounding islands and terraced hills, cool breeze and calmness of the water makes it one of the attractions in Uganda that made the country to be dubbed the pearl of Africa. The lake is surrounded by numerous hills that give a bright view light and eye-catching moments with Rutshuru River which drain the lake into Lake Edward, north of Kisoro district.
The lake is believed to have formed by the river valleys long-dammed by volcanic eruptions. Due to volcanic eruptions that occurred in the southwestern part of Uganda, it blocked several rivers and one of them ended up forming Lake Mutanda. This lake can be visited on your safari to Bwindi impenetrable forest or Mgahinga National Park and can be easily joined with a safari in Rwanda.
There is a lot you can do while on your visit to Lake Mutanda and these include experiences in and around the lake;-
Canoeing.
This is done by use of locally made canoes or boats where visitors/tourists explore the beautiful lake to admire its resident flora and fauna. Tourists can visit over 10 different Islands that make up this lake. The experience can last for about 3 hours of pure adventure. This therefore is the main activity done on the lake and most tourists come specifically for this experience.
Bird watching.
The lake harbors amazing aquatic and mountain birds since it is located at the base of the giant Virunga volcanic massif. Birds to be encountered here may include pelicans, Kites, Hawks, African spoonbill and many others.
Swimming.
The lake is hippo, crocodile and bilharzia free and this means that swimming is possible and this is done mostly by visitors who go for a boat ride or canoeing on sunset.
Hiking.
Since the lake is surrounded by hills, hiking is possible. The Kashasha river hike from Buhoma to Nkuringo is one of the most common trails. This hike offers amazing views of all the eight Virunga Mountains and at the same time, different attractions are spotted like birds.
Mountain gorilla trekking.
Gorilla experiences can be arranged to either Bwindi or Mgahinga national parks and this requires a tourist to have a gorilla trekking permit. Here you will learn as you adventure in the beautiful forest and which also inhabits many other attractions. The whole experience takes about 2 to 8 hours and you have 98% chances of seeing the gorillas in their natural environment.
Rewind and Relax.
Lake Mutanda has interesting and attractive relaxing points where you will be able to spot different bird species as you enjoy the sunset. Also, these points give you a chance to see the locals traversing to their daily activities, as they head to the farmland to dig, carrying luggage on their head, and much more.
Fishing.
For tourists who like fishing, this is the way to go and adventure. Fishing experience will give you an option of roasting, frying or boiling the fish caught. This activity is mainly arranged by lodges around the lake to the tourists staying with them.
Mountain biking.
The terrain around the lake offers excellent site for this biking adventure. This activity can also be combined with canoeing. The bikes can be arranged by the tour operator or at the booked accommodation.
Batwa cultural experience.
This is a great way to visit one of the cultures in Kisoro District where you will learn a lot from this culture such as language, medicinal plants, be entertained from their traditional dances and music and support them as you purchase some handmade crafts like cups made from bamboos and other African souvenirs.
How to access Lake Mutanda?
The lake can be accessed from either Kampala – Uganda or Kigali -Rwanda. From Kampala, you can use either air or road. By road, you drive for over 8 hours passing through Masaka – Mbarara highway and then Kisoro. From Kisoro to Lake Mutanda you take only 30 minutes’ drive.
By air, charter flights are arranged from Kajjansi airfield to Kisoro airfield in Nyakabande.
From Kigali – Rwanda, road transport can be used with a journey taking only 3 hours covering a distance of about 130km.
Would you like to visit Lake Mutanda? We are here to advise you and book for you the best memorable experience in southern Uganda.
