A walk around Lake Bunyonyi
The president Kigali Walkers Group Jean Nyamuninga (Left), the Netherlands Ambassador to Rwanda Feredrique De Man (2nd left), and the president Kabale Hashers Group Richard Shyaka (2nd right) walk around Lake Bunyonyi communities. PHOTOs BY ROBERT MUHEREZA
Early this month, a group of about 30 tourists from Rwanda under their Kigali Walkers Group joined Kabale Hashers for a 24Km -walk around Lake Bunyonyi and the neighbouring communities. The Kigali group was led by the Netherlands Ambassador to Rwanda, Feredrique De Man, and their group leader Jean Nyamuninga, while businessman Richard Shyaka led the Kabale group.
They walked from Kabale Town for about 2km before they diverted from the main road opting to climb the steep hills of Kamran One and Karan Two to Omukitenge then Acadia Cottages where they enjoyed an aerial view of the lake.
They had their lunch at Overland Resort, Bunyonyi after which they went for a boat ride.
The terrain around Lake Bunyonyi, the second deepest lake in Africa, comprises rugged hills and beautiful fauna.
More than 100 tourist camps operate on the lake that has about 30 Islands.
It’s also a major stopover for tourists heading for mountain gorilla tracking in Bwindi and Mghahinga national parks. Bunyonyi is located about 10Kms on a straight road from Kabale Town.
“I have enjoyed walking on this beautiful scenery. Community tourism should be promoted so that the local citizens can always appreciate the beauty of their neighbouring countries. I joined Kigali Walkers group because I like exercising besides appreciating the beautiful scenery of the landscape,” De Man said.
Haven of entertainment
Richard Shyaka, the president Kabale Hashers group, said the groups interacted with communities along the trail. Communities around Lake Bunyonyi have also organised themselves into dance groups and thus they stage traditional dances for tourists who pass by their areas.
Several handicraft shops have been established at the reception of different camp sites and fine art displays are staged near dining places and different corners where tourists sit to relax and view the different activities on the lake.
The Bukora community where iron smelting is the main activity is one of the main attractions.
Local household tools such as hoes, pangas, axes, slashers, knives, pins, spears and chains, among others are made in this community.
Other services offered to the local and foreign tourists around Lake Bunyonyi include bird watching, motor boat rides, canoeing and visiting the pygmies who always dance to entertain the guests and portray their culture.
For the love of exercise charity
According to Nyamuninga, Kigali Walkers group that has 52 members started in 1996 with a major objective of doing exercise.
As the group become stronger, they started raising funds to help the needy and sick. This was their first time to visit Uganda as a walking group.
The president Kabale Hashers group, Richard Shyaka, said his group started 15-years ago with a similar objective of doing exercise and later started raising funds for helping the needy and the sick.
The group has about 87 members and they plan to visit Kigali at the end of the year.
“We have regularly raised funds to support the Hornby School of the blind children in Kabale and supporting the admitted sick children at the children’s ward at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.
“As a way of promoting community tourism, we have an annual event of climbing Mt Muhavura in Kisoro and regularly visit to track the mountain gorillas in the Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks,” he said.
