Lake Mutanda is a small lake with fresh water in Uganda located in Kisoro district that borders the southern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. This lake is 900 meters deep and its width is 13km. It is approximately 570 km drive from Kampala. This lake is the second deepest in Uganda and it pours its waters in Lake Kivu on the borders Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
It is composed of 19 islands among which include, Kyangushu also known as the punishment island. This is the island where girls that got pregnant or got themselves into early marriage were brought by their fathers and brothers punished and abandoned them on this island. The girls were brought on this island with their hands and legs tied and starved to death, and some who attempted to swim back to the main land ended up drowning. The girls were punished because it was considered disgraceful for girls under age to get pregnant before marriage.
The other group of people punished from this island were the elderly members of the community that had no one to look after them and thus were looked at as a burden to the community so they decided to carry them with some food and taken to the island where they stayed and when the food got finished they starved to death. The most surprising and unforgettable thing about this island is that the remains of these people were not buried they were left on the main land that has made it so attractive for people to go and visit. The other island on this lake is the community island that is comprised of a small population that is really welcoming to those guests that go there to pay them a visit.
Lake Mutanda also gives a very clear view of the Virungas that is breathtaking at times especially at either sun rise or sunset. The Virunga ranges is made up Mt. Sabinyo meaning the old man’s teeth that was named so due to the fact that it’s top is formed in shape of a man’s teeth this is the only volcano that is shared among three countries that is Uganda, Rwanda and Congo, the other is Nyiragongo found in Congo, Mgahinga that is found within Mganhinga National Park most known for the golden monkeys and some few gorillas this is found in Uganda the other is Muhavura. Tourists can who enjoy hiking can always organize to hike one of these mountains on the Virunga.
Hiking around the lake is some other activity that can be carried out and it also gives a clear view if the different island it is also during this activity that one can get a chance to interact with the members of the community and tell you the most interesting stories about their culture.
A boat cruise on Lake Mutanda is another visit with breathtaking view of the different islands; it also gives an opportunity of seeing different bird species along the shores of the lake, unfortunately there are no big animal species like the hippos on this lake.
While on a gorilla safari in Southern Bwindi or Mgahinga National Park, you can choose to stay near the Lake Mutanda. There are various nice lodges around Lake Mutanda. Apart from tourists who stay for gorilla tracking in the nearby gorilla families of Bwindi and Mgahinga, tourists can also enjoy relaxed stays as the area is far away from the major roads and township coupled with the stunning views around the lake.
Various lodges are situated around the lake just to enable to facilitate tourists who go to have a view of this beautiful lake and probably want to carry out some activities among the accommodation that are situated around the lake include, Chameleon hill lodge, Lake Mutanda Resort, Gorilla valley lodge, Mutanda eco camps.
