About 165 lakes, including freshwater lakes, crater lakes, and others, dot the Ugandan outdoors. They include some of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, along with the largest lakes in Uganda.
We countdown the top ten largest lakes in Uganda
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria takes the number one position as the largest lake in Africa. It’s also the largest tropical lake, and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, right after Lake Superior in North America.
It has a surface size of roughly 59,947 km2 (23,146 sq mi).
Lake Albert
Lake Albert is a lake that is situated in both Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For some time, it was known by the name Lake Mwitanzige and Lake Mobutu Sese Seko.
It is the second-largest lake in Uganda among the Great Lakes and the seventh-largest lake in the entire Africa. It has a maximum depth of 51 meters (167 feet), is around 160 kilometers (99 miles) long and 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide, and has a surface elevation of 619 meters (2,031 feet) above sea level.
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 Edward
One of the smaller Great Lakes of Africa is called Lake Edward or Lake Rutanzige. Its northern coast is a few kilometers south of the equator, and it is situated in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
At 920 meters (3,020 feet) above sea level, 77 kilometers (48 mi) long by 40 kilometers (25 mi) wide at its widest points, with a total surface area of 2,325 kilometers (898 sq mi), Lake Edward is the fifteenth-largest lake in the world.
Lake Kyoga
A big shallow lake with a surface size of around 1,720 km2 (660 sq mi) and an elevation of 1,033 meters, Lake Kyoga is one of the biggest lakes located in Uganda.
The lake’s maximum depth is 5.7 meters, however, most of it is not much deeper than that. Water lilies cover any areas that are less than 3 meters deep, and papyrus and the invasive water hyacinth cover a large portion of the swampy shoreline.
Lake Opeta
In Uganda, there is a lake called Lake Opeta that has a large wetland system. A Ramsar-listed wetland of international significance since 2006, Lake Opeta is one of Uganda’s 33 Important Bird Areas.
East of Kumi town in Uganda is where Lake Opeta and the surrounding marshes are situated. 68,913 hectares make up the Ramsar site, which is 1,000 meters above sea level.
The swamp is home to 160 different species in addition to Fox’s weaver, Uganda’s sole indigenous bird species, the globally threatened fragile shoebill, the near-threatened papyrus gonolek, and 160 other bird species.
Lake Kwania
In the Northern Region of Uganda, Lake Kwania is located in the districts of Lira, Apac, and Amolatar. Between Lake Victoria and Lake Albert, it is a piece of a vast wetland along the White Nile (Victoria Nile). 540 square kilometers (210 sq mi), or around 16 percent, of the open water, is covered by Lake Kwania.
Lake George
Although Lake George and Lake Dweru. Although is not regarded as a Great Lake, it is a part of Africa’s Great Lakes system and has a total surface size of 250 square kilometers (97 sq mi).
The Kazinga Channel connects Lake George’s southwest drainage to Lake Edward.
Lake Wamala
Uganda has a freshwater lake called Lake Wamala. Several bird and animal species, including the sitatunga, are found in its swamps.
This particular lake is significant to the Buganda people of central Uganda in terms of tradition and culture. About 250 square kilometers (97 sq mi) or so is taken up by Lake Wamala.
Lake Nabugabo
Being only 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the beaches of Lake Victoria, Lake Nabugabo is a satellite lake of that body of water.
Because of its significance to both people and animals, the area was selected as a Ramsar Site (protected area).
Kingfishers, Crested Cranes, Ross’ Turacos, and broad-billed rollers are among the frequent sights at the lake, making it a good location for birding safaris in Uganda.
Vervet monkeys, duikers, monitor lizards, squirrels, and other species are some of the creatures that inhabit the area around the lakes.
Conclusion
These large lakes in Uganda provide the best chances for bird watching, boating, nature walks, adventures, swimming, and safaris that are exclusive to Uganda. For the local population and Uganda, several of the lakes are quite important economically.
