Crayfish Avocado at Byoona Amagara, Lake Bunyonyi, Uganda

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Getting to Byoona Amagara by dugout canoe

We really enjoyed Rwanda in spite of the Genocide Remembrance preoccupying the nation.  Although we'd have liked to stay and discover more of its countryside, we felt it was time to move on and to catch up on some R & R! When we had been in Musanze in the north of Rwanda, we fleetingly met another travelling couple (The Lukes from Canada) who gave us some quick tips for our next country - Uganda, and we were eager to explore their recommendations. Martin had been looking forward to Uganda, as we had heard many great things.

It was a soggy day for crossing the border, but a very happy official greeting us on the other side made for an anxiety-free experience. Another bus and a moto taxi and we were at beautiful Lake Bunyonyi. But not yet done, the final leg was a relaxing one-hour paddle in a dugout canoe to one of the 28 islands on the lake. Arriving just before

Restaurant View

sunset the water was glassy and flat, and the surrounding hills rose up from the water in a patchwork pattern of cultivated and terraced fields - brown and greens abound! It was a beautiful and peaceful  paddle - a great way to unwind from the travel day.

And what a place we arrived at!  Byoona Amagara Lodge, on Itambira Island, is a community-run place, with all proceeds going to benefit the locals in the area.  We can easily support that initiative, but even easier once we tasted some of the delicious food, and looked at the amazing accommodation - all reasonably priced!

We camped for the first four nights and then decided to treat ourselves to a Geodome. The geodome

Terraced Fields Lining Lake Bunyonyi

was a round hut constructed with local building materials of bamboo and palm grasses, but with a twist. With a  fly net over the bed to keep yukky bugs out, the front of the hut was wide open to the elements.  Very cool.  The wide deck was perfect for just sitting and looking at the beautiful scenery and bird watching: iridescent ibis, flitting weavers and dive-bombing kingfishers amongst  the lakeshore reeds.  All of the Geodomes had amazing lake views, and plenty of privacy to relax.  We even spotted three of the local lake otters from our deck.

When it rained the main restaurant area was perfect for reading or playing Carcassonne.  And eating! The food was delish. The crayfish avocado was so yummy we had it about six times each that week.

Delicious Crayfish Avocado

It was half an avocado, filled with local crayfish (like tiny lobsters) tails in a tasty tomato mayonnaise sauce.  The huge fish burritos filled with local tilapia fish, beans, onions and lots of cheese, were tasty and exceptionally filling.  There was also a steady stream of visitors staying, so we had some good social evenings chatting with other travellers or volunteers.  The staff main staff were very friendly and knowledgable.  Both Clinton and Friday, who take turns running the place, were very active in the community and had a couple of projects running to supply the villages with goats and potatoes (seeds).

Thankfully the weather was mostly dry and after a few days of absolute relaxing, we rented a canoe and visited close-by islands. We found other 'resorts' that weren't as nice and rustic, or imaginative, or

John and his Crayfish catch

even as cheap as ours! We'd walk our island and meet all sorts of characters. One, Gerard, had an irritating knack of always finding you and wanting to be your 'guide'. Another, John, a crayfish fisherman, was gentle and sweet; he was saving up to buy a cow and a goat so that he could marry his girlfriend. He showed us his crayfish traps, and his catch of the day.  We bought things from his shop and asked him to guide our canoe paddle back to the mainland when we moved on. Anything to help him. We were also sad that we would not be staying for the weekend, as one of the local babies named Kevin was being christened and they were having a party for the community.
Eventually we had to face the fact that we had to leave and we were sad to leave this perfect spot. *Mush

Our GeoDome accommodation

Interior of Geodome