Lake Chahafi crater in Kisoro

Lake Chahafi crater in Kisoro – Top things to do and see in Kisoro town

Lake Chahafi crater in Kisoro – Like other smaller crater lakes in Kisoro, Lake Chahafi remains largely unknown to the tourist world. It is one of the several crater lakes down in South Western Uganda in Kisoro district whose scenic view is simply breathtaking. It is the kind of experience you should hope to encounter when you wake up one morning in Uganda. When you visit the lake as a visitor, you will actually find solid reasons why a small Lake Chahafi perhaps deserves to be ranked along with the larger Bunyonyi and Mutanda on the list of lakes one has to put into consideration when planning an excursion to Kigezi region.

Kigezi was nicknamed “The Switzerland of Uganda” due to its rugged mountainous terrain and Mediterranean climate. Lake Chahafi crater in Kisoro  area is one of the most scenic in the kigezi area. The Lake has a twin to its eastern side known as Lake Kayumbu. Between these two lakes is a towering thread of a hill on which to stand on. This will give you an all-round breathtaking scenic view of several kilometers on all sides below. As you wake up to turn your eyes from Muhabura towards the opposite direction, the placid waters of a picturesque lake sprawling off between the high hills invites you to check out what is in progress in the morning. At the lake’s shore you get to see a flock of grey crown cranes, forest vegetation, hillside gardens, oddly-shaped ridges and gorges. Of great interest is an interesting colonial history to be encountered at Lake Chahafi. This was an account of the struggle to control the region during the First World War. On the shores of Lake Chahafi crater in Kisoro is where in 1914, the joint forces of the British and Belgians set up a base to ward off the attacks of the Germans in the struggle for control of Kigezi region.  Before 1914, the Lake Chahafi area is where the Bafumbira tribal leader Katuregye based his camp to repulse the approaching British imperialists. This tribal leader and his subjects were inspired by the native Nyabingi religious movement which claimed that the spirits of the land would help them defeat the colonialists and thus, the interesting tales about the dramatic campaign that subdued the clan leader.

Among the bird species that can be spotted at Lake Chahafi include; Lesser Jacana, the African Jacana, the Black Crake, Blue-headed Coucal, Common Moorhen, swamp flycatchers, swamp warblers, Common Moorhen and the Malakite Kingfisher.