Lake George

Lake George is situated in the western Part of Uganda at the escarpments of the great western arm African rift valley; the lake covers an area of about 250 kilometers squared. The magnificent Lake George drains to Lake Edward through the mighty Kazinga channel, the channel beautifully meanders in 915meters streaming with lots of wildlife at the shores and concentrated by hippos in the inner waters.

Lake George was named after a British royal family member who was known as Prince George who later became King George V. The lake is shallow with a depth of about 2.4 meters below, the lake is supplied by the splendid Rwenzori mountain ranges streams this include; Rumi, Mubuku, Nsonge, Dura, Katonga and Mpanga.

Lake George is also known as Lake Dweru, the lake was designated as a Ramsar wetland system on 4th of March 1988, Lake George was given the name George by the first European explorer Henry H Stanleywho visited the lake in 1875. Henry M. Stanley named this lake Beatrice gulf thinking it was part of Lake Albert but later renamed it George on his return and realized they were two different lakes

Lake George is surrounded by dense swamp at the northern shore; it contains three major islands of Akika, iranqara, and Kankuranga. It’s also among the great lakes of the east African region. The lake received two rain seasons annually.

Lake George provides tourists with great tourists activities apart from its outstanding views tourits can go on some of the following activities.

Wildlife viewing is one of the activities at Lake George, the most interesting here is the Sitatunga antelope found at the papyrus swamp of the northern shores of the lake. There are also other animals to be seen such as

Lake George is a borders Paradise as it’s in Queen Elizabeth national park which boasts with over 600 species of birds some of the birds are migratory while others are residential the birds to be seen include; rare shoebill,

Fishing at Lake George is one of the main economic activities carried out by the locals, the lake is endowed with many fish species examples are; Tilapia Nilotica, Thermocyclops hyelinus, Haplocromis and nigripinnis among others.

Boat cruising can be done at the lake providing tourists with great opportunities of viewing aquatic birds and animals plus observing the lakes indigenous Flora and fauna.

Tourists can also visit the nearby fishing villages and interact with the locals and learn about their ways of life and different fishing methods used and how they depend on fishing there are also lots of souvenirs to buy and take back home for remembrance.

Nature guided walks can be taken around the lake with great views of birds and the outstanding scenery.

Lake George accommodation will vary on where the tourist wants to sleep but accommodation within and in Queen Elizabeth can be found ranging from tenting, camping, budget, mid range and luxurious lodges most of this are affordable and comfortable with warm welcoming staffs.

Lake George can be accessed from Kampala-Hoima road this takes about five to six hours drive or tourists can use a domestic chattered flight to Queen Elizabeth or any Kasese airstrip and then board a car to the lake.

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