Hidden it is, this jewel. Have you ever heard of it?
Lake Chahafi and the Lake Chahafi Resort are located close to Kisoro, a small town in the most southwestern tip of Uganda, in the tri-border area of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Lake Chahafi is located under the peaks of the Mufumbiro Mountains, which are home to rare mountain gorillas at Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.
With a 12-seater Cessna Grand Caravan, we flew about an hour from Entebbe over Lake Victoria and the Virunga volcano area to Kisoro. And after an entertaining 20-minute drive, we arrived at Nelson Mughisha's Lake Chahafi Resort. We had not seen the lake before, just a hidden jewel. But as soon as the gate opened, it was in front of us - the Lake Chahafi. Wow, what a sight!
Lake Chahafi provides drinking water for the people in the surrounding area. It has a very pleasant water temperature and since only birds and otters live here and no dangerous animals, the lake is ideal for swimming. The children from the village have fun swimming through the lake with their water canisters converted into a swimming board. Here I swam for the first time in the company of a pelican. What a feeling and so refreshing.
In the late afternoon, we took the in-house wooden boat across the lake, observing countless species of birds, such as the crowned crane, the national bird of Uganda, various kingfishers, jacanas, pelicans, ospreys and several species of herons.
When the boat docked we climbed a hill via a short but steep trail. And here a great surprise was waiting for us: on top with a great view over the coloring lake and the volcanic mountain Mount Muhabura we were served a delicious four course meal. You couldn't imagine it more beautiful and romantic. The food was excellent, the chef whipping up the most amazing dishes in a small WOK, the setting sun and finally the cloudless twinkling starry sky...
After dinner, we walked back to Lake Chahafi Resort in the dark, first along narrow paths and then through the evening village where most of the resort's staff live.
We spent four wonderful days at Lake Chahafi Resort and want to point out a special person who made our trip to Uganda possible: Nelson Mughisha.
He organized the flight from/to Entebbe, transfers and finally the unforgettable hikes in the nearby Mugahinga National Park, home to one of the few mountain gorilla families and the golden monkeys, one of the rarest monkey species. Nelson wholeheartedly contributes to the protection of this special area with its countless possibilities, for example by buying land and converting it into nature reserves. He is committed to ensuring that both the people and the unique animals can survive in this incomparable natural environment.
Lake Chahafi, just like the people living there, has a thousand faces, every day it is different. Would you like to get to know this treasure? Write to us and we will be happy to help you realize a trip you will never forget.
Special thanks goes to Nelson from Lake Chahafi Resort who made our trip possible, Bar Aviation and to the Ugandan Wildlife Authority, which has been working for years to preserve this unique habitat for the mountain gorillas.
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