The undiscovered Ssese Island by tourists is one of the top hidden tourism treasures of Uganda with a number of attractions needed to be seen by any adventure lover for a memorable trip.
From the fine white sand beaches, beautiful bird life, ververt to habituated chimpanzees, there is a lot to do and discover in these tropical rain forested Islands. Top activities done here include fishing, swimming, nature walks on private islands, birding, horseback riding, bike and Quad Biking, boating (canoeing), wind surfing, sun set cruises and a visit to the Ngamba Chimpanzee island.
Many of the islands in Ssese are uninhabited except for a few fishermen, so the forests and swamps which abound around some of the coasts make the islands a perfect habitat for birds.
Getting to Ssese Islands
Ssese Island is located is located in North west of Lake Victoria, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world made up of over eighty-four islands in the northwestern. The islands are in Kalangala District, in southern Central Uganda, that does not have any territory on mainland Uganda.
However, out of the more than eighty islands, tourists mostly prefer to visit the Bugala grouped Island including Bukasa, Bubembe, Bubeke among others. Bugala is the largest island within the Ssese islands that extends to over 200km2 and measuring about 43km from East to West. Other Islands are grouped under Koome Islands such as Koome itself, Damba and Luwaji.
The Bugala Island can be accessed by either a ferry or a boat though the latter can sometimes be problematic if you moved with your vehicle and in terms of time taken while sailing. We consider using a ferry.
There are two large ferries serving between Bugala Island and the mainland and it depends on which would be more comfortable for you to use. One is at Nakiwogo in Entebbe and the other in Bukakata, Masaka.
Nakiwogo Ferry
Nakiwogo dock is just a few kilometers (10 – 40) from either Entebbe town or Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. The ferry here operates daily to Kalangala Bay, the Lutoboka. It always depart from Nakiwogo at 2:00pm taking about 3.5 hours of sailing to Kalangala and returns to Nakiwogo at 8:00 am.
This is a paid for ferry whose charges are about USD 5 per individual for 1st class and about USD 3 for 2nd class. Vehicles cost around USD 15. The ferry has a restaurant where you can buy a snack.
This Ferry is best for use for those that wish to start their trips in Uganda at Ssese Islands and those specifically on a tout to exclusively Ssese.
Bukakata Site Ferry
Another Ferry to Bugala Island is at Bukakata in Masaka that is about 90 km from Kampala. This lands at Bugoma on the other end of Bugala Island. This ferry is a public property and takes about 45 – 55 minutes to get to Bugala Island.
The Ferry at Bukakata makes a number of trips daily to Bugala and its departure times are 8:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and then 4:00 pm from Bukakata. The return times from Bugoma is 9:00 am, 12:30 pm, as 2:30 pm and then 5:00 pm.
This Ferry is best for clients who wish to end their Safaris in Ssese Islands since Bukakata is easily accessible while coming from Western Uganda.
Boat
Alternatively, you can use a boat (wooden) from Kasenyi landing site in Entebbe that takes around 35 minutes to get to the island.
Accommodation
There is a number of accommodation facilities in Ssese Islands ranging from budget to mid-range with the top being the Pineapple Bay Resort on the private Bulago Island, Brovad Sands Lodge, Victoria Forest Resort, Ssese Islands Beach Hotel among others.
While in Uganda, you can choose to either start or end your trip on these spectacular islands, specifically the Bugala Island as it is a perfect destination to chill out and relax before or after your trip.