Rubondo Island is tucked into the southwest corner of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest lake, an inland sea sprawling between three countries.Rubondo is provides protection for fish breeding ground ,while tilapia and the rapacious Nile perch some weighing more than 100kg, tempt recreational game fishermen seeking world record catches.
Rubondo is more than a water wonderland. Deserted sandy beaches nestle against a cloak of virgin forest, where dappled bushbuck move fleet yet silent through a maze of tamarinds, wild palms, and sycamore figs strung with a cage of trailing taproots.
The shaggy-coated aquatic sitatunga, elsewhere the most elusive of antelopes, is remarkably easily observed, not only in the papyrus swamps it normally inhabits, but also in the forest interior.
Birds are everywhere.
Flocks of African grey parrots – released onto the island after they were confiscated from illegal exporters – screech in comic discord as they flap furiously between the trees.
The azure brilliance of a malachite kingfisher perched low on the reeds competes with the glamorous, flowing tail of a paradise flycatcher as it flits through the lakeshore forest. Herons, storks and spoonbills proliferate in the swampy lake fringes, supplemented by thousands of Eurasian migrants during the northern winter.
Wild jasmine, 40 different orchids and a smorgasbord of sweet, indefinable smells emanate from the forest.
Ninety percent of the park is humid forest; the remainder ranges from open grassland to lakeside papyrus beds.
Size: 457 sq km (176 sq miles).
Wildlife: hippo, vervet monkey, genet , mongoose – share their protected habitat with introduced species such as chimpanzee, black-and-white colobus, elephant and giraffe,
Location: Northeast Tanzania,150 km (95 miles) west of Mwanza
Activities: Game drive, Camping Safari, Walking Safari and Bird Watching.
Getting there:Scheduled flights from Arusha, Lake Manyara,Dar es salaam, Serengeti and Mwanza in peak season, charter flights only in low season.
By road from Mwanza and then boat transfer. Contact us for transport details.
