Bubembe Island Vacation: Central Region – Uganda

Welcome to Bubembe Island

Bubembe Island is exceptionally one of the 84 spectacular Ssese Islands and sometimes called the islands of Lake Victoria. This beautiful Island is found in Kalangala district, northwest of Lake Victoria. Based on Buganda religion, the Bubembe Island is famous to its demi gods as a home of the temple of Mukasa a renowned giver of oracle, a kindly deity who never needed any kind of human sacrifice and the island became the best area where messages were received from Mukasa.

Myths put it that during his (Mukasa) young age, he refused to feed on ordinary food and disappeared from home but he was found on this island while sitting under a huge tree. He was then taken to a garden where he was lifted onto the rock as most people feared to offer him refuge in their houses with assumption that he was a spirit. However, they constructed for him a hut on the rock.

They never knew what to offer him to eat a fact that he refused eat their food but when they slaughtered an ox, he asked for its blood, heart and liver and this made them realize that he was a god and consulted him in any kind of challenges. Mukasa stayed on the Bubembe Island for years, got married 3 wives, was cared for by priests and at the end disappeared just he did at the time he came.

His temple was a conical reed hut that was re-constructed at intervals under orders of the King. Before, it is believed that Mukasa spoke his will directly to the priests though after they used mediums who disclosed his messages. The medium didn’t enter the temple but had a special hut in front of it. While seeking to know about his will, the medium smoked some tobacco till the spirit appeared before her and then she announced in the shrill voice what was to be done. The medium wasn’t permitted to marry or even walk about in the sight of men or communicate to any man but the priest and once selected held the office until death.

Bubembe Island is remarkably a hidden treasure that you should consider a must to explore. Besides its dramatic cultural treasures, the island also boasts of its rare wildlife species, forests and swamps. For birders on Uganda safari, this island is one of the best birding areas that you should pay a visit to explore variety of unique birds. The virtually untouched land is endowed with bird species like the whale headed stork, herons, geese, grey parrot, kingfishers, fish eagles, weaver birds, flycatchers, hornbills, Turacos, paradise catcher and many others. Besides, Bubembe Island also boasts of other unique wildlife species most of which include the waterbucks, hippos, crocodiles, colobus monkeys, vervets, beautiful butterflies and others.

• Getting to Bubembe Island

Bubembe Island is accessible within 9 (nine) hours’ drive from Port Bell or 45 minutes using a local ferry from Bukakata. From Bugala Island, for about (3) three hours on boat ride to Bukasa Island or two hours to Bubembe. Banda Island is another remarkable island of the Ssese group and it is 3 hours if you are using a boat from Bugala.

In conclusion, Bubembe Island isn’t only credited for its fascinating culture biography but also for most of its amazing wildlife species.