Lake Kyoga – Uganda Safari
Lake Kyoga is a large shallow lake found in Uganda that sits about 1,720 square kilometers in the area and at an elevation of 1,033 meters. The Victoria Nile has fingerlike extensions with a surface of Nile that flows its water in the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja. Lake Kyoga is also one of the African Great Lakes system, though itself is not considered as a great lake. More so, Lake Kyoga lies in the north of Lake Victoria in central Uganda ,914 meters above sea level.
The extension of Lake Kyoga includes Lake Bisina, Lake Kwania and Lake Opeta. These finger lakes are filled by swampland during rainy seasons. Lakes found on the Lake Kyoga basin are shallow and usually reaches its depth of only 8 to 9 meters and lake Opeta forms a separate lake during dry season.
Moreover, Lake Kyoga is swampy lake that stretches its depth of about 5.7 meters and is less than 4 meters deep and the areas that measures less than 3 meters deep are completely covered by water lilies while the swampy areas are covered with papyrus and water hyacinth. The papyrus around the lake also forms floating island that drift between a number of small permanent islands.
The lake is inhabitant of aquatic fauna such as Nile crocodiles, more than 60 cichlid species and other smaller number of fish species like Lake Victoria sardine and marbled lungfish among others.
The lake has enough water, because of two rainy seasons that happens from the months of October to December and the second between March and May. The dry seasons starts from December to February. The temperatures in the north of Uganda becomes higher than in the south. The fact is that, Lake Kyoga and Uganda Safari experiences a tropical climate tempered by the altitude.
The lake has a catchment area that raises about 75,000 square kilometers. And a visit made to lake Kyoga, you can engage in human activities like fishing, cultivation and livestock keeping. Also notes this, in the area there is no industrial enterprises due to lack of grid or other power connectivity. In spite, the lake is dotted with lots of islands of papyrus and water hyacinth mats. Due to the result of poor agronomic practices in the catchment area plus siltation caused by the Victoria Nile made habitable to fishermen in those decades thus reducing the quality and quantity of the lake.
Is Lake Kyoga a fresh water lake?
Yes, lake Kyoga is a fresh water lake and they also have suds which are seen as islands that are habitats for birds and others have been turned into homes for fishermen.
Why is lake Kyoga very shallow?
Lake Kyoga is very shallow because is characterized by many swampy papyrus reeded shores, that sometimes entirely block the Nile river thus making navigation only possible by shallow draft vessels between Masindi port and Namasagali.
How is Lake Kyoga formed?
Lake Kyoga was formed by the ponding back of the Kafu river. It also positioned in the flooded branches of the low west-flowing Kafu river, that receives the outflow from the Victoria Nile and is drained northward, then westward over the low northern end of the Rift escarpment to Lake Albert.
Why is Lake Kyoga Swampy?
Lake Kyoga is one of the touristic attraction on Uganda safaris, located in the central of Uganda. Having a very shallow lake with a depth of about 5.7meter being less than 4 meters deep. The lake is water by the Victoria Nile which flows its water from Lake Victoria beginning from Jinja northwards to Lake Kyoga.
