Rubondo Island is tucked into the corner of Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest lake, an inland sea sprawling between three countries. Rubondo provides protection for fish breeding grounds, while tilapia and rapacious Nile perch, some weight more than 100 kg, tempt recreation fishers with challenging sports fishing and world records catches. But Rubondo is more than a water wonderland. Deserted sandy beaches nestle against a cloak of virgin forest. Papyrus swamps host the secretive sitatunga a shaggy aquatic antelope, and the dappled bushbuck.
Rubondo is a birder's paradise, with malachite kingfisher's azure brilliance competing with paradise flycatcher's glamorous flowing tail. Rubondo is home to the fish eagles and is a global stopover for hundreds of migratory birds, as well as a sanctuary for sweet-smelling wild jasmine and 40 different species of 0rchids.
Ninety percent of the island is covered with humid forest, the remainder ranges from coastal grassland to lakeside papyrus beds, a number of indigenous mammal species- hippos, bushbucks, genets and mongooses-share their protected habitat with introduced species such as chimpanzees, elephants, and giraffes. Rubondo's wildflowers are at their best from November to March. For migratory birds, visit from December to February, the Island's climate is at its most pleasant from June to August.
Tanzania
Uganda
Kenya
Zanzibar
