Twenty-nine islands scattered across a deep, still lake terraced to the waterline in the southwestern highlands. Bunyonyi means "place of many little birds" and it delivers on the name. There is no bilharzia and no crocodile or hippo, so it is one of the very few lakes in the region where swimming is safe. Dugout canoe between the islands, or simply stop moving for a few days after a gorilla trek.
The perfect decompression after Bwindi. Terraced hills, mist on the water at dawn, and you can actually swim.
Paddled a dugout between the islands all afternoon. One of the most peaceful places I have ever been.
Genuinely beautiful and cool at altitude — pack a fleece, it gets properly cold at night.
Uganda3 daysAn archipelago of 84 forested islands in the northwestern corner of Lake Victoria, reached by ferry from Entebbe or Bukakata. Sand beaches, palm and rainforest, fish eagles overhead and almost nothing to do — which is the appeal. Buggala is the largest and most developed; the outer islands stay genuinely quiet. A natural finish to a longer Uganda circuit.
Rated 4.3 out of 5 from 3 reviews
Kenya4 daysSeventeen kilometres of white coral sand south of Mombasa, backed by palms and fronted by a reef that keeps the water flat and clear. Colobus monkeys move through the canopy behind the beach hotels. Kitesurfing, diving on the reef, dhow trips to Wasini Island and the Kisite Marine Park make it more than a place to lie down — though it is very good at that too.
Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 3 reviews
Uganda3 daysUganda's largest and oldest park, split by the Victoria Nile as it forces itself through a seven-metre gorge and detonates into the Rift Valley below. Game drives on the northern bank turn up elephant, giraffe, buffalo and lion across open savanna; the afternoon launch cruise runs to the foot of the falls past hippo pods and basking crocodile. The Delta stretch is one of the last reliable places on earth to see the shoebill.
Rated 4.7 out of 5 from 3 reviews