Lake Kayumbu
Lake Kayumbu, also known as Lake Kayumba, is a lake in Kisoro District, South Western Uganda, north of the Rwanda border at an altitude of above sea level. The lake acts as a tourist destination which earns the country foreign exchange. The lake has a variety of fish species.
Geography and setting
Lake Kayumbu lies in the highlands of Kisoro District, within the wider Kigezi area of south-western Uganda. A limnological baseline survey of six south-western Ugandan lakes reported Lake Kayumbu as a small lake at about 1,890 metres above sea level, near Lake Chahafi and close to the Rwanda border.Kisoro District is a high-altitude district with multiple surface water bodies and wetlands, including lakes Mutanda, Mulehe, Chahafi and Kayumbu, plus a network of permanent swamps.
Physical characteristics
In published limnological baseline data, Lake Kayumbu has:- Surface area:
- Maximum depth:
- Altitude: above sea level
Limnology and biodiversity
Lake Kayumbu was included in a wet-season limnological baseline survey covering lakes in Kisoro, Kabale and Rukungiri districts. The survey collected field measurements and samples for parameters such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, conductivity, nutrients, phytoplankton biomass, zooplankton, and macroinvertebrates to characterise high-altitude water bodies for fisheries productivity planning.Human use
Lake Kayumbu is visited as part of local nature tourism and hiking routes in south-western Uganda, including treks linking Lake Bunyonyi, Echuya Forest and the Kisoro area.Travel writing commonly describes Lake Kayumbu and nearby Lake Chahafi as a paired landscape viewpoint, separated by a ridge, with wide views across the surrounding hills.