Musambwa Island on Lake Victoria

Musambwa Island in Lake Victoria: With a population of less than 100 and an area of five acres, the island is home to almost 2000 snakes, or more than 20 snakes per person. One of the most revered islands in Uganda is Musambwa Island, which is a must-visit location for anyone going on a safari in Uganda.

About five kilometers from the Kasensero landing location on Lake Victoria is Musambwa Island, a superstitious island in the Rakai section of the lake. The local dialect Musambwa, which literally translates to “gods/spirits” in Luganda and manifests as snakes, is where this island gets its name. The abundance of snakes in the area that are thought to be spirits rather than just regular snakes is what gave rise to this moniker.

About 100 men live on Musambwa Island, coexisting happily with various reptiles, particularly snakes, which are frequently found in homes and sharing beds with the men.

The people of Musambwa believe that spirits, who must manifest as snakes, inhabit their island. Thus, Musambwa signifies spirits in Luganda. Since no one is allowed to have sex on Musambwa Island for fear of the spirits degrading both the individual and the community, the island boasts one of the highest morality rates in the world. This has prevented the residents from contracting fatal STIs like AIDS, which are prevalent on other islands in the lake.

Things to Do on Musambwa Island

The island is home to more than 2000 snakes, reptiles, and several bird species. Long-tailed cormorants, greater cormorants, and tiny egrets all breed there. In contrast to other birding locations where binoculars are required, the various bird species, such as the black crake, spur-winged plover, grey heron, yellow-billed duck, African fish eagle, pied king fisher, Squaco heron, and many more, can be easily observed here. Vipers, monitor lizards, cobras, and rock pythons are also well-known on Musambwa Island. The island’s shorelines are rocky, and the vegetation is mostly ficus and shrubby, stunted trees.

Legends surrounding Musambwa Island

In the past, fishermen coexisted peacefully with birds and snakes. They made a living from fishing while protecting the environment out of a fear of taboos, superstitions, and traditions.

Mzee Emmanuel Kaberenge was among the first to settle on the island. Upon arriving on the island in 1964, he discovered numerous taboos and transmitted them to later fisherman. Only four individuals inhabited the islands by that time. To appease the gods and spirits, women and sex are forbidden on this island. Therefore, no woman will be permitted on this island, and if a man needs sex, he must either travel to nearby islands or the mainland, which is about 10 kilometers distant and takes about an hour by motorized boat. Anyone who disturbs the spirits will be punished by the entire island population and would have to leave Musambwa Island. At first, this reduced thefts and kept the population small. Since snakes are regarded as gods, the second myth forbids killing them. As a result, Musambwa is the only place on the planet where people coexist peacefully with cobras of all sizes.

Since the third commandment, which has since fallen, forbade fisherman from consuming or selling the eggs of the thousands of birds that breed and dwell on the island, fishermen have turned to birds as a means of subsistence in order to make up for the loss of fish-based food and money. The thousands of birds that have lived and nested on the islands for millennia are used for food and their eggs are sold.

Fun things to do on Musambwa Island

Musambwa Island is one location that a visitor should not miss in order to learn about the superstitious island because of its beautiful surroundings and a variety of entertaining activities that most tourists find fascinating. These activities include:

Nature walks: While on a nature walk on Musambwa Island, you can witness millions of activities, such fisherman drying their catch and cleaning their nets, and even better, you can participate in the activities yourself.

Observation of birds: The Musambwa Islands are recognized as the largest breeding ground for the African grey-headed gull race, whose eggs are consumed and sold by fisherman. Additionally, there are thousands of birds that breed and nest on the island, so you should anticipate seeing a lot of them on your tour.

Observing reptiles: as previously said, the island is home to more than 2000 snakes and other reptiles of various species that are free to roam around without endangering you. You can even get to know men and snakes and develop a strong bond with them as you are given an explanation of their characteristics and behaviors.

Enjoy the opportunity to go sport fishing with the local fishermen, capture big freshwater fish from Lake Victoria, and pick their brains about fishing methods.

There are also a ton of other enjoyable activities you can partake in, and you can even forget that you are living so close to snakes that you can leave after you have become friends with one.

Packing for Musambwa Island

These are some items you might want to bring on your Uganda safari to Musambwa Island as it’s an island and you want to be able to walk around freely without any hindrance.

Khaki, beige, green, and neutral hues (black and dark blue garments should be avoided because they draw Tsetse flies)
Long-sleeved shirts (even in summer, to defend against Tsetse flies, mosquitoes, and the sun)
T-shirts
Shorts
For milder days and evenings, jeans or safari pants are appropriate. For early morning and evening game drives, a jacket and sweater are advised.
Waterproof jacket that is lightweight
Strong pants
A rain hat
When at camp, wear beachwear and swimwear.
Walking shoes that are comfortable
Robust, water-resistant walking boots
When trekking, pants should be tucked into boots and socks.
Essentials include lip salve, moisturizer, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
potent insect repellant
Equipment for cameras and binoculars
A little backpack to hold a packed lunch and water
On your Uganda safari, come learn about the distinctive culture of Uganda, known as the Pearl of Africa.