Enjoy nature walks, beaches and birding in Bussi Island

Most of these islands that are popular with party-hunters are located in Kalangala District, several hours away from the mainland by ferry or motorboat. It takes a lot of planning, time and money to take a trip to any of them. 

Not Bussi. This small Island is probably the closest to the mainland, if you live in Kampala or Entebbe. It is located at the south-most part of Busiro South County in Wakiso District and is less than a kilometre away from the mainland. Because of its close proximity to Kampala and Entebbe, it is one of the cheapest getaway options. 

Two  access routes
You can get to Bussi through Entebbe Town. It takes a few minutes by motorboat from Nakiwogo landing site near Entebbe Town to Gulwe landing site on Bussi Island. The fare on the boat is around shs10,000, give or take. 

The other route to Bussi starts from Nateete in Kampala, through Kasangye Road. On this well-maintained gravel road, you shoot straight south until you arrive at Mabamba landing site, on the edge of Mabamba swamp, famous for being the home of the shoebill stork. 

At the Mabamba landing site, you will take a boat ride at Shs2,000 and arrive on the island in less than 20 minutes. The distance between the mainland and the island is so short that the landing site on the other side is also called Mabamba. 

The  boat trip
If you want a truly satisfying boat trip to Bussi, go through Kasangye. The Nakiwogo boat ride offers no special experience. However, a boat trip from Mabamba landing site near Kasangye to, wait for it, Mabanda landing site on the other side is like nothing you have ever experience. 

Wooden boats go through a channel in the swamp. The said channel is so narrow that when two boats meet, one has to first reverse and find a nook to shove itself into for the meantime for  the other to pass. The boat drivers do not row with oars.

There is just no space for that. They use long sticks to move the boat by planting it on the lake floor before they push back to propel the boat forward. They then ride on inertia for a few second before repeating the movement. 

But that is not all. Some enterprising individual built a large wooden ferry to help cars cross from one end to the other for a fee. This barge carries trucks of firewood and other merchandise taxis, and personal cars from the island to the mainland.  Bussi is rural . 

Birders paradise
You might have heard of the famous Mabamba Swamp, which is home to 260 species of birds, including the elusive shoebill. It is this same swamp that lends its name to the two landing sites mentioned above. It is through this rich biodiversity haven that the channel mentioned above crosses.

Every once in a while, you will see tourists in the swamp tracking the shoebill, but even without trying, you will see many bird species all over the swamp, fishing or scavenging for insects and fruits. Bussi Island therefore, is popular with tourists because of its endless supply of birds and bugs.

Tourist resorts and beaches
The Island has a few resort hotels, expectedly. There are beaches to be enjoyed and natural forests to be strolled through on top of birding expeditions. There is community tourism to try out by walking through the small island observing the social life of the islanders.

The people who come for these activities must find places to sleep, eat and drink. Enterprising people have built resorts on the water fronts and in the forests for tourists. 

Sometimes one just wants to grab a small bag on a Saturday morning and end up in some deserted place where the breeze is pure and the sun warm.

Here, one grabs a cold beer or a cigar and looks at the setting sun from the patio of a grass thatched cottage, forgiving oneself of all the snafus one has burdened oneself with. Bussi is the place to go for such moment. It might also help if you want to write poetry or a song about serenity or love. This island conjures up some sensibilities. 

And once you are done with all the reflections, you just grab a boat for a short ride across the lake back to where you parked your motorcycle or car, in time for a trip back home before dark. It is shocking that not more people take trips to this island.