Musambwa island; The Reptile Island in Uganda’s Lake Victoria

February 26, 2024

Musambwa Island; The Reptile Island in Uganda’s Lake Victoria

Musambwa Island; The Reptile Island in Uganda’s Lake Victoria. The Island is Within an area of five acres and has a population of less than 100 people. There are more than 2000 snakes that inhabit the island, and that’s a ratio of over 20 snakes per person. Musambwa Island is one of the most rest respected islands in Uganda. On a Uganda safari, one should not miss out on having a stopover at this island.

Musambwa Island is a superstitious island in the interior of Lake Victoria in the Rakai district. The island is approximately 5 km from Kasensero landing site on Lake Victoria. This Island derives its name from a local dialect Musambwa which literally means gods/ spirits in Luganda and appears in the form of snakes. This name came about due to the overwhelming number of snakes in the area. The insane number of snakes is believed to be spiritual rather than normal snakes.

Approximately 100 men occupy Musambwa Island by approximately, peacefully residing with different species of reptiles. Most especially, snakes that are common in people’s houses as well as sharing beds with the men.

Musambwa Island on Lake Victoria

Musambwa residents believe their island is full of spirits that must appear as snakes. So in Luganda, Musambwa means spirits. Musambwa Island boasts one of the highest morality rates in the world. Given that no one can have sex there or else the spirits will humiliate him/ her and the entire population. This is saving the inhabitants from deadly sexually transmitted diseases. Most likely, the inhabitants have avoided AIDS which is common on other islands on the lake.

Attractions at Musambwa Island

Besides over 2000 snakes residing on the island, there are reptiles and a very large number of bird species. The island is also a breeding site for long-tailed cormorants, greater cormorants, and little egrets. The different bird species include black crake, spur-winged plover, grey heron, yellow-billed duck, and African fish eagle. There are also pied kingfishers, Squacco herons, and many more that you can view with ease. It is better than other birding sites where one has to use binoculars. Musambwa Island is also popular for rock pythons, cobras, vipers, and monitor lizards. The vegetation on this island is mainly shrubby and stunted trees ficus and the shorelines are rocky.

Myths about Musambwa Island

In the old days, fishermen lived in harmony with snakes and birds. They earned a living out of fishing while conserving nature by fear of superstitions, taboos, and customs.

One of the first people to settle on the island is Mzee Emmanuel Kaberenge. He came to the island in 1964, found many taboos, and passed them on to subsequent fishermen. By then, only four people lived on the islands. Women and sex are prohibited on this island to please the gods/spirits. Therefore, no woman will visit this island. In addition to that, a man who wants to have sex goes to the mainland which is about 10 km away. It takes approximately 1 hour by boat or they have to travel to neighboring islands if they need sex.

Anyone who annoys the spirits will attract punishment from the whole community on the island. He must also be chased away from Musambwa Island. That initially kept the population small and minimized thefts. The second myth prevents people from killing snakes as the people believe them to be gods. Consequently, Musambwa is the only location on earth where people live with cobras of all sizes, with mutual respect for one another.

The third commandment has now collapsed, prohibiting fishermen from eating or selling eggs of the thousands of birds that live and breed on the Island. However, to compensate for the loss of income and food from fish, the fishermen have turned to birds for survival. They eat and sell the eggs of the thousands of birds that live and breed on the islands for centuries.

Fun activities at Musambwa Island

Musambwa Island is one place; a tourist needs not to miss to discover the superstitious island. This is because of its lovely and lots of fun activities, it carries that fascinate most travelers to see and enjoy, and some of these include:

Nature walks:

There are thousands of activities to see while you have a nature walk on Musambwa Island. These include viewing fishermen drying their fish and cleaning their fishing nets. Even better, you can get involved in these activities during your stay on the island.

Bird watching:

Musambwa Islands are popular as the largest breeding site for the African race of grey-headed gulls in Africa. The fishermen eat and sell its eggs hence acting as their source of income. Other thousands of birds that breed and nest on the island, so expect to see a number of them while on your tour of the island.

Seeing reptiles:

As we have stated first, there are over 2000 snakes and different kinds of reptiles on the island. They move freely with no harm for you to see and even get to know men and snakes get to have a great connection. While interacting with them, they explain to you the nature and ways of how to associate with them

Sport fishing:

Have the chance to sport fish with the local fishermen and catch large freshwater fish from Lake Victoria. Also, learn the fishing techniques from them.

There are more fun activities that you can do and even forget that you’re residing with snakes so near. You get the chance to leave when you have made a snake a friend.

What to pack to Musambwa Island

As it’s an island and one would love to have free movement without disturbance, below are the things may consider carrying along with you on your Uganda safari to Musambwa Island.

Khaki, green, beige, and neutral colors (you should avoid dark blue and black clothing, as they attract Tsetse flies)
Shirts with long sleeves (even in summer, as protection from the sun, mosquitoes, and Tsetse flies)
T-shirts
Shorts
Jeans or safari trousers for evenings and cooler days
We recommend a jacket and a sweater for early morning and evening game drives
Lightweight waterproof jacket
Sturdy trousers
Rain hat
Swim and beachwear while at camp
Comfortable walking shoes
Strong waterproof walking boots
Pants should be tucked into socks and boots while trekking.
Sunblock, sunglasses, hat, moisturizer, and lip salve are all essentials
Strong insect repellent
Binoculars and camera equipment
Small backpack to carry water and a packed lunch